Morning after pill vs Hormonal coil (IUS)

All good, easy and convenient.

I used the emergency contraception pill when someone ejaculated inside of me to avoid pregnancy and it was useful.

For those emergencies where me and my partner haven’t used a condom or had sex during my ovulation period, I’ve been used the morning after pill which has most definitely been very effective for me. I don’t really experience any excessive side effects but what I do notice every time I take this medication my period is comes a week later than normal and it can be much heavier at times with more clots , and the periods are very painful.

minimal side affects comparted to my experience on the combined pill

I had such high hopes for the Mirena to help with my heavy periods but sadly I'm nearing the six month mark and there has been no improvement in the long term, if anything my periods are worse and I can't find any reason online as to why. I couldn't put up with the monthly flooding any longer and the NHS waiting list was at least 12 months, so I paid privately for the Mirena to be fitted. The insertion was uncomfortable but bearable (I haven't had children) and I didn't experience any discomfort immediately afterwards. The cramps during menstruation in the first two months following the fitting were intense, but the period was lighter so it still seemed like a win overall and I remained hopeful the cramps would ease as my body got used to the coil. That has happened and the cramps have eased to next to nothing now, but strangely my periods after the three month mark have been horrendous. I've been losing clots bigger than I have experienced before and I am back in incontinence pads to manage the amount of blood I lose. I can't continue to afford to access private care and I remain on the NHS waiting list, where I guess I will discuss ablation when I finally reach the top of the list. I so wish this had worked for me because it seemed an easy option and importantly it didn't end my fertility, but sadly it wasn't to be. I don't know why I'm surprised it didn't work for me, this is just my luck!! I wish it hadn't cost me hundreds of pounds to find this out, but for those it works for it seems life changing so it very much felt like an avenue worth exploring.

Insertion was fine, just like a deep period cramp but only lasted 3 seconds. I was a little cranky for the rest of the day but no more than a regular period. I did bleed and spot for 4-6 weeks after insertion and then gradually over the last 12 months my periods have become lighter and lighter and have now stopped with only the odd day of spotting . What I will say is it doesn't totally prevent pms symptoms but has massively improved mines. I had to suffer from terrible tender breasts for 14 days leading up to my period and bad bloating ! That's gone now but I do still get a little emotional round about the time I would get my period. My only negative I can say is I have gained approx 1.5 stone but I can't say for certain it's this coil. I am hoping to diet and exs in the new year and lose it. Over all this is a brilliant form of contraception for me after trying so many pills , the implant , the patch you name it. This has been by far the best one with little to no side affects. I strongly recommend it.

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’ve had this coil in for around 5 weeks now which isn’t a long time but it’s the best i’ve used so far. I have had positive experiences with copper IUDs in the past but they have all rejected due to strong period cramps, so I decided to give the Jaydess a try as it is the lowest dose of hormones available. I initially had it inserted a week after my period and the following week I started my period that lasted 17 days, very heavily. I didn't have any mood swings or weight gain in that time, but the cramps were SO bad for the entire time. On the weight gain, my experience might be skewed as I go to the gym and do very rigorous cardio 6 days per week. I have ultra dry skin also, so I cannot comment on acne as I luckily don’t suffer from it, apart from one super huge spot that came up on week 4. So far so good girls, stay safe and good luck!

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!

Really good contraception however I feel my breasts are sore 3 weeks out of 4.

After having a bad experience with the Nexplanon implant (very low mood) I decided to try the Jaydess coil as recommended by my doctor. Insertion is very painful as expected but the taking out is fine, I am currently coming to the end of my second coil so I'm swapping to the Mirena for a longer lifespan but I have loved this coil - I had some painful cramps for about 3 months at the beginning of the first coil but after about 6 months everything settled down. I've had no periods, no mood changes, no weight gain, my skin hasn't been great but it has improved recently and I wouldn't confidently say this was down to the coil anyway, more likely lifestyle choices.

Kyleena was good within the first 2 years that I had it, but I think that when the hormones start depleting that new side effects occur. Better than any other options I had, and insertion wasn’t painful as the healthcare provider used LA during. Looking at either swapping it out for a new Kyleena or to swap out for the copper coil as I’m now suffering extreme bloating and acne 3.5years after insertion. Hope this helps.