- I just felt a little sore,
because my vagina had be clamped open for like five minutes.
(clapping music)
Hello and welcome to episode 15 of The Hormone Diaries.
Tomorrow I am getting the coil.
I still don't know how I feel about this.
So, this episode of we're coming out quite a while
after this happens.
But tomorrow is Halloween,
and I'm getting my coil inserted,
and my friend Sauna is having a party in the evening,
and I've said to her,
"Play it by eight.
"We'll see how it goes.
"I may or may not attend your party."
So, obviously, I'm not gonna be able to take the camera
into the room with me,
but tomorrow I'll give you a little before and after.
For now, I just wanted to talk through why I have decided
to get the coil.
Firstly, I'm going to get the Mirena coil.
Now, there are two types of coil;
there's the copper coil and the Mirena.
The copper coil is non-hormonal,
and usual side effects are heavier and more painful periods.
No thank you.
I have now discovered what my body does
when it doesn't have hormones in it,
and, you know what?
I prefer it hormonal,
mainly because of the boob thing.
So, the Mirena has progesterone-only in it,
which is the same hormones that's in the pill
that I'm currently taking,
but it is a very low dosage.
So, if you think about it,
you take a pill orally,
and that has to go through all of your body
to reach your reproductive system
in order to have its effect there,
and that's why you have a lot of side effects from it,
because the same pill is kind of like
going all throughout your body.
Because the coil is located in your womb,
where it needs to be,
the dosage of hormones is really low,
because it doesn't have to travel so far.
So many women I have spoken to rave about the Mirena coil.
They say it is incredible,
it seems to be the miracle contraception.
Fingers crossed my body agrees with it,
because this thing lasts for five years.
I don't want to be like presumptuous or anything,
like touch wood,
but maybe in five years time I'll be wanting to have kids,
and, so, it's kind of like perfect,
because I am in a position now
where for the last year and a half of my life,
I have been thinking so much about my contraception,
and it is mentally and physically exhausting.
So, I'm really hoping that this works
and agrees with my body,
because then I don't have to think about it anymore.
That would be amazing.
In terms of side effects,
I don't really care if I have still have periods
or if I bleed every now and then.
Because it's a very low dosage of hormones,
it's not 100% if the boob pain will come back or not.
My mum also used to get really sore boobs
before her period,
and she was on the Mirena coil,
and she said they still felt sore
in the lead up to what would've been her period,
but it was a lot less.
Maybe because we're related we'll have a similar experience.
We shall see.
In the meantime, the main thing I'm worried about it
is the procedure itself,
where it gets inserted.
I have had a smear test.
I actually did an episode of The Hormone Diaries
all about that,
you can click here to watch it,
and what people have told me,
is that it's kind of like that,
but just a little bit more painful,
and last a little bit longer.
Some people have said that it's not really painful at all.
It's just the you are feeling a part of your body
that you have never felt before.
So, it's just like, "Ugh!"
I'm literally now just like rubbing my womb,
like, "It will be okay."
I will say, booking this appointment,
was a bit of a nightmare.
There was no instructions anywhere from my GP or online,
it was just really confusing to know how to go about
booking this appointment.
To demonstrate, here is past Hannah.
So, when I called up my GP to make my appointment,
I was like, "I would like to talk about
"potentially getting the coil."
And they were like,
"Okay, have this appointment with the nurse."
I get into the nurse's office,
and she's like,
"Hey, so, you want to get
"a repeat prescription of the pill?"
And I was like,
"No, I wanted to talk about getting the coil."
And she like, "Oh, we don't do that here.
"You need to go to one of the specialist clinics."
Now we're gonna Google my local family planning clinic,
because no one at the doctor's could tell me where it was.
Sometimes the NHS makes it very hard for me to love it.
I don't know what to search.
Like, do we still call them family planning clinics?
This is a learning curve for all of us.
I'm doing this and making mistakes so you don't have to.
Oh, I swear I've been to this one before.
Pregnancy testing, slash, family planning,
slash, contraception,
including implants and coils.
Ringing.
Calling four options.
I don't want any of those.
Who knew not getting pregnant would be this hard?
- [Voicemail] Sorry (mumbles) is currently available
to take your call.
Please try calling back later.
Goodbye.
- Goodbye?
This is a lot harder than I expected.
Why? Why? Why?
I'm gonna call them again.
Oh, apparently the easiest way to book is via their website.
Why is this so hard?
Okay, so it turns out that the sexual health clinic
that I was trying to get access to closed down
a few months ago,
so, I have to book online.
Where's like the normal appointment.
Ooh, here we go.
What am I doing on Halloween
other than watching Stranger Things in the evening?
Okay, literally nothing.
Your booking is confirmed,
and you'll receive an instant confirmation text.
Okay, okay, that's done.
We got there.
The only thing I'm not sure about,
is that there was no where online
to specify which coil.
And I have tried calling them up,
but you just call them up,
and they're like, "Please book online."
And I'm like (inhales loudly).
So, the reason that I said to my friend
that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make
her Halloween party,
is because I've heard that after insertion
a lot of people experience extreme cramps,
because your body is like,
"Ugh, there's a foreign device inside.
"Let's push it out."
So, you basically experience contractions.
Some people I've spoken to have been absolutely fine.
All the people have been completely bedbound
for like a few hours.
So, I'm just like,
"I will not commit to anything.
"I'm very sorry.
"I will just be going straight home
"and seeing what my body does."
But, yeah, that's what's happening.
I will see you tomorrow.
I am leaving for my appointment in about a half an hour,
and I'm really nervous.
My brain is kind of all over the place.
I've not been able to focus on anything today.
Today was meant to be kind of like a big work day
of tying up a lot of these sentences
before I attempt to NaNoWriMo.
But I just haven't been able to concentrate on anything.
All I want to do when I get back from this appointment
is just watch the Bake Off final.
This is what I'm doing on Halloween.
This is what 25 is like, guys.
So, I've been doing some last minute,
just checking up on the website about preparation
before your appointment.
So, it does say that I can take pain killers,
so I've got some Paracetamol that I'm going to take.
I have to arrive 15 minutes beforehand,
and it's gonna take me 30 minutes to get there.
I also need to bring some sanitary pads with me,
because they say that you may experience
some bleeding afterwards,
so, I need to make sure I've got them.
I need to allow at least two hours for the appointment,
even though the actual procedure itself doesn't take long.
It says some women need a little more time
to recover after the procedure.
We'll see if I am some women.
"We recommend that you eat
"and take pain relief before you appointment.
"Avoid driving after the appointment."
But I am getting the tube.
Okay, let's do this.
Pain killers.
Good evening.
Oh, boy.
Before I freak anyone out.
The procedure itself was fine.
I was sweating a lot because I was really nervous.
But it was fine.
About 10 minutes after I left,
that was when the cramps kicked in.
It's just been the worst I've ever experienced.
I had to lie down and sleep.
And getting home was such a struggle.
I felt weak.
I felt nauseous.
I can't even like hold up my camera,
because it hurts.
I'm in so much pain.
I have a hot water bottle on my womb right now.
Feels a lot better now than it did before.
I don't feel like I'm gonna throw up.
Definitely not going out tonight for Halloween.
This is my evening.
All I've had to eat today
is like bacon and eggs in the morning,
and then chocolate digestives for the rest of the day.
So, I kind of feel like I should eat something,
but I do not have the energy to cook.
If you are going to get one of these,
I would just highly recommend
like booking the afternoon off work.
Don't make any plans.
I totally see now why they say in the prep thing,
"Don't drive."
I've just taken my second dose of Paracetamol.
I will take through all of the details of the procedure
in the next part of this video.
But just so you know, it was fine.
It was fine.
Good morning, hello.
We are on my bedroom floor.
I am very sorry if the last footage scared you.
It scared me too.
But now I'm feeling better.
So, when I got to the clinic,
I had to fill out a standard patient form,
name, date of birth, et cetera,
all of that stuff.
One thing I did notice,
that when you're ticking like your gender box,
there was male, female, non-binary, and other,
and then there was a separate question,
which was, "Is your gender the same as at a birth?"
And you can tick yes or no.
That's pretty good.
So, I did that,
and then there was this machine that measured your height,
and your weight,
and your blood pressure,
and your pulse.
It hands you a little ticket,
which says all of your info on it.
Then I was called into the doctor's office.
And the doctor basically just like went through
a bunch of questions,
like, what contraception I'm currently on,
what my normal periods are like.
Why do I want to get the Mirena?
Am I 100% sure I'm not pregnant?
When was the last time I got checked for STIs?
And what about my partner?
All of those kinds of questions.
And then he showed me the coil.
It's tiny.
It's like this big,
and it's little bendy and plastic,
and it was really cool seeing it,
the actual size of it,
because I'm like, "Oh, that's tiny.
"Of course that'll get up inside me.
"If a baby has to come out,
"that can go in."
And then it was time to strip down and get on the bed.
So, I stripped down my whole bottom half,
lay on the thing with legs up,
no stirrups,
there's no stirrups,
doctor on that side of me,
and the nurse, like by my side.
Because I have not had kids before,
they offered a local anaesthetic,
so, an injection,
and I was like, "Yes, please."
First of all, he put his fingers inside me
to check my cervix,
obviously, with gloves, and lube, and everything.
So, I've had a speculum inside me before
when I had my smear test.
So, that was fine, just uncomfortable.
That's kind of like the thing that hurts the most,
just because it lasts like the whole time,
because your vagina is literally being clamped open.
The doctor and the nurse
were like talking to me the whole time.
They were like, "What do you do for work?"
And I've mentioned, like, The Hormone Diaries,
and they're like, "Oh, I hope we get a good review."
And this was when I had the injections.
I think there were two injections.
They hurt.
I think they were injections into my cervix, probably?
That seems like the most plausible thing.
That was okay.
I've had injections before.
They hurt for like that second,
and then it's fine.
The anaesthetic clearly worked,
because I did not feel him putting the coil inside,
because he was just like,
"Okay, done."
And I was like, "Wait, really?
"That's it?
"Okay, great."
And then he took the speculum out,
and then they were like, "Just lie down for a bit.
"Don't move."
The nurse stayed with me the whole time,
and she was like,
"Okay, if you want to try and sit up now."
And then she was just like,
"Okay, I'm gonna go now.
"No rush, but here's all of your stuff,
"and get ready on your own time."
So, I did that,
and I put a pad in my boy boxers,
because you can experience like bleeding afterwards,
and they were like sit in the reception for 15 minutes,
and if you're still feeling fine,
then you're good to go.
And I felt fine.
I felt so fine.
I just felt a little sore,
because my vagina had been clamped open
for like five minutes.
But other than that I felt fine.
And that was when he gave me all of this:
my appointment card,
"Latest date of removal: 31st of October, 2022."
a little leaflet about the Mirena,
which, in all of the doctors' offices that I've been in,
have never seen one of these.
So, I sat in the reception for 15 minutes.
Felt absolutely fine,
left, and about five minutes into my walk to the tube,
I was like, "Oh!"
suddenly, like, the cramps in my womb, uterus area,
just hurting.
It was like more and more.
And I nipped into a Tesco to get some more Paracetamol,
because I didn't have anymore at home.
And I knew that I would be like taking them quite regularly.
And it just got worse, and worse, and worse.
I got back and I was like weak,
walking upstairs was difficult.
I was like in so much pain.
I wanted to throw up.
It was not good.
I managed to get myself into my pyjamas and into bed.
I slept for about an hour,
although, I didn't sleep for like the full hour,
because I was in so much pain.
I wanted to cry,
like, it was horrific.
But the thing that made it okay,
was that I knew that this was normal,
and that I expected it.
Although, I definitely didn't expect it to be that bad.
Like, I don't think I've experienced that kind of pain,
other than maybe like the pains
I get with ulcerative colitis.
But they're like in a different area.
So, it was the most pain I've ever felt in my womb.
And then after waking up,
it was kind of like just a dull period cramp,
and I still have that now,
but I have a lot more energy,
I don't feel sick.
I feel fine.
I feel like it could be like day two of a period.
So, last night for Halloween
I just like stayed in bed,
played Civ,
and watched Bake Off,
and then read my book.
It was a good night.
Okay, so, now I'm gonna read through this stuff.
"Bleeding; you may experience some light vaginal bleeding
"after the fitting.
"This bleeding may increase if you stop a contraceptive pill
"or patch that you've previously been taking.
"It is common for irregular and unpredictable
"light vaginal bleeding to continue
"for up to six months.
"This almost always settles to a light,
"monthly or infrequent bleeding,
"or to no bleeding at all,
"because over time,
"the hormone in the IUS thins the lining of the womb.
"It is entirely normal and healthy."
Good.
"You may experience some lower abdominal cramping
"for a few days after the fitting."
A few days.
Good.
"If you have been given a local anaesthetic,
"you should not notice any increase in pain
"once the effects wear off."
No, I did not.
"The pain is often worse
"if you have not previously been pregnant.
"And taking regular pain killers can help to relieve
"these symptoms."
Checking the threads.
Okay, this I have done yet,
because it's a T-shaped thing in your womb,
but obviously, they're gonna have to get it out
at some point,
so, it's got like some threads attached on it,
and those threads come out of the womb
and into the top of your vagina.
So, you can feel the threads.
You can't feel the coil itself,
but you can feel the threads.
"We recommend that you check monthly
"for the presence of the threads
"at the neck of the womb, cervix.
"If you are or your partner cannot feel the threads,
"or can feel the hard stem of the device,
"use alternative contraception or avoid sex,
"and return to the clinic as soon as possible.
"Please note that use of the Mooncup
"may cause the device to become dislodged,
"which might increase the chance of failure."
Oh, that is news to me.
I did not know that.
But I love my Mooncup.
But hopefully my periods will just be lighter and lighter,
and I'll just pads,
and then hopefully they'll just disappear.
Oh, okay,
so no more Mooncup for Hannah.
But speaking of Mooncup,
by the way, I'm a Mooncup affiliate,
so, if you want to get yourself a Mooncup,
which I would highly recommend,
buy one through my link,
then I get a small cut of the price.
Thanks for supporting The Hormone Diaries
by buying a Mooncup.
I've not checked my threads,
because, I don't know if you can see,
but these nails are really long right now,
so, I'll wait until I get them cut down.
Having sex;
ooh, this is the important thing, clearly.
"If an IUS is fitted within the first seven days
"of the start of your period,
"it is effective immediately,
"and you may have sex as soon as you feel comfortable.
"If fitted other times,"
that is me, other times,
"it may take up to seven days after fitting
"to become effective.
"If you have been using alternative contraception
"before your fitting,
"you may have been advised to continue this
"or use condoms for the first seven days."
I actually asked the doctor about this,
and, so, I'm going to be continuing my pill
for the next seven days,
and then coming off the pill,
and then I'll just be IUS,
I.E., the Mirena coil that I have.
"You should seek further help with the pain
"does not settle within a week
"or is getting worse,
"you experience heavy bleeding,
"more than period,
"you experience a continuous aching pain
"in your lower abdomen or smelly discharge,
"or feel hot, shivery, or unwell,
"particularly within the first three weeks of fitting,
"this may suggest an infection,
"you get deep pain during sex,
"you cannot feel the threads
"or think you can feel the IUS stem."
Okay, good stuff.
I think we should end this episode here,
and maybe in like three to six months,
I'll do a followup Hormone Diaries
about how the coil has been working for me.
I'm really hoping that this is it for me.
Like, I'm hoping that my body agrees with the Mirena coil.
And I'm basically sorted now until I want to have kids,
and then after having kids,
I can just use the Mirena again.
Fingers crossed.
Wish me luck.
Wish my uterus luck.
Thank you again for watching The Hormone Diaries
and supporting this series.
It means so much to me.
Please give the video a thumbs up
if you enjoyed it.
And let me know in the comments
if you have a coil,
either the Mirena or the copper coil,
and how that works for you,
how was it all getting it put in.
I have to say,
like, procedure: fine.
Two hours afterwards, horrific.
Now: fine.
Hopefully, if you are gonna be getting the coil soon,
that like puts you at ease,
but also kind of like helps with your expectations.
Don't forget to subscribe,
cause I make new videos every week.
Bye!