Coil Insertion & Replacement in Belfast City Centre

Yes, the coil device can be provided by our clinic for an additional charge. Hormonal coils cost from £115 to £135 (we cannot advertise the names of the coils, but you can contact us via email for the exact prices).

Copper coils (no hormones) cost from £22 to £25.

These services are offered by Dr Anita Maini, who has been working in sexual and reproductive medicine for over 20 years and who has a specialist interest in sexual health.

Dr Anita Maini is assisted by our Healthcare Assistant Tina Fegan.

Dr Anita Maini also performs contraceptive implant insertion and removal.

All of our GP’s can provide oral contraceptives but we do recommend seeing Dr Anita Maini, Dr Sarah O’ Hagan or Dr Jennifer McKew given their experience and expertise in women’s health. You can book a GP appointment here.

This picture shows how the coil – either hormonal or copper – sits within your womb. The strings should remain in the vaginal canal so that easy removal is possible.

When we fit your coil, Dr Anita Maini will be accompanied by Tina, our Healthcare Assistant.

You will be examined by the doctor in a similar process to having a smear, then local anaesthetic will be applied to your cervix to reduce any pain experienced during insertion of the coil.

The coil will then be placed into your womb. You may feel some period pain, like lower abdomen cramps when this is performed.

Removal is usually straightforward but in some cases the coil strings may have moved into your womb and so a specialised procedure is required to look for the strings.

Dr Anita Maini is skilled and experienced in this procedure and will talk you through it.

In some cases we may refer you for an Ultrasound scan to confirm that your coil is still in your womb.

In some cases the coil may have moved outside of the womb.

On the day of your appointment, it can be useful to take pain relief such as paracetamol (1g) or ibuprofen (400mg) about an 1-2 hours before your appointment. We also recommend you eat a meal before you attend your appointment.

Coil insertion is best done towards the end of your period. This is because we can be sure you are not pregnant at this time, and also the fitting itself is more comfortable for you, as the neck of the womb is more ‘open’. If you are using condoms, a Diaphragm, natural methods or having unprotected sex you must abstain altogether from sexual intercourse between the first day of your period and the day of your fitting. This is because we need to be certain that at the time your coil is fitted, you are not in the very early stages of pregnancy.

If you are using hormonal contraception such as the pill or implant, your coil can be fitted at any convenient time, as long as you are not bleeding too heavily.

This depends on the type of coil you are having fitted, the stage of your cycle and any other contraceptives you might be taking. The doctor will be able to discuss this with you during your appointment.

If you are having a coil removed and a new one fitted, this can be done on any day except a day of heavy bleeding. You should not have sexual intercourse for the seven days before fitting. This is to ensure there is no sperm in your body that could result in pregnancy, if for some reason it is not possible to fit a new coil after the original one is removed.

The coil can be removed at any time. If you are not getting a replacement coil and you don’t want to get pregnant, you must use another method of contraception, such as condoms, for 7 days before you have the coil removed. This is to stop the sperm getting into your body. As soon as coil is taken out, your normal fertility should return.

After fitting the coil the doctor will show you how to feel for the threads – they lie at your cervix. They do not hang outside like tampon strings and your partner should not feel them.

You should aim to check the threads of your coil every month. If you check and cannot feel the threads, you need to see a doctor and assume you could be at risk of pregnancy. Likewise, if your bleeding pattern changes, a thread check is advisable to ensure the coil is in the right place.

Sometimes the strings are not visible when the doctor examines your cervix.. The coil removal will then be attempted using another device called a coil string retriever or another decide that is inserted into the womb.

In a small number of cases where the coil strings are not visible, the other methods to remove it maybe unsuccessful, this can be because the coil is no longer in your womb or the procedure maybe be too painful to continue.

If we cannot remove the coil an appointment fee only of £130 will be charged and we will make a referral to gynaecology. The gynaecologist may need to carry out an ultrasound examination to locate the coil within the womb and then they will use another method for retrieval.

You may experience period pains in the few hours afterwards so you may wish to avoid making plans, especially exercise, in case you don’t feel up to it. If these pains do not improve or are severe please seek medical attention.

You should also seek medical attention if you experience smelly discharge and pain in the first 3 weeks after fitting as there is a small risk of infection immediately after fitting.

Immediately after your coil is fitted you should avoid sex for 7 days. This advice is not linked to any contraceptive advice but is merely for comfort and to reduce infection.

It is advisable to avoid tampons for 7 days following your coil fitting.  After this time, it is safe to continue using tampons.