A desperate mother claims she was forced to remove her own coil by hand after her GP told her they “didn’t have the funds” for the procedure.
Kierra Platt, from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, had the contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD) fitted at her surgery last September after a nurse said it could help reduce her painful endometriosis symptoms.
But within three weeks of inserting it into her uterus, she began experiencing agonizing pain, continuous bleeding and even “constant anger.”
The 27-year-old again asked her GP for help, but claims she was told she would have to wait six months for her body to adapt to contraception.
It wasn’t until April, after four more appointments in which the mother of two sought help, that doctors agreed to remove it.
Kierra Platt, from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, had the intrauterine device (IUD) fitted in the surgery last September on the advice of a nurse to reduce her painful endometriosis symptoms. But within three weeks she began to experience agonizing pain, continuous bleeding and even “constant anger.”
The 27-year-old went back to her GP but claims she was told she had to wait six months for her body to adapt to contraception. It wasn’t until April, after four more appointments, that doctors agreed to remove it. However, when booking a spot, the mother of two says the receptionist advised her to go to a sexual health clinic or A&E, as the surgery no longer offered family planning services.
But when the time finally came, Platt said she was sent back to square one when the GP receptionist told her to go to a sexual health clinic or A&E, as her practice no longer offered family planning services.
Unable to endure another three months of waiting to go to the clinic, she took the drastic step of taking matters into her own hands and removing it herself.
Recalling his ordeal, he said: ‘Three weeks into being on the reel, I noticed my mood changing. I continued to bleed and stain and found myself constantly enraged.
‘I had to go out and take a minute and I was crying constantly. I just thought I needed to give him some time to calm down and I thought he would be fine.
‘From time to time, after I started experiencing these symptoms, I would tell my GP that something didn’t seem right and I told him I thought it was due to the coil.
‘I told them I thought my symptoms were related to the coil, but the doctor told me that the hormones were localized to my cervix and therefore should not make me feel depressed.
“I also started suffering from coil acne and this is not something I have suffered from before.”
After begging her GP again to remove the IUD in April, she agreed, but told Platt she needed to make an appointment, she claimed.
“I went to the receptionist but she said they no longer ran family clinics because they didn’t have the funds and I couldn’t get it taken away from me.”
She said the news left her “stunned.”
“I didn’t want to go to emergency services and waste their time on something that can be removed in two seconds,” he said.
“I needed it removed immediately because it was causing me a lot of stress and I couldn’t take it anymore.
‘I felt like I had no choice but to take it off myself. I felt helpless and like I was losing my mind.’
The copper coil prevents pregnancy by releasing copper ions into the uterus.
Copper alters cervical mucus, making it difficult for sperm to reach the egg and survive.
It can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting.
Some experts have suggested that IUDs can help control the symptoms of endometriosis by inhibiting ovulation, reducing the amount of estrogen in the body, and preventing endometrial tissue from growing.
The device, which has two small strings dangling so women can check that it is still in place in the vagina, only needs to be replaced after ten years.
More than one million women in the United Kingdom and 4.5 million in the United States use the contraceptive coil.
Around 45,000 Brits undergo the procedure to have one installed each year.
But experts have long warned that access to the coil “varies” from area to area, with waiting times for fittings ranging from four to more than 12 weeks in some NHS trusts.
She said: “I also started suffering from coil acne and this is not something I have suffered from before.” After begging her primary care doctor again to remove the IUD, she agreed, but she told Platt she needed to make an appointment, she claimed.
Platt said he was “not glorifying” DIY coil removal, a procedure that is recommended only be performed by health professionals. Instead, she was left with no choice due to the long wait time.
Doctors today also warned women not to remove them yourself, given the potential risk of infection from removing them with your own hands.
Dr Hana Patel, a London-based NHS GP, told MailOnline: ‘I definitely don’t recommend removing it with your fingers as it can become twisted, stuck or cause problems with the uterus, including cuts, bleeding and infection.’
‘I’m a women’s health GP and I remove and insert coils. It should definitely be done by someone with relevant experience and qualifications.
“A trained doctor or nurse can remove the IUD at any time.”
He added: ‘Talk to your doctor to find out when your IUD will be removed or replaced.
“It is possible to get pregnant as soon as the IUD is removed.”
Platt said he was “not glorifying” DIY coil removal, a procedure that is recommended only be performed by health professionals.
Instead, he insists he was “left with no choice” due to the long wait time.
She added: “I lay down on my bed, put a pillow under my butt and tried to see if I could feel the threads on my coil.”
‘I found the ropes, which surprised me quite a bit because I didn’t think I’d be able to do it.
“I took it between my two fingers and started pulling and it felt like I was pulling out a tampon.
‘I was stunned. I didn’t think it would have been so easy to remove. “I was shocked, but I was very relieved to know.”
Now Ms Platt is urging others to demand answers from their doctors and not to give up “if they think something is wrong”.
She said: “I knew I wasn’t the only person going through this with their health and I thought, ‘if I can help someone else and show they’re not alone’, that’s what I wanted to do.”
‘After this experience, I will never use hormonal contraceptives again.
“Having something in your body and not being able to remove it is just horrifying to me.
“Now I have also changed my doctor’s office.”
A spokesperson for the practice said they cannot comment on patients’ individual circumstances.
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