IUD Non-hormonal Copper Coil Side Effects?

I had copper coil fitted 3 months ago, everythink was fine first period was fine little cramps that’s it, 2nd period which is happening now since 2 weeks ago my head feels all fuzzy dizzy sick and anniexty is three the roof constanley thinking something is wrong with me and that am dying, went Docters yesterday and they said it’s not my coil as it doesn’t effect you ??? But I think it is as it’s happened since before I have came on my period? Am due to get this out tomorrow and hopefully feel like my self again. Thank god I found this sight as it has made me feel so much better!!

Hello everyone, 

I don’t think I commented on this post previously but I just wanted to let everyone know my experiences with the non hormonal copper IUD. 

When I first got it in, in October 2017, the first week I had a light period. I thought great! I can deal with this. Two weeks later all hell broke loose. 

I started getting bad cramps two to three days before my period would start and my chest was soooo sore to touch, whereas before on tri-cycline (spelling?) 28 day pill, I would have no cramps and my chest was never sore. 

My period would last anywhere between 10-14 days long, be extremely heavy and be every TWO WEEKS, again whereas on the pill it lasted 2-3 days and be heavy for a day and that was that. 

Within two weeks of getting the IUD I gained about 5 pounds. No big deal, I thought my body was just adjusting to it. Then I noticed my eating habits get out of control. I would be full and then an hour later be starving and eat again. My moods, let’s not even get me going about that. I wasn’t basically a loose cannon waiting to go off. It was horrible. By March of this year (2018) I gained 40 ish pounds. For myself, this was horrible. After I had my daughter in 2009, I struggled with my weight. At my heaviest in my early 20’s I was 120-125, being 5’8” this is kind of skinny but I was eating healthy and so on. After my daughter you heaviest I was at 198! I worked by butt of a few years later to get my weight down to 135-140 (it always fluctuated). So gaining this weight back made me extremely depressed. In April/May I was at 177.

I have lower back problems but this seemed to heighten them as well as headaches. 

My body was literally just fell me no!

Mid April, after all the bs, I had it removed. I was so upset. I was hoping on this working for me. I had two friends who had it done and for five years they had no periods, no problems!

I’ve officially been without it for over two months and I’m telling you ladies, best decision I ever made. My moods are back to normal. Within a month my periods went back to being 2-3 days ontbe pill, my body has literally gone back to the same old body it was in September before this all began. 

My weight loss is slow down almost 10 pounds,but I can tell the changes in my eating habits, my energy is back. Sex drive is back. I just feel like I’m gaining control of my life again. Those six months were a rollercoaster and I’m so glad I made the decision to have it removed!

Katie 

Hello everyone,

I had my copper coil fitted in September 2015, since then I have gained 40 kg and lost my normal self.

For the last 3 years I have had heavier, longer and more painful periods (which was sort of expected/normal), but what I didn’t know is that I will also get all sorts of crazy symptoms.

The ones that appeared earlier were headaches and migraines, the latest ones are heart palpitations, breast pain/cramps and brain fog, in between I also added to the list: fatigue, mood swings, depression, anxiety, hair loss, compulsive eating, backaches, increased discharge, blood and urine tests always show a small infection, problems to sleep, looking in retrospective my sex drive is lower than it used to be, etc.

Until I found this post I was honestly thinking that I was going crazy, I couldn’t understand why I was not feeling/behaving like myself, I thought I was imagining or exaggerating things, because it didn’t seem possible that something gave me these psychological and physical symptoms.

I researched a lot about the effects of the IUD, because I noticed everything started since I got it, but couldn’t find much information, so it is a tremendous relieve to find a potential cause to all this mess.

I am in my late 20s and going through an amazing time of my life but not being able to enjoy it because I feel miserable.

Thank you to all the ladies that have shared in this thread, you helped me made up my mind to get the coil removed.

hi guys,

i wanted to share my experience of the Copper IUD because when i had mine fitted there was not much online that helped me understand the side effects etc and mine ended up being very positive so keep reading!!

so i had mine fitted on the 28th November 2018 and I can honestly say it was so so so painful. I had it fitted after work and as soon as I had it done i had intense cramping and I have always suffered with painful period cramps and I have never been on any hormonal birth control for a long period of time because my body just did not like it so i opted for the non hormonal IUD so i could be protected but also not pumping hormones in my body.

anyway, the first week felt like I was constantly in pain and I knew something was not right but I stuck with it. So i started waking up in the middle of the night in agony and was having to take ibuprofen and paracetomol alllll the time to just be able to get through the day it was horrendous and i wanted it out!!

One week later I went back to the clinic where i had it fitted and I asked to speak to a nurse and I knew it was infected but she wanted me to speak to the doctor. I met with the doctor the next day and he told me there is no way it could be infected but i knew my body and i knew it was not right! we went back and forth and i told him i need something because it is definitely infected. he prescribed me antibiotics as i was so adamant!!

After 3 days of taking antibiotics my severe cramps lessened and i started to feel normal again and i was so relieved!! listen to your body ladies please

I have now had it in for 2 months and I do not feel a thing and I LOVE IT!! I clearly had an infection and also it was the settling in stage where my body was getting used to having the foreign device placed in your body. stick with it if you can because its definitely worth it in the end

Hi!

I have just read through this thread of messages and I can't quite believe how similar some of these experiences are to my own. I was encouraged to try the copper coil by my doctor as a non hormonal form of contraception. Aside from longer, heavier and more painful periods nothing else really changed for me until about 3/4 months in when everything started to get a lot worse. I had crazy anxiety, racing heart, panic attacks, tension headaches lasting weeks at a time. I got painful lumps in my breasts every month about ten days before my period, so tender I couldnt lie on my front, my doctor said this was hormonal but not from the coil. I had pain during and after sex, so much so that my partner and I pretty much stopped sleeping together which was damaging our relationship. Not to mention my lack of any sex drive. I spoke to the doctor a number of times and wasnt given any advice or help as they continued to insist it couldnt be the non hormonal form of contraception I had opted for. Eventually I decided enough was enough and paid for a private appointment to get it removed, that was two weeks ago and I feel almost magically back to my old self. I wouldnt suggest the copper IUD to my worst enemy, dont be fooled by the 'natural, non hormone altering' tagline. This changes your body.

hi, I'm due to have my copper IUD out next week.. i have used the IUD for many years and in the beginning I was perfectly fine then 5 years ago I started to become very anxious moody bloated and lightheaded badly enough that I was sent for an MRI it was clear I was diagnosed with functional dizziness 8 months ago dissoactive dizziness symptoms due to extreme anxiety my hair has also gotten very thin and falls out 2 years ago I started to bleed constantly so popped to see my gp turned out she had noticed by my records my iud has been left in way to long so was changed that day and ever since I've been experiencing the worst anxiety panic attacks no sex drive I'm convinced this is all caused by the copper IUD so it's coming out next week and I'm praying I return to normal because my life has really been turned upside down..

I just came here to write a little about my story so more women can be aware of the potential side effects of Paragard copper IUD. I am 32, I have 3 boys, my youngest is almost 4. I had my IUD inserted shortly after my last child was born. They said it wouldn't hurt, I would just feel a "little pinch". WHAT A LIE! My insertion was excruciatingly painful. Tears streamed down my face as i squeezed my mom's hand for what felt like an eternity. There was a LOT of blood! I had instant cramping...like, really really really bad for days! Then I was bloated for months! I could feel it stabbing when I bent over or did anything physical. My first period after was so painful and heavy and long. I knew it was expected for up to a year after insertion. My periods are the same after almost 4 years. I've been experiencing what I felt to be the "end of the rope" lately. Severe depression, radical mood swings, mental fog, loss of interest, crippling anxiety, hair loss, incessant headaches, bleeding during sex, NO Sex drive at all, bloating...there's probably more but that's just a small list of my side effects. My husband and I have drifted apart due to this altered version of myself that I've become. Aside from having no sex drive, he's not interested in making me bleed anymore and who actually knows what damage is being done to my uterus. I chose the Paragard because I needed a hormone-free option. I hadn't used birth control in over a decade so adding hormones to my newly adjusting mom-bod, seemed like a bad idea. So, today I made an appointment with my gyn to have it removed. Hopefully, this will help me get back to my normal self and I'm praying there's no damage done to my uterus. Ladies, if you're experiencing any of this...please come forward and tell your story. None of this is listed as side effects and needs to be brought to attention before more woman choose this IUD.

Hi All,

I'm reaching out to others experiencing the same effects I've been having with the copper coil.

I got the copper coil in may last year. I had it removed last week. So after having it in for 6/7 months, i felt a complete change in me, the past 6 weeks before removal i still feel, lost, down, overthinking, thinking too much, so anxious and just not like me at all. i have my two young daughters and its not fair on them that i am not feeling like me.

i have read so much about copper toxicity, and its angers me that when you speak to a doctor they say the same thing, the copper coil has not hormones so it cant possibly be the cause.

I just want to know if anyone else is feeling/did feel like this and if so what can i do? how long does it last? im hoping now the coil is out i will start to feel like me again.

Zoe