It's lovely to be back and to chat to so many old friends!
It's lovely to be back and to chat to so many old friends!
Member since:05.09.2001
Reviews:92
Members who trust:109
It is very easy just to assume that the vast majority of women are on the pill. Whenever you open a womens magazine you can be bombarded with information about oral contraceptives. We are kept relatively well informed about the latest pill scares and most women don't feel uncomfortable about discussing their pill experiences. What of the rest of us, the ones that cannot take the pill for any reason? The options do not tend to get the same press coverage and it is singularly more embarrassing to discuss problems with a cap or coil with your female friends. It feels more personal, somehow!
I started out on the pill more years ago than I care to think about. It never really suited me and I suffered loads of side effects. I put up with it, as you do, until a health check at 19 made it clear that I was predisposed to the family heart problems. The doctor took me off the pill immediately.
There followed a period with caps until I had my first child and then I was allowed on the coil bandwagon.
In between children I had a copper 7 IUD. I didn't like it much. I had really heavy periods and stomach ache that would put me to bed for three days every month. Not much fun!
Then, about six years ago I went to the doctor. I could not stand the heavy periods any longer and it was affecting
my work. By chance, a lady doctor was on call that day. Females are generally far more sympathetic to this sort of thing, I find! That was when I first encountered the Mirena IUD (Intra uterine device).
The doctor told me that there was a wonderful new hormonal IUD called the Mirena. It was only trialling, and very few people would be allowed one at that stage particularly as they cost £175 to the NHS! She considered that I had a really good case and ordered me one in. The next difficulty was finding someone to fit it, as at that time very few people had been trained to do them and they are quite different from other types of IUD. I had to go to London in the end.
Now you are probably wondering why my doctor was discussing a contraceptive with me when I had gone about a heavy period problem. Well, the Mirena is a two-pronged treatment. It is a very good contraceptive but also a treatment for heavy periods. Let me tell you about it!
In general IUDs work by either preventing the sperm from fertilising the eggs or by preventing fertilised eggs from implanting in the lining of the womb. I know some people have a morality issue with IUDs from the fertilised egg point of view, but to be honest I have never had a problem with it.
The Mirena is different from other IUDs, as it is a hormonal coil. It delivers 20mg of levonorgestrel (a progesterone hormone) directly to the uterus. This is the same hormone that you would find in the contraceptive pills Ovran 30, Microgynon, Eugynon, Ovranette and Trinordial.
It is a T shaped piece of plastic, with a thicker down piece than other IUDs, which is where the hormone sits. The Mirena works in two ways. It thickens the cervical mucous making it difficult for the sperm to swim, so they can't get through! It also thins the lining of the womb, which prevents implantation. So, if some little blighter does fight his way through he is still scuppered! In a few women the Mirena will also suppress ovulation. Sounds good, eh?
There are fewer side effects as the hormone is pumped directly into the lining of the womb rather than into the bloodstream as with oral contraceptives.
The risk of pregnancy is minimal. 1 per 1000 women might get pregnant which is similar to the success rate of female sterilisation. If you are unlucky enough to get pregnant with one of these then there is an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy (where the baby grows in the tube) but this applies to all coils. If a pregnancy occurs all attempts should be made to remove the Mirena. The pregnancy rate is so rare that there is very little information on how a pregnancy progresses with a Mirena in situ.
The Mirena was designed as a contraceptive. It was soon realised that it would be an extremely useful treatment for very heavy periods. That is where we came in!
The Mirena thins the lining so much that there is little or no monthly blood loss after the first 3 months. My periods stopped totally for four years. It was wonderful and they started coming back gradually last year, as my own IUD is getting to be in need of changing. They last for 5 years and then you have to have them replaced. After 3 months of use the blood loss is reduced by 85% and after 12 months by up to 97%. This is just wonderful for ladies who suffer so much each month. It is completely liberating!
A study was done of 50 women who were all on the waiting list for hysterectomies for severe blood loss. They were given Mirena Coils to try as an experiment. Following this, just under 70% of the ladies did not require surgery. I think that is pretty impressive, as it avoided major surgery.
Another bonus is that Fibroids are less common in Mirena users.
There may be a few side effects for the first six weeks. These include sore breasts, headache, acne and water retention. I had headaches but none of the others, and they settled very quickly. For the first couple of months you might experience irregular bleeding until everything settles down. The good new is that there are fewer side effects with the Mirena than there are with other IUDs.
So, if you have decided that this might be the answer for you, what next? Things are much easier now than they were when I first had mine, as it is now fully licensed. Your GP or family planning clinic will organise you an appointment to have one fitted. This needs to be within a week of a period starting.
The coil is inserted via a speculum (horrid, hard, cold, metal thing we all know and love, ladies) through the cervix into theuterus. It is sometimes uncomfortable and they recommend taking Ibuprofen two hours before the fitting. I must admit I didn?t like it much, but have been impressed enough with it since to go through it again having mine changed in a couple of weeks. I found I had period pain type cramps for two or three days afterwards. I am hoping the new one will be better as it is a one out one in type of job, but we will see. The Mirena is slightly bigger than the other IUDs so it was a slightly more uncomfortable process.
You will be shown how to check the strings. There are two tiny plastic strings that hang out through the cervix, you see! You should do this periodically to make sure it is still there, but do come on, who isn't going notice something that size coming out! The strings are very fine indeed and so your hubby shouldn't feel them at all and there is no risk of injury to his pride and joy!
After fitting you will need to go back for a six-week check. If all is well you only need to be seen annually after that. Oh, do remember to have it changed after five years. They should call you in, but I was missed and I forgot all about it! Fortunately it doesn't seem to have done me any harm.
When you decide to have it removed the process is reversed. It is pulled out by the strings via the speculum. Within a month the hormonal effect is reversed and normal periods and fertility return. You can have one removed and a new one put in all at the same time. Come on Kim, grit your teeth it probably won't be that bad!
I can't tell you what it feels like to have it removed as I haven't had it done yet, however having the copper IUDs removed felt a bit like having a smear test .I imagine this might be a bit worse as it is larger, but who knows! If anyone wants to know, ask me in a couple of weeks!
I really recommend the Mirena IUD both as a contraceptive and as a treatment for terrible periods. It totally changed my quality of life.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I wish I had read this review a month ago before I got mine in. I think it is great so far, but having a bit more information - other than the downsides I got from a few friends - would have been helpful. A really detailed and helpful review. This is something that should be read by everyone considering getting the Mirena coil fitted, and those too who have heard the negative stories. The details about it helping periods is of particular interest to me, I have suffered for a few years now, and this information is only vaguely mentioned - as I went primarily for contraception advice - so it is very helpful that you have detailed this.
e.j.kingham 21.09.2005 15:55
A brilliantly honest and yet still informative review.
lj210701 14.10.2004 17:37
Thank you for putting my mind at ease, I am awaiting the last day of my period to have this fitted and you have settled a few nerves and as no one I know has had it fitted (well anyone I feel comfortable enough to) I didn't really know much about the side effects etc and the doctor is male so he can only read the same thing as I can. But thanks anyway.
Sep 15th, 2002
exceptional by (4%):
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helpful by (3%):
