In the ‘kitchen’ of SWN blog….you know where the ingredients for a post are washed, mixed, cooked or baked or fried depending on the topic, we have some interesting cupboards.
One of these ‘cupboards’ is labelled ‘search engine terms’.
Search terms are words or phrases users use to find our blog when they search the internet.
I am often amused at the different terms that lead people to our blog.
But when I last looked, one term caught my eye: ‘how to castrate my husband’.
How to castrate my husband?? Seriously?
I was taken aback!
I am sure we have never talked about that on sexual wellbeing network and it seems really strange that if someone put in that search term in the internet, they should arrive at our blog but anyway…….
I really hope no one out there is seriously planning to castrate someone else. Please, do take a deep breath, count to 100, go and speak to a psychiatrist or anything rather than castrate your husband. If you are reading this, remember you can contact us at info@sexualwellbeingnetwork.com for a chat.
Now to my topic…
A reader sent in a question,
”I had a copper coil fitted some months ago and I was able to see the thread whenever I went to the bathroom. In the last few days, I realised that I can no longer see the thread. Should I be concerned?”
If you are not familiar with copper coils, read our earlier post on copper coil.
First of all, I had to clarify if she meant she couldn’t feel the thread rather than see.
But no, she emphasized that she couldn’t see the thread.
I decided to answer the question on the blog so others can benefit.
A video will be coming out as well for our more visual readers.
When a copper coil is fitted, it comes with thin threads which are cut short and hang from the neck of the womb into the upper vagina.
It will be very unusual indeed for you to see the threads.
You should only be able to feel your threads when you pop a finger into your vagina. You should feel the thread at the tip of your fingers inside the vagina. It shouldn’t be so long that you can actually see it.
So I had two concerns about her question.
The first is that if she could see the thread, then the threads probably were not cut short when she had the coil fitted. A long thread can lead to a coil being easily dislodged just like you are more likely to trip over the long wire of your vacuum cleaner than the short wire of a microwave.
The second concern is that a long thread may suggest that the coil was not properly sited. It may just be in the vagina or down the neck of the womb.
In any of the above cases, she is at risk of pregnancy.
Now that she cannot see the thread at all, it is likely the coil has fallen out.
The best thing to do if you think you can see your thread on the outside is to go and see your coil provider to check if the coil is in the right place. Do not have sex: you may be at risk of pregnancy. If you must have sex, before you can get the coil checked out, use a condom very carefully.
In case you are wondering why we leave some thread at all, this is what we grasp on to remove the coil when its time to come out. Many women also feel for the threads to reassure themselves that the coil is still in place.
Remember to send in your sexual health questions to info@sexualwellbeingnetwork.com
You can read about contraceptions in our book: ”Understanding Contraception”
Hello Lily, a properly sited copper coil is more than 99% effective….meaning that less than 1 in 100 women using a coil will get pregnant in a year. That makes it one of the best methods available 🙂
Thanks for the info. How effective is using a coil to prevent pregnancy? i have heard of women getting pregnant even with a properly inserted coil.