Hey guys, i decided to write this to help other women (young ladies) who are thinking of getting the copper coil inserted. When i was looking into getting it myself i couldn't find much helpful information about it and it made the whole experience a lot more daunting. I was really freaked out about it because i'm very squeamish when it comes to needles/pain/most procedures so i was nervous to go through with it, and at some points during the couple of weeks before my appointment i nearly cancelled it because i couldn't bear thinking about the experience. I am only 19 and havent had any children or any smear tests even or anything down in that area, except for intercourse and most articles i read people recommended not to get it if you haven't gone through these things. But i felt it was my last resort because i had tried different pills and the ring and nothing with hormones worked for me they just made me extremely emotionally unstable so i thought i should try this out.
I booked my first appointment in the well woman's clinic and i had a nice doctor who reassured me that many girls my age nowadays were getting it done and that she did it nearly everyday so that put me at ease because i knew atleast she would be relaxed, which made one of us! So, obviously, you wait until you are on your period to get it inserted so I got mine inserted on one of the last days of my period and my flow wasn't extremely heavy but was fine. They give you a prescription for a tablet you insert to open up your cervix and painkillers to take a couple of hours before hand. I was very shaky going over with my mam to get it done and i just had to tell myself that it would only be about 10 minutes of being unpleasant and then it would be all over. So we arrived at the surgery and I had to do a urine test just to make sure I wasn't pregnant, and that was fine. Then, the doctor took me into her and briefly explained what the procedure would involve so I sat up on the bed and removed the bottom layers of my clothes. At this point, the nurse came in to let me squeeze her hand and she was telling me exactly what was going on as the doctor was busy concentrating. I found it hard to relax, i was quite tense at the beginning but then as the nurse chatted to me I calmed down a bit more. First, the doctor inserts a speculum which holds open your vagina and is quite cold and slightly uncomfortable but nothing painful. She then reassured me that the pill had worked to open my cervix which was great because sometimes they don't work and it is very difficult to proceed with the insertion when your cervix aren't open enough. Then, she did a smear test to check for any infections which came out clear, that was a little pinch but nothing too unbearable. Next the doctor got the IUD ready which goes inside a kind of tube thing and is inserted right into your cervix, this was the only painful part and it only lasted for about 3 or 4 seconds and was over (was kind of like a pain like when you get a piercing) so i was relieved it was all over, i took some pain killers and headed home.
-however although i thought the worst was over, i didn't realise how painful the aftermath was going to be! i got home that afternoon and was in an awful lot of pain, obviously my body was in shock but i was bed bound then, couldn't move much i just had to curl up with a hot water bottle and dose up on painkillers. The pain continued into the next day, although i was taking ponstan which were extremely strong, they didn't seem to work. So my mam went into the chemist the next day to see if there was anything else i could take and they said that unfortunately ponstan doesn't work for everyone so thats why i was still in pain, from then i changed to nurofen and they worked better. the pains got better and had faded nearly completely after a week. but the first couple of days were the worst, they wouldn't have been so bad though if the pain killers prescribed to me had of worked.
Anyway, since then i have had two periods, which are as well more painful than before. But i just take ponstan and then feminax every four hours for a couple of days to keep the pain at bay and it's not so bad. My flow is a lot heavier, I loose an awful lot more blood, but i was told that the periods would be the downside after getting it inserted. Also, the cramping usually lasts for about a week before my period and then goes. So the other couple of weeks of the month are care-free i dont even notice it being there. It has changed things for me and my partner too, having suffered for nearly two years because of pills and other hormonal contraceptives and other contraceptives in general, it's a huge weight off our shoulders. So fingers crossed it will work out for me from here on out, because if all goes well i could have it in for 10 years without having to worry about getting pregnant!
I hope this helped, although i know everyone's experiences will be different, i wanted to give a genuine brief of my own experience, and that it's not all bad as many of the articles i read before getting mine had me terrified!! I would recommend it 