The Mirena Coil/IUD being removed (or any type of IUD)

Post Reply New Topic

For women only!

So as I'm approaching 55 years old, I am getting my last Mirena coil/IUD taken out. I am dreading it because that wonderful thing has kept me sane over the last 15 years. The doctor said they assume women have gone through the menopause by age 55 so that is the reason it has to come out.

I'm dreading the 'Mirena coil withdrawal symptoms' that apparently happen. And possibly getting periods again, and mood swings and god knows what...And hubby having to use condoms again after all these years.

Does anyone have any experience with the last coil/IUD being removed due to menopause and what happens after that? How long do you have to use another form of contraception for?

I don't have any friends in real life to ask...

I wish I could help you Kit.
I didn't have one myself and I had surgical menopause in my 30s.

My daughter had the copper Mirena for several years.
She left it years longer than needed, bc she was scared of the removal itself.

She's young though, and never dated a man again.
Her situation doesn't compare.

I'm curious why they're taking yours out if you aren't in menopause?
Is 15 years the maximum?
Have you expressed these concerns to your doctor?

I've no idea if I've been through the menopause or not, it's just apparently what they do (the last time I talked to the doctor)- they take the coil out after the age of 55 as they assume women have gone through menopause by then. And it's expired anyway- it's 7 years old and that's the longest a coil should stay in.

I presume they will test me to see if I've gone through menopause or not. I haven't had a period for 3 years so I assume they've stopped.

We don't really have our own doctors in Britain, we just go and see whoever is on duty that day. But I will ask for a nice doctor to help me though. Although I did that last time and the doctor wasn't as nice as she used to be!

I generally keep away from doctors as much as I can. I last went in 2020 where I was basically disbelieved, about something unrelated to this.

Wait what withdrawal symptoms? I'm on my 3rd and took multiple year breaks in between. My mom also didn't have symptoms. She said she had hers to ease into menopause I think.

The only "withdrawal" I had was not having a regular period for a month. I guess the "synptom" was more of a warning that it could be hard to get pregnant for a few months.

My mom just never got a period again

Everyone is different of course.

This is how I ended up with a brother
We're 17 years apart!

Just be careful until you know for sure its menopause.

Oh that is good to hear! Maybe I won't get any either.

That is not reassuring whatsoever. How old was your mum at that time? <-- please answer this question, it is very important to me.

I'm 55 so hopefully they have stopped. I nearly died having my daughter so I don't want to get pregnant again.

My husband went to get a vasectomy, but the female doctor 'didn't like the idea of that' so he didn't have one. Is that fair? No. I had to continue taking care of the contraception!

I think she was 47 or so. She assumed because no period for two years but it turned out her cycle had slowed, not stopped. Her whole system was wack and she eventually had a hysterectomy.

A woman at her church just had her kiddo at 55.
Your SO can stll have thay done. Its mot the doctor's decision. They tried to stop my husband too but we were very firm on having it done. Same reason. Almost got KO'd by preexlampsia and hemorrhaging.

Oh thanks for answering. I'm almost 10 years older than your mum was then.

I was furious at the time. The doctor was the dodgy one at the surgery that no one likes and when I heard he'd booked an appointment with her, I just KNEW something would go wrong. And it did. He just meekly went along with her recommendation and didn't get a vasectomy.

I was so angry that I didn't have sex with him for about 6 months, I just didn't want to anymore. Why is it always the woman who has to cope with contraception? Why are men so precious that doctors are reluctant to treat them in any way?

I think we know why...

My next door neighbour got pregnant while on the coil. I didn't even know they still did the coil these days. It always puts me in mind of some medieval torture device when I hear about it. Though I'm sure it's perfectly safe.

Best of luck to you KitLily

The coil has saved my life over the last 15 or so years. It has kept me period free and generally in a stable mood, instead of the ups and downs I had with periods. It is infinitely better than any other type of contraception I tried, which made me psychotic and suicidal.

I kind of want the coil taken out because obviously I don't want it in forever, but kind of wish I could keep it so I'd remain stable.

It's amazing what women go through isn't it- having things inserted and being inspected and probed! Especially during/after pregnancy...

Thanks Babybird.

Is it at the end of its life? Or are they trying to remove it early? Don't you get to say "no you can't do anything to my body without my permission"?

My first one they wanted to replace at five years, but I said no after looking up the recommendations in Canada and parts of Europe. Next time, the FDA had extended the time.

(Semi-related, my mom had a dalkon shield that her docs kept insisting needed to be removed, but she kept it for years without issue. But both that and mine weren't close to menopause.)

Yes it's come to the end of its life and as I'm 55, the doctor said most women have gone through the menopause by then, so there is no point putting another one in.

I was f*cking furious about the doctor and my husband deciding that he didn't have to get a vasectomy, but I should continue with the contraception. Not that I was having trouble with it, but it's not fair. It's the life of a dependent wife though, I have nowhere else to go so I'm in the weakest position.

On the other hand though, he conscientiously used condoms for decades so that was a point in his favour.

Well I got an appointment in 2 weeks, apparently they have a 'coil clinic' now. Yikes!

So hard to get through to the doctor though. I tried to do it online but it was so complicated that I just hung on the phone for half an hour to speak to a human!

So tomorrow I have the appointment for the coil to be removed. I'm very nervous as the last time the doctor was impatient and uncaring.

No idea what the doctor will advise about contraception going forward. It used to be: use contraception for 2 more years after the menopause but the coil has made it impossible to know if I've even gone through the menopause.

Added to that, it will be pouring with rain tomorrow and I'll get soaked walking 1 mile to the doctor's surgery, I'll have to take a bag of food and water with me due to my hypoglycaemia. It'll be a big day for me.

If my husband hadn't meekly kowtowed to the doctor and avoided having a vasectomy, all my worry and difficulty could have been avoided. But I suppose he didn't want to have his own worry and difficulty, so he and the doctor decided it was better for me to deal with it

So I decided that he can buy condoms and completely deal with contraception after the coil is removed, it's only fair.

Good luck tomorrow! I don't know much about IUD. Is yours the kind that change your hormones? I know they can do some blood tests to determine if a woman is in menopause or not. I think the FSH should be very high or something. I think the "withdrawal" you dread is simply your hormones changing back to the natural state. It might feel unpleasant but probably completely normal. I'm sure you can ask for a new IUD if you get periods again.