Mirena coil vs Levosert coil

Prepare for an immediate & severe drop in mood after insertion, coupled with intense pain for the first few weeks. My mood has stabilised a bit after 5 months, but overall I am much lower in mood and lack energy and motivation. The headaches are persistent and I have gained 1 stone. I bled for 3 months straight and now I bleed for approx half of the month, with painful periods and severe bloating.

I have found the coil a very useful and relatively stress free form of contraception. I find the lighter periods much easier to deal with, my PMDD has been a lot more manageable with the coil and I appreciate not having to remember to deal with contraception regularly. My only issues have been some uncomfortable cramping occasionally and I did have an ovarian cyst which the doctor thought could be related to the hormonal contraception. The cyst did require an overnight hospital stay for pain relief but didn’t require surgery to fix, it went away on its own. Overall, taking everything into account I would still recommend the hormonal coil for ease etc - I think it is worth it!

Mostly happy but dryness is a big issue, making sex uncomfortable and sometimes not possible. No other issues so will persist but was not an expected side effect!

I recommend an IUS to anyone who asks me about contraception. It's been the best decision I've made in terms of contraception. The fit was a little bit painful, but this was a short sharp pain that only lasted for 30 seconds (and a bit of period like cramping for a couple of hours after). Since having it fitted, I have had no periods, and only get spotting very occasionally (once every 6 months ish). I haven't noticed any change to skin, weight gain or mood.

I have pmdd, I could not track my cycle with an iud fitted, it helped initially then made me so much worse. I seen 3 doctors who didn't help, I'm now treating holistically, tracking my cycle and tailoring my food, lifestyle, exercising to my cycle and Somatic healing.

Insertion not too bad, just a small quick pain. Found to be a good contraceptive over 8-9 months - no weight change/mood change. A little uncomfortable during sex. Main issue was the dramatic hair loss. I lost around a quarter of my hair around hairline and in volume. Had removed for this reason.

Before Levosert I had been on and off the mini pill for around 7 years (and on the combined pill prior to that since the age of 18). While I didn’t hate the pill, I did have some unwanted side effects and wanted to try a more long term contraceptive. It is important to note that I didn’t have any bleeding on the pill. The main side effects that bothered me were vaginal dryness (never had discharge and had uncomfortable sex) and the inability to wear contact lenses as my eyes were so dry and I was sure this was down to the pill as I hadn’t had problems before the mini pill. I decided to ask for local anaesthetic for the fitting and so mentioned that on the phone when doing the initial consultation, I was told if I hadn’t mentioned wanting pain relief myself (I wasnt asked about it at all) I would have been booked in with a nurse who wasn’t trained in giving the anaesthetic so it’s important to mention that early on if you want it! For the day of fitting (a Friday), I took the day off work and knew I had the weekend to recover. I also made sure to eat and drink a little before, take ibruprofen and paracetamol and also put on a beyou patch. I had my partner drive me to and from the appointment and took in a bottle of water/emergency chocolate in my bag incase I felt faint. The actual fitting was fine for me! The nurses were amazing and knew I was really nervous, the local anaesthetic injection felt similar to the scratch you feel when you get numbed for dental work for example (obviously weird feeling due to it being in your cervix) in terms of pain. The numbing starts straight away so it only added a minute or two on to the process as she prepped the coil while the injection was kicking in. I couldn’t feel anything in my cervix area for the actual insertion and felt a couple of quite strong cramps which weren’t as bad as I was expecting, and it was over in seconds. They made sure I was feeling okay before I left which I was (no dizziness or pain) and went on my way just feeling relieved that it was in and a bit nervous for the cramps to come. About 5/10 mins after I did start getting bad cramps, a bit worse than my usual periods and did want to just get into my bed so would recommend getting a lift home! I had around 4 hours of really bad cramps which were manageable as I just stayed in bed then by the time I was able to have my next lot of painkillers, the pain dulled to a normal period then then slowly disappeared! I had on and off cramps for a few days but nothing bad at all and no bleeding. Since I have had regular very light periods (which seem to be getting lighter every month and I suspect they may stop) and I have had less dryness and been able to wear my contact lenses again! I have had absolutely no problems with the coil and would get another fitted in a heartbeat! This one lasts 6 years but the nurse told me that in Europe it has been licensed for longer so by the time I need a new one, I may be told it can stay in for a couple more years.

When I first got my coil in August 2018, I was bleeding very very lightly/spotting for about 9 months after - bare in mind my natural period is 3 weeks heavy flow. Then I gradually got more time in between periods but still similar heaviness but only for half the time. I got my coil changed/renewed Sept 2023 as my natural period patter was returning. Since having the new coil, my periods are basically nonexistent, less intense pain and my boobs have grown by at least a 1/3!!! Very happy compared to the experience I had on the pill for 8 years prior to getting the coil.

Had the mirena then swapped to levosert on coil change as it was the first line, fittings are not pleasant however to have it every 5-6 years it's manageable and worth it for only occasional spotting and endometriosis symptom control. No more heavy and painful periods requiring strong pain relief. I would always recommend. Life changing.

My emotions feel slightly muted and sex drive decrease

I got the Levosert fitted 10 days ago so can't comment on longer term side effects but so far haven't noticed any except for the first few days after fitting. I was worried about how much it would hurt as I haven't had children and am very petite (not sure if that makes a difference). The fitting itself was painful, but it was over so quickly it was definitely worth it. I think there were 2 or 3 times during the procedure where I felt intense pain but each of these lasted literally a few seconds each. I had 3-5 days of discomfort similar to period pains/back ache afterwards and feeling a bit rubbish as a result, but nothing awful (not worth a day off work). I had some bleeding after the fitting and some weird solid white grissle stuff coming out for a couple of days. Since then I've felt absolutely fine physically. I couldn't feel the strings (tried as soon as I got home and everyday after for a week), which I was worried about. I went back to the clinic for them to check. They said its fine but the combination of my short fingers and (newly discovered!) high up left sided cervix means I am unlikely to be able to feel them. That's the only thing that bothers me slightly as you're supposed to check the strings every month. Knowing it lasts 6 years is great and I wish I'd got it years ago

Changed my life for the better. I used to have very heavy, painful periods for 4-6 days at a time, on irregular cycles. Having it fitted was painful - definitely ask for pain relief if you're not offered it - and I had a couple of weeks of intermittent period-like cramps but after that no periods and no pain! It's like a miracle. No other side effects, and I can't feel it at all. I completely, unreservedly recommend this.

I put off changing my copper IUD to a hormonal IUS for a long time because I scared myself from reading things online about increased weight gain and skin problems. I have struggled with acne all my adulthood but decided to try it because my periods were heavy to the point of being unmanageable. The clinician gave me the best advice: you don’t know how it will affect you until you try it, and if you don’t like it, just get it removed. I’m so glad I tried the hormonal IUS. My period is so light that it’s no longer the focus of my month. I used to literally lose sleep over my period pain and volume. I have noticed my skin is greasier than before but I haven’t experienced the horror stories I’ve heard. I’m taking starflower oil supplements, not sure if that helps at all. Only noticeable negative is I’ve started to sweat quite a bit, including night sweats. It even breaks through my high strength antiperspirant. Unpleasant but not life altering