A MUM mum was forced to pull out her contraceptive coil because her GP surgery “didn’t have the cash” for the “two-second procedure”.
Kierra Platt had the IUD fitted at her surgery in September 2023 after a nurse at her endometriosis clinic suggested it would help minimise painful symptoms.
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But when she began to experience continual bleeding, pain, depression and “constant rage” after just three weeks of being on it, the 27-year-old asked for it to be removed.
Kierra claimed her GP said she needed to wait six months for her body to adjust to the contraception, but instead of calming down, she said the side effects worsened over time.
The mum-of-two returned to her GP another five times to complain about her coil side effects.
During her final visit in April 2024, she begged them to remove it as she said she had developed painful ovarian cysts caused by the contraception.
Despite her GP agreeing to remove it, Kierra says she was told it wasn’t possible to have it extracted at her medical centre due to funding being unavailable for family planning services.
The stay-at-home mum says she was given the option to either have it taken out at A&E or to wait three months to have it removed at a sexual health clinic.
Kierra turned down the A&E option as she didn’t want to “waste emergency services’ time” on a procedure she claimed her doctor could do in “two seconds”.
I felt like I had no other choice but to remove it myself… I was helpless and felt like I was losing my mind.
Feeling unable to endure the three-month wait time for a clinic appointment, Kierra decided to take matters into her own hands and whipped it out herself.
Shocking photos shared on social media show her holding up her hormonal coil minutes after removing it with her bare hands.
Kierra says she’s “not glorifying” DIY coil removals, a procedure recommended only for healthcare professionals, but that she was left with “no choice” due to the long waiting time.
Kierra, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, said: “Within three weeks of being on the coil, I noticed my mood changing. I continued to bleed and spot, and I found myself constantly in a rage.
“I had to take myself outside and take a minute, and I was crying constantly.
“I just thought I needed to give it some time to settle and I thought I’d be okay.”
NEXT APPOINTMENT IN THREE MONTHS
After she started to experience these symptoms, Keira told the GP that something didn’t feel right – and that she thought it was because of the coil.
But doctors said to me that the hormones in the IUD were localised and, therefore, shouldn’t be making her feel depressed.
“I brought this up at least five appointments in conversation, and the doctor told me this wasn’t the reason,” she explained.
“I started suffering from acne on the coil, too, and this is not something I’d suffered with before,” she added.
“The GP kept turning me away. I ended up calling my mum in tears, and she told me I needed to tell them I wanted the coil removed.”
At her wits’ end, Kierra went to her GP for a fifth time and begged them to remove it.
I got it between my two fingers and started to pull, and it felt like I was just pulling a tampon out.
Kierra Platt
Kierra said, “In April, I went back to the GP and told them I wanted the coil removed. I thought they would just take it out for me then.
“My GP said she wasn’t qualified to take it out, so she said she would call the doctor next door, but they told me I needed to book an appointment.
“I went to the receptionist, but she said they were no longer running family clinics because they didn’t have the funding, so I couldn’t get it removed.
Here is why you shouldn’t remove your IUD at home
AN intrauterine device (IUD) is a plastic, T-shaped device, which fits into the uterus, and works as an effective birth control method.
While you may think you can remove an IUD at any time, it’s safest to have a medical professional do it.
This is because IUD removal at home can be unsafe and might lead to several complications, such as bleeding, dislodged pieces, and pain.
If your IUD has been experienced, or you want it out, you can get it removed at your GP surgery or local sexual health clinic.
“She said I’d have to go to a sexual health clinic to get it taken out.”
But the next available appointment at a clinic wasn’t for three months.
The medics then suggested she go to A&E to have it removed if it was “that bad,” she said.
“I didn’t want to use emergency services and use up their time for something that could be removed in two seconds,” she explained.
“I needed it out immediately as it was causing me a lot of stress, I couldn’t take any more of it,” she added.
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“I felt like I had no choice but to remove it myself. I felt helpless and like I was losing my mind.”
EASY DIY REMOVAL
Kierra says she was “shocked” at how easy it was to remove her coil at home in her bedroom using just her fingers.
Kierra said: “I lay down on my bed, popped a pillow under my bum and just tried to see if I could feel the strings of my coil.
“I found the strings, which I was pretty surprised about as I didn’t think I’d be able to.
“I got it between my two fingers and started to pull, and it felt like I was just pulling a tampon out.
“I was gobsmacked. I didn’t think it would have been that easy to remove.
“I was in shock but relieved to have it out.”
Since removing her coil, Kierra shared a video on TikTok about her experience that has racked up more than 36,000 views.
She is now urging women to push to be heard by their GP if they don’t think something is right and vows she’ll never go on hormonal birth control again.
Kierra says her coil experience is also a contributing factor to why she has now changed GP practice.
“I had just hit a point where I was going to the GP and leaving crying.
“I knew I wasn’t the only person going through this with their health, and I thought ‘if I can just help one other person and show they are not alone’, that is what I wanted to do.
“After this experience, I will never use hormonal birth control again.
“Having something in your body and not being able to have it removed is just appalling to me.
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“I have now changed to a different doctor’s practice too.”
A practice spokesman said they are unable to comment regarding individual patient circumstances.