A 27-year-old mum was forced to remove her own contraceptive IUD as a clinic she went to 'couldn’t afford' to take it out.
Kierra Platt, who hails from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, UK, was fitted at her surgery back in September last year after a nurse at her endometriosis clinic suggested it would help minimise painful symptoms.
However, when the mum-of-two began to experience continual bleeding, pain, depression and 'constant rage' after just three weeks of being on it, she asked for it to be removed.
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"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," she explained.
Kierra found herself needing to 'take herself outside' and 'take a minute' because she was 'crying constantly'.
She continued: "I just thought I needed to give it some time to settle and I thought I'd be okay.
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"Every now and again, after starting to experience these symptoms, I'd tell the GP that something didn't feel right and I told them I thought it was because of the coil.
"I told them I thought my symptoms were linked to the coil but the doctor told me that the hormones were localised to my cervix and therefore shouldn't be making me feel depressed."
Kierra says her GP told her she needed to wait six months for her body to adjust to the contraception, but instead of calming down she says the side effects worsened over time.
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She then returned to her GP another five times to complain about her coil side effects, recalling: "I brought this up at least five appointments in conversation and the doctor told me this wasn't the reason.
"I started suffering from acne on the coil too and this is not something I'd suffered with before."
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.
"I went back to the GP and told them I wanted the coil removed. I thought they would just take out my coil for me then," she went on. "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."
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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.
"They said the wait time for an appointment there was three months," Kierra said. "They did suggest I could go to A&E to get it removed if it was that bad, which I was gobsmacked about.
"I didn't want to use emergency services and use up their time for something that can be removed in two seconds.
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"I needed it out immediately as it was causing me a lot of stress, I couldn't take any more of it."
Feeling like she couldn't endure the three-month wait time for a clinic appointment, Kierra decided to take matters into her own hands and remove it out herself.
"I felt like I had no other choice but to remove it myself," the mum explained. "I felt helpless and like I was losing my mind."
Kierra says she was 'shocked' at how easy she found it to remove her coil at home in her bedroom using just her fingers, adding: "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 quite 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 I was so relieved to have it out."
Shocking photos shared on social media show Kierra 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 being done by healthcare professionals, but that she was left with 'no choice' due to the long waiting time.
Since removing her own coil, Kierra, has taken to TikTok to open up about her experience and is now urging women to push to be heard by their GP if they don't think something is right.
Kierra, who vows she'll never go on hormonal birth control again, 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," she recalled.
"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."
The mum continued: "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.
"I have now changed to a different doctor's practice too."
A practice spokesman said they are unable to comment regarding individual patient circumstances.
If you have been affected by the contents of this article, please find more information and support via Endometriosis UK on their website, or call 0808 808 2227.
If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.
Topics: Advice, Health, Mental Health, Money, NHS, News, Real Life, TikTok, UK News, Endometriosis
Rhiannon Ingle