Copper coil (IUD) vs Vaginal ring

I’m writing this purely because of how terrified I was going to get the coil after all the horror stories I read about on here. If you are prepared the insertion is an absolute walk in the park. I took 2 feminax and 2 paracetamol about 45 minutes before my appointment, chose the local anaesthetic (call in advance to check you can get this!) - I literally hardly felt the anaesthetic at all and then the insertion is like sudden onset of moderate period pain but again it was nothing as bad as I was expecting!! The 24 hours after I kept using the pain relief tablets and I haven’t needed to use it since. A tiny bit of bleeding since which I think will continue for a few days but that’s it. If this fear of the insertion is what’s stopping you from getting either coil please read this! I almost didn’t get it because of the anxiety I had around fainting / extreme pain etc. that I read about. Eat before, take pain relief and get the local anaesthetic and you will be so fine

I got my gynefix mini online and had it inserted at the John Hunter clinic in London. I had paraguard before which gave me terrible cramps and incredibly heavy periods: I had Jaydess for 3 years which gave low but manageable mood but I started having terrible back pains either it. Once I had it removed, back pains stopped. I didn’t use anything for a while and then tried the implant, which was awful! It gave me terrible mood swings and anger! Went back to jaydess and back pains returned and low mood. I started looking for other options and found gynefix and I am so glad I did! Insertion was painful and my periods are significantly heavier but nothing I can’t live with. No back-pains, no horrible craps and no mood effects! Thank you whoever created this! I really forget it is there and only sometimes can slightly feel it, but this is by far the best contraception I’ve tried! It was hard to find a dr to get it fitted and I had to order it myself as NHS don’t supply it, but worth it!

I have possible adenomyosis and this coil was only temporary as emergency contraception to then get switched to the mirena but my second period has been lighter and much less painful than before so I'm considering waiting to see how this goes. I don't get hormonal migraines either

NuvaRing greatly affected my mood, at one point I thought I had depression and got prescribed antidepressants by incompetent doctors. The second I stopped using NuvaRing (based on INTERNET RECOMMENDATIONS), all my mental problems went away

I used the NuvaRing/Syreni ring for over a year without any apparent issues until I began experiencing severe stomach cramps. The pain was so intense that it often woke me up at night, leaving me unable to move or sleep for hours. Despite multiple doctor appointments, my concerns were repeatedly dismissed, and I was left feeling anxious and on edge, uncertain about the cause of my pain. Frustrated with the lack of answers, I decided to take matters into my own hands and removed the ring myself. Remarkably, after five months of excruciating cramps, they stopped immediately upon removal of the ring. It's been five weeks now, and I remain cramp-free. While I cannot say with absolute certainty that the vaginal ring was the cause, the timing feels far too coincidental to ignore.

No side effects at all but the ring kept falling out so i always felt it while standing up

I really loved using the ring, compared to the pill the side effects were minimal and absolutely no bother in remembering it. Unfortunately my doctor just made me come off it as my blood pressure has steadily gone up over 3 years of using it. I did experience loss of sex drive, and vaginal dryness which led to thrush infections. But no changes in mood or skin!

Love the Nuvaring. Hardly have to think about changing it. I can get the odd bit of breakthrough bleeding if I don't take my 7 day break. Overall, I'm a big fan!

Things started out really well. No side effects and I didn't take ring breaks so no periods. My skin got less greasy so I got fewer spots, and I had 3 months blissfully free of painful period diarrhoea. Sadly after 3 months I started to get breakthrough bleeding every day and minor versions of my old period symptoms like back pain, cramps, and digestive upsets started to flare up. I tried removing my ring but that just made it worse and within 4 hours I was having a bad time on the loo and put a new ring in just to make it stop. The new ring helped, but now I feel kind of trapped having a constant mini period all the time with no alternative since the only pill that worked for me in the past has been discontinued, and progesterone only contraceptives have never agreed with me, so nothing else seems as convenient as the ring. All in all, bit of a mixed bag.

Switched to the vaginal ring after using the pill. When first trying it I could feel some pressure in my lower abdomen but this feeling passed after 1 day and havent had it again since using it. The first 2 periods I had were shorter but heavier than usual but after each period (basically the break week) each period got lighter and my 3rd period was lighter than my usual. Apart from that no other side effects - the above ones I experienced I would say linked to my body adjusting to a new contraception (similar to the pill where they tell you the first 3 months you may experience some side effects). I dont feel as moody as when I was on the pill and the great thing is I dont need to remember to take something everyday so the peace of mind is an additional benefit.

I've been using the ring for almost a year now and so far it's been working rlly well for me. I pretty much forget it's there when it's in and its rlly easy to change. It's the first hormonal contraceptive I've used so I was extremely apprehensive about it but slowly I've got used to the idea and now it's just a normal part of my routine. The side effects I've experience are minimal and very manageable. A slight decrease in sex drive particularly a couple of months in, and a very slight increase in weight but both are managable and Ive gotten used to. My periods are really regular and I have very little period pain which is great. I would really recommend giving this method a go, overall I'm very glad I did.

I didn't have any bad experience with the nuvaring while using it but I stopped 6 years ago and i've had problems with my periods ever since... when I stopped, i was having spotting for 9-10 days before my period, my doctor told me everything would be back to normal after about 3 months, but it's been 6 years. It gradually got better, now i only have 1 to 3 days of spotting before my period. I don't know if the ring caused it but it's getting better and better since i stopped using hormones that's why i think it might be linked.

Unfortunately this contraception made me feel very sad! It led to a continuous low mood, of which I have experienced with the pill previously. I basically just cried a lot for two months and so decided to stop using it. I liked that this could be a short term solution (more short term than the coil) and it was easy to insert/remove. It was not uncomfortable.