A mother was left horrified after her contraceptive coil, which had been lost inside her for 12 years, finally appeared… in her rectum.
Daniella Hampton had an intrauterine device (IUD) – also known as a copper coil – inserted into her uterus in 2009, but was told six weeks later that it had fallen out.
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Doctors told the health insurance employee they couldn’t feel the wires attached to him and an ultrasound showed nothing.
But the 29-year-old “never stopped believing” that the coil remained in her body and felt “rejected” by doctors, who never took her claims of bum pain seriously.
The mother-of-two believed she was “going crazy”, unable to understand why she was unable to get pregnant despite actively trying for nine years.
All this time, she unknowingly had birth control inside her.
It was only when Daniella was in a car accident in April 2021 that an X-ray revealed the IUD was inside her colon, having perforated her uterus.
The surgery to remove the coil brought “relief” to Daniella and three years later she finally gave birth to her second child, Champion Hampton, in April 2024.
On Facebook, the 29-year-old shared photos of her x-rays with the caption “trust your body girls. I always knew it was inside me but I couldn’t prove it.”
‘I DID NOT HEAR’
Daniella, who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, said: “It was like playing hide and seek with the IUD for 12 years.
“For two years I had an implant in my arm at the same time. I felt like my hormones were going crazy.
“Now I know I had two forms of birth control that definitely went hand in hand [until I had the implant removed after two years].”
Despite doctors’ insistence that the IUD had fallen out, Daniella said she remained convinced the device was still somewhere in her body.
“I never stopped believing it was still there. I had mentioned it to other professionals, but once I told them I had had the ultrasound, they didn’t care.”
Her claims that she was suffering from pain in her buttocks were also largely ignored.
“In the following years, I had sharp pains in the rectum area. I always felt like I was there, but they told me I wasn’t there,” the mother recalled.
“I definitely felt rejected and unheard. It was disheartening. I just accepted it.
“I was going crazy because I thought ‘what is happening to my body’. I couldn’t understand it. It was really crazy.”
A ‘SHOCKING’ FIND
Daniella revealed that she fractured her vertebrae during a car accident in April 2021.
She was shocked when her X-ray revealed that the coil had pierced her uterus and ended up inside her colon.
The mother admitted she felt “relief” after finally getting proof that the birth control had been inside her all these years and had surgery in September 2021 to remove it.
Daniella said: “It was crazy. It was more shocking than the injury itself.
“The doctors told me they noticed a coil out of place. Then I saw the x-rays myself and thought ‘wow, there’s no way this is still inside me’.
“I finally felt like I wasn’t crazy. The surgery was optional, but at that point I just wanted this foreign object out of my body.
“The cords and everything were still intact, the doctor removed them.
“There was a sense of relief that I knew for sure he was gone. But it was scary.
“I was definitely more comfortable having it taken away from me and knowing it wasn’t there. I was eager to see if I would feel different.”
A HAPPY ENDING’
The mother-of-two, who recently gave birth to Champion, admitted she believes the coil prevented her from getting pregnant for nine years, as it is “no coincidence” that she was able to conceive after it was removed.
Daniella: “They told me that wasn’t the reason, but to this day I believe so. For nine years I tried to get pregnant and couldn’t. And here I am now. I don’t think it was a coincidence.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to get pregnant again. I was thinking ‘I’m crazy, what am I doing wrong’. I was of childbearing age.”
Despite everything, Daniella said she had her “happy ending” when she was able to have a child.
But the 29-year-old admits the experience “put [her] off birth control” and regrets not “going one step further” to prove the coil was still inside her, encouraging other women to trust their bodies.
How to choose the best contraceptive method
THERE ARE loads of contraception options available on the NHS and privately, and finding the right option for you can take some time.
Things to consider when deciding which contraceptive method to use include how often you need to use it.
Some methods, like the coil, are long-acting, while others you need to take every day or every time you have sex, like the pill and condoms.
Hormonal methods of contraception can also sometimes leave users with side effects such as headaches, nausea, mood swings, weight gain, breast pain and acne.
These types may also carry a very small risk of health problems such as blood clots and breast cancer, which means hormonal methods will not be suitable for everyone.
Additionally, some types will be more effective than others.
The implant and coil are considered 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, as are the pill and patch, if used correctly.
But sometimes condoms can break, and methods like natural family planning – monitoring when you’re most fertile and avoiding sex at those times – tend to be less effective.
Talk to your doctor about which of the following options might be best for you:
- Combined pill (contains progestin and estrogen)
- Minipill (contains only progestin)
- Copper coil or intrauterine device (inserted into the uterus and does not contain hormones)
- Hormone coil or intrauterine system (inserted into the uterus and releases progestin)
- Implant (inserted under the skin of the arm and releases progestin)
- Injection (progestin)
- Patch (used on the skin and releases progestogen and estrogen)
- Vaginal ring (placed in the vagina and releases progestin and estrogen)
- Condoms (used on the penis)
- Internal condoms (placed in the vagina before sex)
- Female sterilization (permanently prevents eggs from meeting sperm)
- Vasectomy or male steralization (permanently prevents sperm from ejaculating)
- Diaphragm or cap (placed inside the vagina before sex to prevent sperm from entering the uterus)
- Natural family planning (includes monitoring your menstrual cycle to avoid sex when you are most fertile)
- Morning-after pill (to be used in emergency situations, three to five days after sex)
Source: National Health Service
Daniella said: “I think it’s brave when people insist and go the extra mile to check.
“I definitely should have done it. I was young and naive and I trusted my doctor. I believed what she said.
“It turned me off birth control. The only form of birth control I use and feel comfortable with is the pill, because I know I can stop taking it at any time.”
Many Facebook users offered support to Daniella in the comments.
One user said: “This is so scary, you know your own body.”
Another user said: “This is scary. That’s why I stopped taking birth control.”
A third user said: “Always trust your intuition.”
A fourth user said: “I’m so mad it took me so long to find him.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
