Hormonal coil (IUS) vs Male condom

Had the Mirena coil for 4 years. Insertion wasn’t a fun experience but only cramped for a few days. A bit of spotting for first few months but reduced to nothing for the next 4 years. Very happy with it, only getting removed to get pregnant.

I was told to take painkillers (paracetamol & ibuprofen) before the procedure which I did. For the procedure I had two lovely ladies who were supportive and talked me through all of the steps. I was offered pain relief including gas and air, so all of that was great. What I didn’t realise was the “bad period cramps” you are warned about were actually more like mild contractions, and having had a traumatic miscarriage a few years ago. The coil fitting unfortunately ended up triggering this trauma along with my anxiety, when I spoke to my GP they mentioned it was PTSD and that this can happen after a coil fitting. Afterwards the coil felt really uncomfortable for about 4 weeks where I could feel it inside me all the time and sometime it felt like it was scratching around in there! Also certain exercise & stretches were uncomfortable & often aggravated it leaving me in pain. My hormones were also all over the place on week 3 but that passed fairly quickly. I’ve had great support from the clinic and was referred to have an ultrasound to confirm it was in the correct place. On a more positive note I’ve only had one heavy bleed a week after it’d been fitted and no further bleeds and so far only spotting once. It’s now 11 months later and things have settled, so this is now working for me which is a relief.

Had Mirena fitted to manage endometriosis after a laparoscopy. The period cramps felt worse than when I was on the contraceptive pill before the surgery. Also struggled with depression and low energy. Acne was about the same as before I started the contraceptive pill.

this is a test

me and my partner have always had problems with using condoms from durex, but now trying skyns condoms, i will never go back. They don’t have that weird smell and me nor my partner could even feel as if it was there! 100% recommend

I was recommended dretine and I've not looked back.

Potentially safe

You would need a lot of lube as it is not naturally liberated.

I have no problem apart from feeling friction more quicker then using without a condom.

I am happy using the male condom as it does not effect my hormones nor cause massive physical issues.

I like to use them because they don’t affect you / if you have had bad experiences with hormonal birth control in the past

My partner uses a male condom which comes with no symptoms as it is not harmonal. However, I struggle with intense ovulation symptoms that ranges from lower abdominal cramps to spotting in mucus. This started 3 years ago (age 25) and first occurred periodically but for the past year it has been almost every month. The mucosal spotting is not heavy and does not require pads. However, it use to last only 1-2 days but now it extends 3-4 days.

For me using condoms worked great and I had virtually no complaints during the years I used them.