Hormonal coil (IUS) vs Copper coil (IUD)

I had the Mirena Coil put in for endometriosis. The actual insertion went well because I spoke to my gyno and asked for it to be done in the hospital, meaning that i had the option for general anaesthetic, local anaesthetic or gas and air. I went for the local and gas and air as I had had such a terrible experience having a copper coil put in 5 years prior. The gas and air distracted me and the previous coil removal and new coil insertion wasn’t much bother (i deliriously thanked the team in the room for not giving me as much trauma as the clinic i went to for my copper). The pain after insertion was significant but if you just prepare to have a day or two sat on the sofa taking regular painkillers it’s ok. After the insertion i almost instantly noticed a massive surge of hormones which my gynae had warned me about (she said i might feel ‘weepy’ for up to 6 months as if that isn’t a significant side effect lol). In the end I had major mood swings for around 4 months and was very irritable and all over the place. It did really damage my relationship as it was like i was having PMS every day. I wasn’t depressed or anxious, I just felt like i wasn’t in control of my emotions and i honestly felt like a hormonal teenager who is happy one minute and then angry and upset at something the next. (i also got a bit spotty in the first month or two after insertion - but this cleared up) Eventually after 4 months the mood swings stopped and I can honestly say Mirena is SO WORTH IT if you suffer from endometriosis. It’s completely stopped my endo pain to the point where i don’t even notice my periods anymore. Honestly Mirena gave me my life back within weeks of insertion. After suffering from daily pain for 5 years I now have so much more energy, my chronic fatigue is gone because the pain is completely gone and feel like i’m finally living again. I can make plans, hang out with friends and go into the office regularly - it’s helped me thrive again. It makes me sad that i wasted so many years in pain when this was an option and i would 100% recommend it!! I was initially hesitant to get Mirena because i was worried about the hormones affecting my mood and skin etc as im so susceptible and felt like a different person on the pill. But the important thing is that after the initial hormone “surge” you feel normal again - you just have to wait it out and hope that people around you will be patient with the crazy mood swings for a a few months. If you suffer from endo you will hopefully (everyone’s different) have the silver lining that you’re not in pain anymore so you gain a lot of energy that counters the mood swings. If you have endometriosis or even suspect you might have endometriosis I would really encourage you to get Mirena put in as a first port of call to try and treat it. In terms of my periods they’re SO light - literally just like brown spotting which i barely need a panty liner for which is amazing. sometimes they’re a bit irregular and can last a long time but honestly they’re so light i forget my period exists and Ill confidently wear white trousers whilst menstruating (it’s THAT light) The only reason i’m not giving 5 stars is because several months of feeling absolutely mental is not ideal BUT the level of freedom, energy gained instantly, lightness of period and now lightness of mood now i’m out of the surge period made it all worth it

I generally had an okay time with it but i kept getting spotting/or a light period every couple of weeks. much lighter than a normal period would be and without the usual pain i would get but definitely more frequently - which i found frustrating, and was often very bloated because i was so regularly getting a short period, it was quite annoying, so i stopped. I also thought it was making my hair shed. it was always pretty uncomfortable putting it in

This coil gave me really dreadful mood swings from ovulation time through to the start of my period. I felt really low and anxious, irritable with family, almost irrational about certain things, constantly crying, and passively suicidal. This persisted for around 8 months including months where I didn't have anything difficult/stressful going on personally. It clearly correlated with my cycle, and within a week of having it removed I felt like myself again. I know the hormonal coils work really well for some people - I have lots of friends who use them with no issues. But for whatever reason I am generally quite sensitive to medications and really noticed an effect from this coil. I've gone back to the copper coil which does make periods heavier, but I will take that over the mood destabilisation

Insertion was a nightmare. I now come prepared to advocate for myself and demand pain medication. Don't let the GP/provider make you think paracetamol is enough. Other than that though, my periods are regular if not a bit longer. The first few months I was crampy but had come straight from 10 years of hormonal birth control so I think I had forgotten what my periods had felt like. Now there's barely any cramping, just annoyingly long at an average of 10 days.

Insertion - worst pain of my entire life Overall experience - very positive. Was able to track my cycle, didnt have to take a pill everyday and no hormonal side effects at all. I got really bad pain AFTER my peirod, which would cause me to feel bloated, tender like peirod cramps and feel tired. Removal was completley fine - a breeze and a mild peirod like cramp

Liked the coil however my periods were really long and extremely heavy and I became anemic. My partner could feel it too

Periods became heavy which was expected but cramping after insertion was incredibly painful and I was not prepared for the level for pain. I required A&E support with pain relief and examination to ensure it hadn't moved or perforated. The monthly pain had me missing work, almost fainting and squirming in pain. I had to learn pain management every month to be able to work effectively. Around 1 year later I felt in control but around 3.5 years I have experienced even heavier periods and more pain. I felt determined to make this method work as I didn't want to use hormonal contraception again. Cramping and heavy bleeding caused nausea, extreme fatigue and ovulation cramps. Overall, I experienced a lot of discomfort and only a few days out of the month where I felt well. I recently got told my iron stores are VERY low and that explains a lot of the worsening menstruation symptoms due to losing too much blood per month from the copper coil. I'm not going to scored it as terrible as I know others have had no issues using the copper coil and there were times when I felt in control of it. Maybe my age and change in hormones have made my symptoms worse? Or it just sucks, I don't know. Take ibuprofen and paracetamol before your insertion as this will help a lot!!

The insertion was painful and for the rest of the day I had severe cramps, which paracetamol and ibuprofen didn't help with. I wasn't given any option for pain relief at the time, if I had known it would have been so bad I would have asked whether pain relief was available. After insertion, I went from having manageable periods to very heavy and painful periods (severe cramping particularly on days 2/3 of my period). Naproxen was the only thing that helped to somewhat ease the pain. I persevered thinking it would get better with time, but after 11 months of no improvement I decided to have the copper coil removed. My partner and I also noticed that we would both get very dry and my partner would get cuts on the head of his penis, since removal these have not been an issue. It could be a complete coincidence, but when I asked the nurse removing my coil she said it could be possible... the cuts could have been a result from the dryness or could have been directly from the coil itself (depending on the position of the strings, and they were still quite firm as they take a while to soften). Everyone's body is different and for some this may be a great option (I initially thought it would be due to it being non-hormonal), but I definitely noticed a negative impact on my mental and physical health every month. Since having it removed (2 months ago), I feel a lot better and my periods have pretty much returned to normal.

I got pregnant because my copper coil moved down towards my cervix. Could still feel the strings as normal. For 4 months prior to that I'd been having symptoms of vaginitis (dry feeling during sex without actually being dry and stinging during urination). The doctors told me it couldn't be the coil causing it but I now believe it was, instead they treated me for uti and yeast infection and dermatitis (none of which I actually had). So yeah I suffered pain for 4 months and then got pregnant. I wouldn't recommend because it's so hard to tell it moved, if you get symptoms of vaginitis or vaginal irritation ask for an ultrasound. Getting pregnant at 20 and then having to terminate the pregnancy is traumatic.

I loved the copper coil however it caused very heavy and long periods and I had to get it out after 5 months due to anaemia. I also have pmdd so I wanted to try something hormonal to ease this

Before having the copper coil, I’d tried all other forms of contraceptives. I got to a point where I felt, even though the copper coil would cause more heavier and painful periods, it was non hormonal so thought it was my old option (hormones really don’t suit me) The insertion was pretty bad I won’t lie but when it’s done it’s done! I never could feel my threads and my periods went from 5 days to 10 days. I went from being someone with light periods to unbelievably heavy; to the point I was wearing period knickers with two overlapped night pads for two of the days. The nurses said after 6 months my body would adjust and the bleeding would settle down. They started me on TXA as my ferretin and iron became low. To cut a long story short the bleeding never settled and I was still having ten day long periods. It was a horrible 12 months as I felt the majority of the time I was on a period and doing daily tasks or working proved very very hard some days. I became anaemic and would spend a lot of money on supplements alongside the prescribed iron. The anaemic led to a lower moon, zero sex drive, ravinous appetite and tiredness. I know they say research shows a small percentage gain weight on it and I was one of them. But they always like to say it’s others things like lifestyle. For me I was certain it was the coil due to the anaemia it causes. I’m 155cm and weigh 8 stone 3. I’ve always been that weight and I go to the gym 3-5 days a week, probably twice a week since the coil. I gained a stone in that year.

Brain fog ,Acne , weight gain , tender and painful breasts all the time as a result , extremely heavy periods, although it's non hormonal doesn't mean no side effects , be careful when considering " non hormonal contraception"

Very frustrated with the copper coil, if it didn't make my periods so heavy and painful I would continue as there has been no other issues you would likely see in a hormonal contraceptive. If you can manage 2 weeks every month in a lot of pain, then it's worth it for the other two when I'm fine and no mood changes