Mirena coil vs Benilexa coil

I liked that it was minimal effort once inserted. My periods were far lighter and less frequently occurring. Because of the thickening of vaginal fluids being part of the mechanism; I found I because much more prone to UTIs after sex and also had lower sexual drive. I came off the Mirena because I wanted to track my cycle accurately to see if my hormones and cycle were affecting/triggering my seizures (I have drug resistant epilepsy). When I came off the Mirena I found I was less anxious over the months following swapping to the copper coil I.e. non hormonal. This had not been a concern of mine when on it.

The mirena coil did effectively reduce menstrual bleeding and prevent pregnancy. Due to thickening vaginal discharge I found I was more prone to thrush and also that this had an impact on arousal. I was an advocate for the hormonal coil until I changed to a non hormonal birth control and found that this had elevated my anxiety certain times in my cycle. I am epileptic without seizure control and this was my reason for coming off hormonal methods. Female hormones can trigger seizures in women with refractory epilepsy!

Have only had the coil for 2 months (although feels like much longer) so will give it a bit more of a chance, I also acknowledge that everyone reacts differently and my side effects seem to be less common, however in my experience and at this point in time, the negative side effects FAR outweigh the positives. My GP talked me into trying Mirena for managing my PCOS and the excruciating pain I would experience on occasion from burst ovarian cysts, as well as the birth control aspect. I’ve gone from an abnormally long (but fairly painless) cycle to an even longer one, bleeding and in moderate-severe pain almost daily. If my stomach doesn’t hurt, my head will be, or both. I’m not joking when I say I look pregnant from abdominal swelling on top of it all.

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.

Not 100% sure what to think yet. Enjoying not having to worry about administrating my contraception as it’s in there and working. However I am having unpredictable spotting, some emotional mood swings and often being bloated.

Amazing