So I’ve been meaning to hit ‘publish‘ on this post for quite a while now but never got round to it. I really wanted to share my experience on ditching the Mirena coil and ‘hormone free‘ contraception as it was a big thing to me personally. Plus it impacts us Women out there.
I decided to wait to publish this post until now, having been off the Mirena coil for almost a year (which has gone crazy fast may I add). But before I talk to you about whether I made the right decision (for my body) let’s just cover a few things that led to the decision in the first place and why I got my coil removed. There are two types of coil, the Mirena IUS (which I had) and the Copper coil IUD, both of these work slightly differently.
Did I really know my body?
After relying on the Mirena coil as a form of contraception for almost 5 years, I decided it was time to ditch it and find out what my body was like sans artificial hormones. I came to realise that like many other Women out there that I didn’t really know my body.
Let’s face it, like most Women I know it’s normal to be using some form of contraception from the age of 14 onward. (Or younger if your body is ahead of the game).
This means that for most of our teen years and adult lives we are willingly pumping artificial hormones into our bodies without giving it a second thought, because we are advised to do so. Being young and easily influenced we believe it’s the right thing to do because it’s easy and seems to solve the problem on the surface.
I don’t blame anyone for the decision(s) I’ve made
I don’t blame parent’s, Sex Ed or our health system for recommending options such as the Pill, Implant or the Coil to us. I just wish that there was more support around what we put into our bodies and what options are out there for us.
It’s so easy to just take the first option that you’re given, as a teen or as an adult because we are trusting an expert but it can be hard to ask for a little more information. This can often lead to trying several different forms of contraception and just being confused in the long run.
Why I started using contraception (besides the obvious reasons that came with age)
As a teen I really suffered with mood swings and terrible pain meaning that I was a nightmare to live with (feel free to ask my poor family). Initially I started using contraceptives to deal with the pain and regulate my menstruation.
I call this part ‘Experimenting‘
Over the year I tried various versions of the pill which didn’t work for me at all. Eventually I was advised that the Mirena coil was the last resort for me. I was limited with options that were suitable for my body as my blood is a little out of the ordinary… This means that there’s too much of a risk for me to have certain forms of contraception because my risk of blood clots and other serious side affects is higher than it should be.
At the age of 19 and not knowing anything other than being on contraception from the young age of 16 I accepted what my doctors said and went ahead with getting the Mirena coil fitted. (This was hands down one of the most painful experiences of my life).
If I’m being 100% honest I hated the coil from the moment it was put in until the moment it was removed from my body. But for several years I persevered and told myself that the symptoms I was struggling with daily were just me and that I had to learn to cope with them better.
Talking about the Mirena coil in a little more depth…
After having artificial hormones in my body for years I didn’t know what my body was meant to be like. I did a lot of research on the Mirena coil (I mean hours and hours of reading Womens’s threads online). To discover that many Women had similar symptoms to me whilst using the Mirena coil, this led me to question if this was the cause of the problems I was suffering with whilst using the Mirena coil or whether it was simply coincidence.
Whilst using the Mirena coil I suffered with; period pains going on for weeks at a time making me feel physically sick. This meant that I had to carry around heat patches at all times to help reduce the pain I was experiencing. Severe bloating, mood swings, waking up in a mess and much much more that I’m not going to get into now as we could be here a while…
Over time I had ultrasounds and various other tests, but no-one knew what was causing the problems I was experiencing. Not one person suggested that my contraception (the Mirena coil) could be a problem. Not even the Doctors or Nurses I visited regularly asking for help.
Do I? Don’t I get the Mirena coil removed?
I toyed with the idea of getting my coil removed for several months. If I hadn’t have been in a long term relationship whilst using the Mirena coil the decision to get it removed right away would have been a no brainer. However the risk of getting pregnant wasn’t something we took lightly as we weren’t and still aren’t ready for children at this moment in time.
Eventually we decided that getting my coil removed was the best option for me both mentally and physically. After all if it didn’t work for our relationship (and most importantly how I was feeling) then we would have to re think our plan. It wasn’t going to be the end of the world.
I must also add that my nurse was not overly keen on my decision, however at the end of the day it was my body and so the final decision was mine.
I removed my coil, let’s talk about how I’m feeling now
Fast forward to now, almost one year coil free and sans artificial hormones (yay). I can happily say that I feel better than I could have possibly imagined I would. I’m so so pleased I got my Mirena coil removed. I’m not saying that all of the problems I was experiencing whilst using the Mirena coil were down to the Mirena coil entirely, but I can definitely say that I feel a lot better and almost like a new person.
Since having my coil removed my period has come back, not the highlight of my month. When it does appear I do feel grateful for that little reminder that I’m not pregnant (yet) and that the contraception we are using is working.I’m now having one or two days where I feel very unwell and uncomfortable. But considering I was having the same symptoms for two weeks at a time on the coil I can hardly complain. PMS gets me for a few days but according to my partner I’m less hormonal than I had been in the past. I have written a small guide on making that time of the month a little more bearable here in case you want to have a read.
At this moment in time I have no plans to go back on the pill, or to get another coil fitted. I’m happy letting my body do its thing.
Thanks for reading,
Love Saff x
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This post is soley based on my personal experience, many many Women use the Pill, Implant, Coil and other form of contraception without any trouble at all. If you’re one of those Women then that’s fab (and I envy you). If you aren’t then please speak to your Nurse or medical professional to see if there is anything else you can try before going ‘hormone free‘. Alternatively if going ‘hormone free’ is something you are interested in please do your research.