I got the Mirena Coil for Endometriosis
By Jess Matthews
I recently had the Mirena Coil fitted to manage my symptoms of Endometriosis. When I was first diagnosed with Endo I tried to keep to just using tranexamic acid (clots blood and slows the flow) and norethisterone (high dose of progesterone to control bleeding and pain) to control my symptoms. Unfortunately, this was not enough for me. I decided I needed something else and went and spoke with my GP and upon both the recommendation of her and the gynecologist we decided that the Mirena Coil was the best treatment to pursue.
I was initially hesitant to have the coil as you do hear a lot of horror stories about it including places it has moved where it shouldn't. For me knowing that it could relieve my symptoms and stop the progression of the endometriosis I had to give it a try.
Having the coil fitted was not the best experience. Although over in 5 minutes the wrong size speculum was used first and caused a rather intense pain. I asked the Doctor to use a smaller size and when she did it no longer hurt. From this point everything happened very quickly. When I went home I had intense cramping for around 24 hours, paracetamol and heat bag did the trick and the next day I was feeling back to my normal self. Any kind of pelvic exam can be uncomfortable, especially IUD insertion, but I strongly recommend communicating with your Doctor or Nurse during a procedure like this, as they can do various things such as changing positions, changing size speculum and more to make your experience of this as comfortable and pain-free.
It is important with any coil insertion to have a 6 week check up, to make sure it's in place properly, make sure you go to these appointments, particularly if an IUD is your main form of contraception. This appointment was even quicker than the fitting and everything was fine. It is recommended to use condoms for the first 6 weeks of having a coil to prevent pregnancy. After the 6 weeks you are now fully protected. However, it can take up to 6 months for your periods to completely stop.
I have found that the coil has almost completely stopped my periods. The adhesion pain I get from my ovary being adhered to my uterus is now almost nonexistent.
This may not be the same experience for everyone but for me the coil has truly changed my experience of menstruation and the overall impact endometriosis has on my day-to-day life. I would always strongly encourage people to speak to their GP or local sexual health clinic about what contraception will work best for them.
