Yasmeen Dahdah, 27, first had the contraceptive coil fitted in 2015.
What followed was years of pain and fatigue, with symptoms getting so bad that she said goodbye to her family, so convinced she would die due to her declining health.
The biology teacher, from Amman, Jordan, suffered with cystic acne, irritable bowel syndrome, extreme fatigue, severe bloating, suicidal thoughts and depression until she finally had the device removed three years later.
She said: ‘I was extremely fatigued, and it kept getting worse and worse. I couldn’t even handle doing basic things.
‘I thought I had cancer, I said goodbye to my family because I thought I was dying.
‘I was emotionally spent even though I wasn’t doing anything. I was on the raw nerve edge all the time.
‘I felt like I was being constantly prodded by something but I didn’t know what and the symptoms piled on top of each other.
‘I was sensitive to all food so when I ate, my tongue burst out in welts.
‘I broke out in cystic acne especially during my period. I had huge cysts on my face. It knocked my confidence and I didn’t feel like myself because I couldn’t even wear make up.
‘I was severely bloated to the point I looked pregnant and I got diagnosed with IBS. I was in poor shape.’
Yasmeen was forced to drop out of her business development course at University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, due to her symptoms and she admits it also destroyed her relationship with boyfriend, Kieran, 22.
Yasmeen said: ‘I couldn’t control my emotions. I almost lost my relationship because I was so angry all the time.
‘I couldn’t control to how I reacted to anything and as soon as it was out, I was stable again.’
The physical symptoms paled in comparison to the mental symptoms, as Yasmeen says: ‘I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning and I had suicidal thoughts.’
It wasn’t until she researched copper poisoning – and found out about other women experiencing similar – that she realised her coil might be to blame.
Yasmeen rushed to hospital to have the IUD removed, and now says her health has returned completely to normal.
She said: ‘I had problems from as soon as I had the coil put in but I didn’t know they were connected.
‘I thought I was the problem, I changed my diet, tried going vegan, herbs, natural juices and nothing worked. When I had it removed, I immediately improved.
‘People won’t believe that it was the coil that caused all of my problems but as soon as it was taken out, my body breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I have my life back now.’
Yasmeen is speaking out to warn other women of the side effects of the coil.
She said: ‘You get told that it’s safe. I want people to do their research and talk to other women because it can be dangerous.
‘I was told that there might be a bit of spotting and a change in my period but that’s not what I experienced.
‘When I asked for it to be taken out, the doctors didn’t want to do it but it’s my body, I put it in so I should decide when it’s taken out.’
Because every method of contraception differs in effectiveness and side effects from person to person, it’s important you carefully assess your options.
Although copper toxicity (which Yasmeen believes was the culprit of her issues) is not a listed side effect of the copper coil, there are reported cases.
Keeping a symptoms diary for a few weeks after you change your contraception can be helpful to pinpoint things, but your best bet is regular visits to your doctor if you feel your method needs a tweak.
Ensure they thoroughly talk through your options before you go forward, so you can go into anything informed and keep an eye on your health.
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