Your appointment is for half an hour

Please make sure that you have had something to eat before your appointment.

Some women find the fitting process uncomfortable, and you may wish to take a tablet painkiller that is safe for you, an hour or so before the procedure.

There must be no chance you could be pregnant when we fit your coil.

Do not have sex from the start of your period until the insertion, unless you are using a method of contraception reliably and consistently (implant, injection, pill, perfect use condom). Withdrawal and natural methods are not considered reliable enough so please use condoms or abstain from sex.

If you are having a coil replaced for a new one, you should not have sex for 7 days before the appointment if your coil is in date. This is because rarely it is not possible to fit a new coil after one has been removed and sperm can stay in your body for up to a week.

If your coil is out of date, you should not have sex for 21 days (3 weeks) before the appointment so that a pregnancy test is valid. It is OK to have a coil fitted if you are bleeding; please attend your appointment as usual.

The copper coil works immediately after fitting and lasts 5-10 years.

The hormone coil (Mirena) works immediately if fitted in the first 7 days of the menstrual cycle. If fitted after this, additional contraception is needed for a week.

The Mirena coil lasts 8 years for contraception, up to 8 years for heavy bleeding, and 5 years as part of HRT.

Please see https://www.contraceptionchoices.org/ for information on all forms of contraception