The health risks of the coil as Dani Dyer's 'goes missing'
Dani Dyer has shared her shock after a routine check-up revealed that her contraceptive coil had gone "missing" in her body.
The former Love Island star, 27, who has three children joked she could have inadvertently ended up adding to her to her family after it transpired that her contraceptive coil had been dislodged.
Explain what happened on Instagram, the reality star told fans that she now has to have surgery to remove the coil.
"I had to have a couple of appointments today for a nurse to check my Mirena coil," she said.
"I've not really been getting on with it and I thought let's just go and get it checked and see what's going on."
Dyer revealed that the examination revealed the coil had "gone missing."
"Well not that it's gone missing, it's completely dislodged and moved."
The star explained that she didn't want to worry anyone as her doctor told he what has happened is a rare occurrence, but she now has to have surgery to remove the coil.
"I've got to have key hole surgery because of where it is embedded," she explained.
"It's nothing major but I just can't believe what has happened. Imagine, I could have ended up with a fourth child this year."
Despite Dyer explaining that a "missing" coil is a rare occurrence women who have one fitted will no doubt be concerned about their own devices moving, we spoke to a contraceptive expert to get a run down on the coil, the risks and what to do if you think yours has also moved.
What is the coil?
The coil is a device that sits inside the womb. "It is mainly used for contraceptive purposes but some types (hormonal) can also be used to manage heavy periods as well as part of an HRT preparation," explains Ms Michelle Swer, consultant gynaecologist at www.london-gynaecology.com.
Coils can be hormonal and non-hormonal.
"The hormonal coil releases progesterone so can aid with making periods less heavy or have no periods," Swer continues.
"It is also used to protect the lining of the womb when used in combination with oestradiol for HRT purposes.
"The non-hormonal coil does not have hormones, so is useful for women who have side effects from hormonal contraception.
What are the benefits and risks of a coil?
According to the NHS an IUS (intrauterine system) or hormonal coil, such as the type of coil Danny Dyer is using, is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
This means that less than 1 in 100 women using an IUS as their method of contraception get pregnant each year.
Though many IUS users do not get any side effects, they are most common for a few months after having it fitted and can include:
period-like pain and bleeding (spotting) after having an IUS fitted
small fluid-filled sacs (cysts) on your ovaries – these are usually harmless and disappear without treatment
a small chance of getting thrush that keeps coming back – talk to your GP if this happens
Health risks of the hormonal coil include:
pelvic infections, usually within 3 weeks of having an IUS fitted
damage to the womb
ectopic pregnancy if your IUS fails
Can your coil really go missing?
The NHS explains there is a rare possibility of a hormonal coil moving or coming out, usually within three months of having it fitted.
"This can be due to the coil migrating into the pelvis and abdomen," explains Swer. "This usually occurs as result of the coil being placed too high in the uterus at time of insertion or perforating through the muscle wall.
"Sometimes the coil may have slipped out usually during a period so would have been difficult to notice," she adds.
Though an uncommon occurrence Swer says there are a couple of potential signs that your coil may have dislodged including not being able to feel the strings if you'd previously felt them before and experiencing constant abdominal pain or discomfort after coil insertion.
If you are concerned your coil has been dislodged Swer advises visiting your GP and if on examination they cannot see the threads of the coil they should arrange an ultrasound scan first.
"An ultrasound scan should be done to assess it is not embedded in the muscle wall of the uterus," she explains.
"If no coil is seen then an X-Ray should be arranged since the coil will show up on these images if present in the pelvis or abdomen."
If the coil is in the uterine cavity but the threads are not visible on examination Swer advises a hysteroscopy, which is a camera to the womb, would be needed.
"If it is seen in the abdominal cavity or pelvis then a laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) would likely be needed dependent on your symptoms.
"If it is still placed in the womb but the threads are not seen there is no cause for concern but would require removal in a gynaecology clinic," she adds.
The NHS advises that if you've had an IUD fitted and:
you have pain in your lower tummy (abdomen) and painkillers do not help
you get sudden pain in your lower tummy that gets worse or does not go away
you have a high temperature
you have abnormal or smelly discharge
you have very heavy vaginal bleeding
you think you might be pregnant
you cannot feel the threads of your IUD, or they feel different
You should call 111 or get help from 111 online.
Reproductive health: Read more
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Over half of women say period pain has impacted their ability to work - sound familiar? (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read)
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