Implant vs Copper coil (IUD)

To me, the implant feels like a very fair tradeoff, where inconsistent spotting and occasional sore boobs is a price I am willing to pay to ensure I have the best protection from pregnancy. That is why I have rated it 5 stars, despite mild side effects. I have had the implant for six months now, and I can honestly say that it has been immense. My copper IUD gave me heavy periods and back pain which would ruin my day, and caused me lots of stress when it randomly decided to dislodge itself after 3 months. The implant cannot dislodge, so this was a welcome improvement. My partner and I used condoms but were worried about the risk of "human error". I was hesitant to start hormonal birth control because I heard stories about people losing their libido or experiencing emotional/personality changes, but these changes have thankfully not occured for me! I may cry slightly more (at films and such) since getting the implant, but I don't actually feel any sadder if that makes sense. Prior to contraception I always had easy, regular periods. Since getting the implant, I have only experienced two physical side effects. One of these is irregular spotting for ~7 days at a time, once or twice a month. This spotting sometimes becomes period-like in terms of the bleeding, and occasionally comes with period-like cramps. I have found this to be easily manageable, but some people find it very frustrating and everyone will have a different experience. It's up to you which side effects you are and aren't willing to put up with. The second side effect for me is sore boobs, although I haven't experienced this for a while. I am hoping that this side effect has run its course now that I have had the implant for 6 months. In terms of the insertion process, it was a ridiculously easy procedure (although I only have an IUD insertion to compare it to). If you're scared of needles I would recommend taking a friend with you because they inject your arm to numb it (mild pain for under 10 seconds, then it's numb). As someone who isn't bothered by needles and had such a friendly doctor, getting the implant was nothing more than an excuse to be taken out for a celebratory dinner. Please don't let the insertion process put you off! Whilst the insertion may sound more inconvenient than picking up a box of condoms or a prescription, it is very straightforward and will only require a 10-minute doctors oppointment every 3 years. I had the implant in my dominant arm and I was able to do normal everyday things, although I had to be cautious about lifting things or raising my arm for the first few days. The bruise took about a month to fully fade, but the mild-moderate aching was gone within a week and a half. In summary, it is so easy to read these reviews and make asssumptions about the implant based on peoples stories of irregular bleeding, painful insertions and hormonal side effects. BUT it is not a negative experience for everyone, and I am so glad to have the implant!

All the great wetness I was feeling down there is all gone. I have painful sexual intercourse and I'm sad.

Poor experience. Great at preventing pregnancy however side effects on mental and physical health were not worth it. I chose to prioritise my health and swap to condoms.

I really had high hopes that the copper coil would work for me, as in theory it sounds great! However, after a long wait and several appointments later. I finally got the copper coil inserted. However… two weeks later, the coil had to be removed, as it had moved down from my uterus into my cervical canal. Which can happen and is apparently rare! I was just unlucky. Due to me never being pregnant or giving birth (according to the GP) insertion procedure without anaesthetic was super difficult and quite uncomfortable for me. Luckily the GP didn’t push and force her way through my cervix and stopped the procedure after struggling for a while. The GP then referred me to my local sexual health clinic, to have the procedure done there instead. As apparently they have more facilities available and can apply anaesthetic to your cervix, in these types of situations. When I finally had the procedure done, it was a positive experience, thanks to the anaesthetic!!! It did hurt a little. The pain felt like a sharp period cramp that came and went! I wouldn’t recommend the coil personally, as in my experience it was a faff to get done and then only to have it removed two weeks later! Also, with how easily the coil moved! And the procedure being slightly painful, even with anaesthetic. All of the above is not ideal!

Insertion was incredibly painful. Was like a really bad first day of period that I had to take off work sick and take lots of painkillers for. Lasted about 24 hours then settled. Unfortunately cramps continued as coil had not settled properly and one of the arms got stuck in uterus wall so I had to have it removed. due to pain of initial insertion I did not want another one back in. HOWEVER SINCE GIVING BIRTH I had another coil fitted at 10 weeks post partum and could not feel a thing! I have the progesterone coil now and have not experienced any negative side effects, other than light bleeding for about 2 weeks after insertion.

I have previously been on the implant, the combined pill and the mini pill for many years and having to come off each for different reasons. I decided to go with the copper coil as coming off hormonal birth control it had felt so good to have my natural cycle back, but I’m not yet ready to have kids. Insertion: I went for a ten year one. The woman was lovely and talked me through the whole thing. It was painful - I won’t sugarcoat that - but it lasted only a few seconds. I had cramping and some bleeding for the next few days (had to use pads not tampons), but nothing too bad. After: I was really happy with my decision and most of the time forgot it was even there. It hasn’t affected sex at all. I will be really honest that my first period (and to a lesser extent my second) were really painful - much worse than normal and they do last a day or so longer. However now I’m 3/4 months in and they’ve returned back to normal on pain levels (just slightly longer as mentioned). I am back to ovulating normally (as I wasn’t when I was on hormonal contraception) and am feeling really happy with my decision to get the copper coil! It was very much worth the initial pain and a few painful periods for me. I like that I can now decide to just take it out if/when I want to have kids.

I got the copper IUD after 4 years of different hormonal pills as wanted to stop being on hormones. The fitting procedure went well, the doctor was reassuring and I had local anaesthetic so it was only a little uncomfortable. However the cramps afterwards were horrific - I was on the floor in tears with how much pain I was in. Painkillers and heat pads did nothing. This lasted a couple days then thing started to settle down until the cramps turned into a stabbing pain. Returned to the doctors, they initially said my symptoms were normal then checked my vitals before diagnosing me with a pelvic infection or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). I was on 2 antibiotics for a fortnight. The pain lingered but gradually got better after a month. I have just finished my second period off the pill. My period returned after 35 days of stopping the pill which was my old usual cycle. My period isn’t any longer than it used to be but I’d say it’s a bit heavier and more painful but definitely manageable. My moods have been so much better and predictable. My skin has gotten slightly worse as expected coming off the combined pill which helped my skin, but flare ups match up to my period so I don’t mind. I got the 10 year IUD but I don’t think I’d get another due to the worry of getting another infection but I am happy with it at last.

The IUD fitting itself was less bad than I expected, uncomfortable and a bit painful but not worse than period cramps. However, about half an hour or so after, I got quite intense cramping pain and almost fainted from it on the way home. The post-insertion pain settled after a few days. With the IUD, my periods were quite a bit heavier than before but this improved a bit after 6 months or so. With the IUD, I also got spotting between periods for a few days each month (possibly related to ovulation). Also, since having the IUD fitted, I started getting recurring sharp stabbing pain, always in the same spot on the right side (roughly where my right ovaries are). This pain was worst during my period, sometimes making me feel close to passing out even though I was taking the maximum daily dose of ibuprofen (I later switched to mefenamic acid but that was not much better), and it was much worse than any period cramps I had ever had and felt more like someone is stabbing me than like a cramp. I also had this same right-sided stabbing pain randomly throughout my cycle. Moreover, I also started getting cramping pain during exercise (running) after I got the IUD. The right sided stabbing pain and the cramps during exercise maybe improved slightly over time, but were still bothering me quite a lot after 9 months of having the IUD. I had several checks done to make sure the IUD was still in the right place and to exclude any underlying disease that could be causing the pain, but nothing abnormal was found that would cause pain like this. The doctor said that they could not exclude that the pain might be from a hormonal condition (like endometriosis) that was masked by the hormonal contraception (progesterone only pill) that I was on before I got the IUD. In the end, I decided to have the IUD removed to see if that would get rid of the pain, both because I felt that the pain was not something I was happy to tolerate indefinitely, and because I thought it would be important to know if I have something like endometriosis and this is what is causing the pain, because in that case I would have considered going back on hormonal contraception to slow it's progression (I wasn't happy with the side effects I got from two different combined pills and three different progesterone only pills, which is why I switched to the copper IUD, so I didn't want to switch back to hormonal contraception unless absolutely necessary). After I had the IUD removed, the right sided stabbing pain immediately went away completely, but I got the cramping pain during running once since - it hasn't been long since I had the IUD removed so I am hoping that this will eventually disappear too.

The copper IUD was great, I had it fitted and then didn't have to worry about contraception. However, the initial insertion was painful and it did make my periods more heavy and painful. I had the coil replaced after 5 years but this coil came out on its own. I do use a menstrual cup and the coil came out in the cup, so this could have been down to user error on my part.

the inserction was painful and invasive, it had me feeling faint that day but come sugary drink helped. i enjoyed my time with it, but my period was much heavier and it led me to iron deficiency. i decided to take it out recently as i wanted to know how it was without anything and i was concered as to whether it was a healthy option for my uterus. when i got it removed i did feel a very positive feeling from not having it, but that could be that it was a concern on my mind for a while. but now im reconsidering having it inserted again since having no birth contol isnt a great option and i think i prefer iron deficiency than hormonal mood swings with a hormonal option.

My experience of the copper IUD is mixed, even if overall positive. I first got it as emergency contraception after my first sexual experience, and was not properly offered any pain relief. The pain was excruciating and slightly traumatic, but also as I wasn't used to things going inside my vagina either. However it served me perfectly for 5 years, and no hormones and side effects from those. When it was time for renewal I was prepared emotionally and knew what pain relief to ask for. The procedure itself was quick and felt very empowering. They offered me the 10 year one which was slightly bigger and I thought it was no big deal. I was in constant low level pain and discomfort with it, and periods became excruciating. I got it switched back to a 5 year one and this cleared up. Again. the procedure was fairly quick as I knew my body and had good pain relief. My last one suited me fine up until around 2020, when the combination of the stress from the pandemic and using an expired lube gave me recurring yeast infections that lasted at least a year. I then discovered that it had slipped and so got it removed, deciding to switch to Fertility Awareness Method. After that, the recurring yeast infections stopped.

Personally, I would never get another coil again. The reason for 2 stars is I actually had the copper coil inserted in 2018 and it was okay but I had it removed in 2021 after asking for it to be removed for over a year. My periods were heavier as expected, but I also had thrush every month, BV multiple times and it just became so uncomfortable dealing with this constantly. I had the copper coil again this year (march 2025) and it was awful. The insertion this time took an hour compared to the 10 minutes last time. I was in so much pain I was heaving, I have had three babies and this was worse than birthing a child. They finally got it in and I ended up with a mild infection probably due to how long and how many attempts it took. A week later it started to settle down 🤞🏼 however almost three months later and I'm having it removed next week. I don't know if it's misplaced (they will be checking this first) but I feel it 'stabbing' me randomly every day. I will be walking and suddenly stop and feel like it's stabbing me or trying to come out, but I can still feel the strings. On two occasions it's hurts me during sex which is a red flag. My periods are 10-12 days long and I'm getting through a pack of pads every 1-2 days, plus the thrush is back again. I was offered a replacement however I have declined and I am currently trying to decide which combined pill may be best for me, tho I am nervous about going on the pill now!

I was having heavier periods