Copper IUD (Positive Experience)

Hello, I’d like to share my experience of getting a copper IUD. I’ll come back every couple of months to update and track any side effects.

For context, I’m in the UK, 29 years old.

I’m in my first intimate relationship, and I had never been on birth control. I decided to research contraception methods. I booked myself into an NHS sexual health clinic to discuss contraception.

I was very disappointed with how the conversation went. I am someone who has mental health issues and was prescribed anti-depressants, which really made my PMS worse, as well as caused suicidal ideation and depressive episodes. It also affected my sex drive. I’ve never been one to like taking medication, but I needed it to give me a break from depression. In actuality, it made things worse. So I decided to stop after only 4 weeks. Additionally, it made my IBS 10 times worse.

Anyway, when I went to the NHS clinic, I was apprehensive and really interested in non-hormonal birth control. From the start, the lady kept pushing birth control pills on me. I explained to her why I was apprehensive and that I was thinking about the copper IUD or any other non-hormonal methods. She said that because it’s my first time having a sexual experience, it’s best to go on birth control first to see the side effects and whether I could handle them. I don’t want any side effects related to hormones. She said that getting a copper IUD inserted is a really painful experience—it’s almost like she was trying to scare me.

Anyway, she prescribed the birth control pills and told me I needed to start them that same day. I took them home, but I decided I wasn’t going to put something in my body because I felt pressured.

So I decided to research the copper IUD, and this subreddit has helped too, so thank you for sharing all of your positive and negative experiences.

After reading about NHS copper IUD experiences, I said no. I’m not doing that—there is no pre-care or after-care. So I decided to try a private women’s health clinic, thinking they might be more gentle. I found one with 5-star reviews, and it was amazing.

Pre-appointment: 10-minute free phone call. The doctor was so lovely. She spent a couple of minutes finding out why I wanted the copper IUD, explained how the process would go, and touched on everything in between.

Appointment day: The appointment lasted 1 hour, although the actual procedure was only 10 minutes.

First half-hour: She spent time taking my medical history and explaining everything about the copper IUD. She had diagrams and an actual cervix and vagina model. She explained the side effects—cramping, bleeding, spotting, and everything. She also explained how it would be inserted, what tools would be used, and what sedatives would be applied to the cervix.

Insertion: She started by feeling for my cervix and explained how I could find it myself when checking for the threads. She measured my cervix with a tool and applied a sedative. The only painful part was when the copper IUD hit the top of my cervix, but it was literally 20 seconds of pain.

I was told beforehand to take 500mg of naproxen or ibuprofen half an hour before, and I think that helped a lot.

After insertion: She let me stay in position for about 10 minutes to ensure I didn’t feel faint when standing up.

What was most amazing about the appointment was that she allowed me to ask as many questions as I wanted—trust me, I asked a lot!

Side effects: • Day 1: Slight cramping and a bit of spotting. A hot water bottle helped with the cramping. • Day 2: No cramping at all.

She also gave me a prescription for high-strength anti-inflammatory drugs in case I experienced intense cramping during my next period.

All in all, I couldn’t have experienced a better outcome with the copper IUD insertion.

My advice is, if you have the means, book a private health clinic. It cost around £375. If not, thoroughly search for sexual health clinics and read reviews.

If you would like details of the clinic for anyone living in the UK, London, send me a private message. :)