Medical Question: Coil, "Copper T"?

Question

I had a Copper T inserted into me after my son was born 5 years ago.

I was wondering, How long could I have it in. I have also gone to see 2 GP'S whom said that they are unable to remove it. As they said i need to go to a Gynecologist or hospital.

What I dont understand that a GP put it in South Africa, and here in Ireland they cant. Any ideas??

Can it damage me, if i leave it in for longer than 5 years.

Answer 1

Well, of course I don`t want to `scare` you and also I am no expert but.....

My wife had one of those put in year`s ago  (she is dead now).  And she left it in for yonks  - finally - in an emergency (pains etc) she had to have it removed surgically.  Apparently it had embedded itself in the flesh (I assume the flesh had grown around it).   And it was not a very pleasant operation either.

I hope this does not alarm you too much, but when it comes to medical matters you need to know the truth.

I`m surprised they still fitted the copper ones even 5 years ago, as there are now other safer materials.

Answer 2

Hi, I like your avatar (I had this pic for awhile too) I thought GP's could remove the copper coil? I maybe wrong. The copper coil (not be be confused with Mirena IUD) can be left in for up to 10 years, the copper coil does not contain hormones.Take your GP's advise and see the Gynaecologist if you wish to have it removed, maybe they do things differently in Ireland..I'm sure here in the UK GP's can do it. I'll star this for my best virtual friend Dr Frank, maybe he'll see this question an answer it, I'm sure he'll be of more help

(Hi Dr Frank, I agree it is worrying,  so is there a rare risk of embedding even with the Mirena coil? Also, why is it that nulliparous women can have the Mirena coil but not the copper one? Nice to see you, I was missing you!)

Answer 3

Copper-T coils have not been in common use here for quite a few years, though they are still available. They have an effective lifespan of 5 years, but there is undoubtedly a very large safety margin on both their contraceptive duration and indeed their structural integrity. We are often asked to remove such coils after 7 or even 10 years, when some forgetful users remember they are due to be removed, so you should come to no harm.

Do you know what the problem was when removal was discussed. Was it an Irish problem, meaning that the doctors you approached had ethical issues about dealing with coils? Or were attempts made to remove it which failed. If this was the case, were the threads visible, or was there no sign of them? If there were no threads visible it is is important to confirm it is actually still in place with an ultrasound scan. If its gone, problem solved. If it is till in situe there is a special removal tool, this is specially designed for the purpose, and for doctors with experience, it is a 60 second job to remove the coil.

If the threads are visible but won't pull out the coil, this might be due to lack of confidence or experience on behalf of the doctors concerned, very rarely does the coil become deeply embedded in the uterine wall and it usually confidence and experience makes even removal of these no major issue.

Evening Rhianna, (as you know I never read other answers before adding my own, but I do often read them afterwards and as with this answer add a post script.)  Yes I spotted this question which is an interesting one. [e-mail] comments are worrying, though, I do agree that ordinary copper coils are generally used much less now, especially as I mentioned earlier the Copper-T which is an old device. Multiload coils are still in use, mainly because they are much cheaper than Mirena and because adding hormones is neither suitable nor desirable for all women. I also mentioned embedding which is fortunately very rare and if low level will still allow an experienced doctor, and many GPs do have this experience, to carefully remove it. The tale he tells is a bit of a horror story, and I am sure was very unpleasant for his wife, but even if it does come to surgical removal, this can generally be carried out with fairly minimal trauma, so I wouldn't like popc to become too concerned.

Answer 4

I think you need to ask for a referral to the hospital.There you can ask your questions or get it changed for something more suitable.I'm not sure how long you can leave it in...were you not advised at the time.Sounds like you re having doubts yourself so go on and get that appt.