Coil Fitting and Contraception in London 2026. Which Method Actually Works, What Fitting Involves and How to Get It This Week

The Wellness is the best place in London for coil and implant fitting, and the numbers explain why long-acting methods deserve more attention than they get. With typical use the combined pill fails in around 9 of every 100 women in a year, because typical use includes forgotten pills, vomiting, diarrhoea and interacting medicines. The hormonal coil, copper coil and implant all fail in fewer than 1 in 100, and they do it without requiring you to remember anything, which is the entire mechanism. Beyond contraception they do other work. The hormonal coil is the first-line medical treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding under NICE guidance and reduces blood loss substantially, it is the endometrial protection component of HRT for women with a uterus, and many users have very light periods or none at all. The copper coil contains no hormones at all, lasts up to 5 or 10 years depending on the device, and is the most effective form of emergency contraception available, working when fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex or up to 5 days after the earliest likely ovulation, which is considerably better than any tablet. The obstacle is access. Fitting requires a trained clinician and appointment slots are scarce, so waits of several weeks to months are common. You are assessed, fitted and followed up, usually within days. Fitting from £595 including consultation, procedure and the follow-up check. Fees appear further down this page.

Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated August 2026.

Book a coil or implant fitting on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.

Which contraception is most effective

Effectiveness divides sharply between methods that depend on you and methods that do not. With perfect use the pill, patch and ring are more than 99% effective. With typical use, which is how people actually live, the failure rate rises to around 9 in 100 women per year, because pills get missed, absorption fails during vomiting or diarrhoea, and several medicines including some anticonvulsants and antibiotics for tuberculosis reduce effectiveness.

Long-acting reversible methods remove that gap entirely. The hormonal coil, copper coil and implant all fail in fewer than 1 in 100 users per year with typical use, because typical use and perfect use are the same thing once the device is in place. The contraceptive injection sits between the 2, effective but dependent on returning every 12 or 13 weeks.

Duration differs and matters. The implant lasts 3 years. Hormonal coils are licensed for 3 to 8 years depending on the device, and for contraception in women fitted at 45 or over, some can remain until the menopause. Copper coils last 5 or 10 years by device, and one fitted at 40 or over can usually stay until contraception is no longer needed.

Reversibility is complete for all of them except the injection, where return of fertility can take up to a year, which is worth knowing if pregnancy is on the horizon.

What else does a coil treat

Heavy menstrual bleeding, where the hormonal coil is recommended as the first-line medical treatment in NICE guideline NG88 and reduces menstrual blood loss substantially, frequently to spotting or nothing. A large number of women referred for surgery for heavy periods have never been offered it.

Endometrial protection with HRT, which is the reason many women in their 40s and 50s have one fitted. Any woman with a uterus taking oestrogen needs progestogen to protect the endometrium, and a hormonal coil delivers it locally while also handling contraception through the perimenopause, when fertility is reduced but not absent.

Painful periods, endometriosis-associated pain and adenomyosis, where hormonal coils are frequently effective. Endometrial protection in women taking tamoxifen, in selected cases under specialist advice.

The copper coil does none of that, contains no hormones, and suits women who cannot or prefer not to use hormonal contraception, including many with a history of hormone-sensitive breast cancer, where it is usually the method of choice after specialist discussion. It tends to make periods heavier and more painful, particularly in the first few months, which is the trade-off.

Ask which method suits you on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.

What does fitting actually involve

An assessment first, covering your medical history, medications, cycle, previous pregnancies and any current symptoms, with a pregnancy test and a sexually transmitted infection screen where appropriate, because fitting during an untreated infection carries a small risk of introducing it upward.

The procedure takes around 5 to 10 minutes. A speculum examination, cleaning of the cervix, measurement of the uterine cavity and insertion of the device through the cervical canal. Most women describe strong period-type cramping during insertion and for a short time afterward, and it is considerably more uncomfortable for some than others, with women who have never been pregnant typically finding it harder. Pain relief taken beforehand helps, and local anaesthetic to the cervix is offered rather than something you have to ask for.

The risks stated properly. Uterine perforation occurs in around 1 to 2 per 1,000 fittings and is higher in breastfeeding women. Expulsion occurs in roughly 1 in 20, most often in the first 3 months and more often after a fitting during a period. Infection risk is small and confined largely to the first 20 days. Failure is under 1%, and if pregnancy does occur with a coil in place, ectopic pregnancy must be excluded.

Afterwards, irregular bleeding for 3 to 6 months is normal and expected with hormonal coils before periods settle or stop, and this is the reason most early removals happen. Knowing it is coming changes how people experience it. A check at 6 weeks confirms the threads and the position, and you are taught to feel for the threads yourself.

When to seek help after a fitting

Fever, offensive discharge, severe or worsening pelvic pain, or pain during sex in the weeks after fitting needs same-day assessment, because infection is treatable quickly and damaging if left. Sudden severe one-sided pelvic pain with a missed period needs urgent assessment to exclude ectopic pregnancy.

Threads you cannot feel do not mean the coil has gone, but they do mean it needs checking with an ultrasound to confirm position, and additional contraception should be used until it is confirmed. Threads that feel longer, or a partner feeling something hard, can indicate partial expulsion and needs review.

Persistent unacceptable bleeding beyond 6 months, persistent pain, or unwanted hormonal effects are all reasons to review the choice rather than endure it. Removal is straightforward and quick, and a different method can be started at the same appointment.

What does coil fitting cost in London

Private gynaecology appointments in the Harley Street district run £250 to £450 before any procedure, with coil fitting charged separately and combined costs commonly reaching £600 to £1,000. Sexual health and women’s health clinics across London charge £350 to £700 for fitting. Ultrasound-guided or difficult fittings under gynaecology run higher, and hysteroscopic removal of a lost device reaches into the thousands. Comprehensive imaging and executive programmes at the top of the London market exceed £32,000. Below all of it sits a tier defined by its conditions rather than its price, a fitting appointment with no prior assessment, no infection screening and no follow-up check.

At The Wellness the assessment, the procedure and the follow-up are 1 fee. All figures are from prices.

• Executive Health Programme, the most comprehensive assessment with full biomarker profiling and coordinated imaging, from £11,995.

• Women’s Body Scan programme with pelvic, breast and thyroid imaging, full bloods and review, from £3,495.

• Hormonal or copper coil fitting, including the pre-fitting assessment, the device, local anaesthetic, the procedure and the 6-week check, from £595.

• Coil removal and replacement at the same appointment, from £595, or removal alone from £295.

• Contraceptive implant fitting or removal, including assessment and follow-up, from £395.

• Extended 45-minute consultation covering contraception, heavy bleeding, perimenopause and HRT together, from £395.

• Pelvic ultrasound to confirm device position where threads cannot be felt, arranged at a specialist centre with consultant radiologist reporting, from £995.

• Consultation from £220 in person and £150 by video. Sexually transmitted infection screening arranged at an accredited laboratory where appropriate.

Appointments within days in Marylebone, 3 minutes from Baker Street, in Arabic, French, Spanish and Dutch.

Why The Wellness is the best place in London for coil fitting

Because you are seen within days rather than months, and because the fitting is not the whole of the appointment. Contraception, heavy bleeding, perimenopausal symptoms and HRT are frequently the same conversation in the same woman, and splitting them across 3 appointments with 3 different services is how women end up with a device that suits their contraception and not their symptoms.

Because pain is taken seriously rather than minimised. Local anaesthetic to the cervix is offered as standard rather than provided on request, pain relief is advised beforehand, and the honest position on discomfort is given in advance. Women who have never been pregnant are more likely to find it difficult and deserve to be told that rather than discover it.

Because the 3 to 6 months of irregular bleeding that follows a hormonal coil is explained before fitting rather than after. That single piece of information prevents a large share of early removals, and it costs nothing to give.

And because everything around it is here. Sexually transmitted infection screening before fitting where appropriate, pelvic ultrasound at a specialist centre where threads cannot be felt, gynaecology referral with a named consultant where a fitting is difficult or a device needs retrieving, and the menopause and HRT conversation in the same room rather than in another clinic 6 weeks later.

Book a fitting on WhatsApp or call 020 3951 3429.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a coil fitted privately in London

The Wellness in Marylebone, usually within days. Fitting is from £595 and includes the pre-fitting assessment, the device, local anaesthetic, the procedure and the 6-week check, with sexually transmitted infection screening arranged where appropriate and pelvic ultrasound available if the threads cannot be felt afterwards.

Which contraception is most effective

Long-acting methods. The hormonal coil, copper coil and implant all fail in fewer than 1 in 100 users per year, because they do not depend on remembering anything. The combined pill fails in around 9 of every 100 women a year with typical use, since typical use includes missed pills, vomiting, diarrhoea and interacting medicines.

Does coil fitting hurt

Most women describe strong period-type cramping during insertion and briefly afterwards, and it is more uncomfortable for some than others, particularly women who have never been pregnant. Pain relief beforehand helps and local anaesthetic to the cervix is offered as standard here rather than on request.

What are the risks of having a coil fitted

Uterine perforation in around 1 to 2 per 1,000 fittings, higher in breastfeeding women. Expulsion in roughly 1 in 20, mostly within the first 3 months. A small infection risk confined largely to the first 20 days. Failure under 1%, and any pregnancy with a coil in place needs ectopic pregnancy excluded urgently.

Can a coil help heavy periods

Yes. The hormonal coil is the first-line medical treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding in NICE guideline NG88 and reduces blood loss substantially, often to spotting or nothing. Many women referred for surgery for heavy periods have never been offered it.

Can a coil be used as emergency contraception

The copper coil is the most effective emergency contraception available, more effective than any tablet, and can be fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex or up to 5 days after the earliest likely ovulation. It then continues as ongoing contraception for years.

The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our Marylebone clinic adjacent to Harley Street. All doctors are GMC-registered. Imaging is arranged at specialist centres and reported by consultant radiologists, and laboratory testing is performed by accredited laboratories. Fever, offensive discharge or severe pelvic pain after a fitting needs same-day assessment, and in an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.

Enquire now on WhatsApp or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.

References. Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare guidance on intrauterine contraception, on progestogen-only implants and on emergency contraception, including perforation and expulsion rates. NICE guideline NG88 on heavy menstrual bleeding, recommending the levonorgestrel intrauterine system as first-line medical treatment. NICE guideline NG23 on menopause, including endometrial protection with HRT. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries on contraception and on intrauterine contraception. Published typical use and perfect use failure rates for contraceptive methods. Published 2026 London private gynaecology and contraception market pricing.