Copper Coil

Hi there

I found myself in a similar situation, sick of being pumped full of progesterone in various forms (pills, implant, depo injection) all of which have all of which either made me gain weight or bleed sporadically...

I had the copper coil fitted about 3 weeks ago now and though im sure my body is still adjusting I feel so much better already. Bleeding has stopped and bloating has reduced dramatically over the last week - whoever recommended buscopan is on the money that really stopped me just taking max dose of painkillers!

I do have one child BUT despite a long labour he was eventualyl deliver by emergency c-section so the dr said it was 'as if' I didn't have children. I wouldn't lie, I found it more than 'uncomfortable' from the moment the gel was put on the cervix until it was over but that's the thing - it WAS over (completely) within about ten minutes, well worth it for up to 10 years of contraception cover whilst my other half mans up about a vasectomy!

I think there are a lot of horror stories around about the copper coil but unless anything changes I'm really happy with my decision and am sure that given another 3 weeks I will barely think about it any more...

Hope that hearing my recent exerpience is helpful but if you have any specific queries then by all means just ask.

Hello I've had the copper coil fitted, had it about 5 months now & I can say I wouldn't do back. Best thing I ever did. I've had 2 children tho so when I had it fitted it wasn't all that bad if I'm honest, I have a tilted uterus so took my doctor a while to get it in place but it didn't hurt was just uncomfortable. After fitting I was a little dizzy but that passed in seconds then I bled for a few days was more like the end of a period then about 3 weeks later I had my proper period which did last for around 15 days. I can now say I am fully back to normal probs having my period a day longer than normal & there abit heavier but nothing I can't manage. I don't have to worry about getting pregnant again you just forget it's there if I'm honest.

Everyone's different when it comes to the coil, some ladies bleed for months others have no period at all where as I'm just having a normal period every month. I don't think I've gained weight per say but like I said I've had two children my second only being 5 months old so atm trying to lose the baby weight. I'd give it to you don't really have much to lose, if after you feel it's not right for you or you find your having some issues then just get it removed but so far I am really happy with mine.

Hi! I've had mine in about 4months?? There's another thread talking about it with other people's experiences. I haven't had any children and getting it put in really hurt I screamed and cried. Sorry for the details but it's true. I am so so happy with my choice though!!! I will never go back to hormones!! My periods are heavier but I don't mind at all because I actually feel like a woman again! i have a lot of other changes but it's a bit tmi! Really happy with my choice

Hey! I was also the same, I was sick of having hormones pumped into my body, causing a lot of severe mood swings! I got the copper coil about 6 weeks ago and since, I've been on my period 4 times (so annoying!) and I had a lot of pain after it was fitted and when I was on my periods, tramadol was the only thing that would even ease the pain. But having said that, the last week I've been absolutely fine with no pain *fingers crossed* so I think it just took a while for my body to get used to it. I would recommend it if you're wanting to go down the no hormone route but make sure you have some pain relief because it is pretty uncomfortable the first 4 days or so! xxx

I have the copper coil and have not had any children. My dr advised that I go to a family planning clinic for fitting as they are more experienced and it would be better (less painful) for me to go there. My local family planning has 5 year coils which are obviously smaller so are sometimes better for women who have not had children. 5 years is more than long enough for me as I'm only 23 and will most likely decide to have children when my coil is due to be removed. So the insertion hurts but it wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be and it was over very quickly I had some quite bad cramping I the day the coil was inserted but I was totally fine the day after, I'm on day 6 now and I've had light spotting ever since I had it put in but I think... Touch wood... That the bleeding has stopped now !

I was also in this situation of wanting to eliminate hormonal forms of birth control. I chose the copper IUD for exactly that reason, just like many women. I got the kind that last 10 years each and I had two of them, back to back, for about 17 years. At the time, I would have said that it was the greatest thing ever to be free of hormonal pills, injections, etc and the convenience and not having to think so much about birth control. But I think otherwise now, and will explain why...

First, about the insertion: I've also never had children. The first copper IUD was painful like a *really* bad period cramp, the worst I'd ever had. It made me light-headed. But it was over quickly. The second time was excruciating. I had intense waves of nauseating cramps that continued after insertion. They had me remain laying down for a few minutes but the cramps soon sent me running to the washroom with diarrhea. Then I laid down again for awhile and when I felt well enough to get up to leave, I promptly fainted. In spite of this, I was still happy to have the convenience and benefits of a hormone-free copper IUD.

With both IUDs, I had 8-10 day long heavy periods every single month with lots of cramping. My cycle was never a reliable 28 days. Again, I still thought it was worth it.

Then - and here is the hard sell - I started having hormonal symptoms, similar to when I was on hormonal birth control. I had the IUDs for about 16 years total by then, and they were copper not the hormone-releasing kind, so of course no doctors nor myself considered it could possibly be related. Bear with me...

I researched my symptoms, investigated hormonal patterns and other conditions that aligned with my experience, stumbled upon a study on Pubmed showing women with copper IUDs had double the normal levels of copper (I can't remember how I came across this study, I was searching for something else entirely and it was quite by accident), and then researched excess copper symptoms. I went to my naturopath and doctor and told them what I suspected. I said "if I'm correct, tests should show inflammatory patterns, high cortisol, really low testosterone, double copper levels, and zinc deficiency." That was the exact result. My naturopath believed my hypothesis; no doctors ever did.

Everyone will tell you copper IUDs are not hormonal and therefore cannot have hormonal effects. But think about how they work. They are  foreign object in the uterus that releases excessive copper causing chronic uterine inflammation, all of which creates a hostile environment for sperm and eggs. Look into what chronically high levels of copper can do to you. It isn't toxic levels but enough to cause chronic quality of life symptoms. If you don't believe that, think about how the body responds to chronic inflammation. The same as any other stressor. Elevated cortisol. Chronically elevated cortisol leads to a domino effect of hormones spiking and crashing.

Then I went through the long complicated process of having my second IUD, which had become embedded, removed. In my late 30s, I had to agree to patronizing consultations to prove I was responsible and knowledgeable about birth control before they would agree to remove it without replacing it. Then I had to have a series of scans to confirm it was still there when they couldn't find the strings. Then I had to be booked for surgery to get it out. The whole process took 6 months and every step of the way with every doctor was a patronizing negotiation. I had to make up reasons to have it removed since no one believed it could be causing my problems. How about "its my body, there's a foreign object in it, I want it out, end of discussion"? That experience alone was enough that I don't want any birth control requiring doctors' involvement ever again. Barrier methods from now on.

After removal, I immediately felt better like a thorn or splinter - one stuck for 15 years with the skin grown over it - had been removed. I suppose that could be placebo but I don't think so. My period immediately shifted to a 4-5 day non-event every 28 days like clockwork. A mysterious rash on my forehead that had been lingering for 4 years and unsolved by determatologists just as mysteriously vanished. I now understand it to have been Candida-related, and excess yeast in the body can be caused by - wait for it - excess copper and inflammation, among other things. Those were just the immediate positive impacts.

With the IUD removed and after taking zinc and DHEA supplements for a year, my labs finally showed my inflammation, cortisol, testosterone, copper and zinc all returned to normal. They have remained balanced after ceasing supplementation.

Do I believe my copper IUD was the primary and sole culprit in my health issues? Probably not. There were a number of things contributing to my stress, inflammation and cortisol, and I took a multipronged approach to resolve it as fast as possible. However, given that copper IUDs work via excess copper and chronic inflammation, it seems impossible that it was not an exacerbating factor.

All that said, I get it if you don't believe me or don't think it will happen to you or want to get an IUD anyway for convenience or whatever other reasons. I would say, at least change it every 5 years and give your body a couple years rest in between.