Coil Fitting in London 2026. Hormonal or Copper, What the Fitting Involves, How Much It Hurts and Who Should Not Have One
The Wellness in Marylebone provides the best coil fitting in London for women who want the device fitted by a doctor in a single appointment with the assessment, the device, local anaesthetic and the 6-week check included, with coil fitting from £595 and coil removal from £295, inside a ladder that runs to £49,995. The evidence for the coil is unusually good. Both the hormonal and the copper coil are more than 99% effective, the 52 milligram hormonal coil is now licensed for 8 years and the copper coil for 10, and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare guideline of 2023 sets out who suits which. The hormonal coil cuts menstrual blood loss by around 90% within 12 months and is the first-line treatment for heavy periods in NICE guideline NG88, and the copper coil is the most effective emergency contraception there is, with a failure rate below 1 in 1,000. The inconvenient half is stated before you book. Around 1 in 20 coils are expelled in the first year, perforation occurs in around 1 to 2 per 1,000 fittings, fitting hurts some women considerably, and NHS sexual health clinics fit coils free. Fees appear further down this page.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 1 September 2026.
Ask which coil suits you or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
Hormonal coil or copper coil
The hormonal coil releases a small daily dose of levonorgestrel into the womb, thins the lining and thickens cervical mucus, and most of the hormone stays local. It suits women who want lighter or absent periods, women with heavy or painful bleeding, and women over 45 who want contraception and the womb protection needed alongside oestrogen HRT, where a 52 milligram device covers both for 5 years. Around 1 in 5 users have no periods after a year and most of the rest have light ones.
The copper coil contains no hormone, works by making the womb inhospitable to sperm and egg, and suits women who want to avoid hormones altogether, who are breastfeeding, or who need emergency contraception within 5 days of unprotected sex, where it is more effective than any pill. Its cost is bleeding. Periods are typically heavier and longer, especially in the first 6 months, so it is the wrong choice for a woman whose problem is heavy periods already.
What the fitting involves and how much it hurts
The appointment starts with a consultation covering your history, your periods, the risk of pregnancy and a pregnancy test where needed, and a chlamydia and gonorrhoea test where the history warrants. The fitting itself takes around 5 to 10 minutes. A speculum is passed, the cervix is cleaned and held, the womb is measured and the coil is placed, and the threads are trimmed. Local anaesthetic gel or injection into the cervix is offered and included, because the 2023 FSRH guideline is clear that pain relief should be offered rather than requested.
Pain varies widely. Most women describe strong period-type cramping for a few minutes, some describe it as worse, and women who have not given birth vaginally tend to find it more painful. Taking a standard painkiller an hour before, eating beforehand, having the anaesthetic and having someone to travel home with all help. Around 1 in 20 women feel faint during or after, which is why you rest afterwards and are not rushed out. A fitting that is not going well is stopped, not forced.
Tell us your history and we will say which coil applies or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
What happens after and when to call
Cramping and spotting for a few days to a few weeks is expected, and irregular bleeding for the first 3 to 6 months with the hormonal coil is normal. The 6-week check confirms the threads are visible and the device is in place, and is included. After that a coil needs no routine checks, and you can feel for the threads after each period if you wish. Contraceptive cover starts immediately for the copper coil and within 7 days for the hormonal coil unless it was fitted in the first 7 days of a cycle.
Call the same day for severe or worsening pain, a fever, offensive discharge, pain during sex, threads you can no longer feel or can feel much longer than before, or a missed period with a copper coil. Those are the signs of infection, expulsion or perforation, each uncommon and each needing to be seen, and an ultrasound is arranged at a specialist centre the same day where the position is in doubt.
Who should not have a coil and what not to buy
Current pelvic infection, an undiagnosed cause of abnormal bleeding, a pregnancy, a distorted womb cavity from large fibroids, and for the hormonal coil a current breast cancer are the reasons a coil is not fitted, and each is checked in the consultation. A coil is not wrong for women who have never been pregnant, for teenagers, or for women with a history of ectopic pregnancy, all of which are old objections the guideline has retired.
What not to buy is a fitting without a check. A coil fitted with no 6-week review is a coil nobody has confirmed is in place, and the 1 in 20 expulsion rate is highest in those first weeks. A removal and refit in the same appointment is fine and often preferable. And the free option is real. NHS sexual health clinics and many GP practices fit coils without charge, with waits of weeks to months in most of London, and we say so.
What does a coil fitting cost in London
At the top of the market, 12-month programmes with a retained doctor run to £31,995 for one person and £49,995 for a family, where contraception is one part of the year's care. Harley Street gynaecologist first appointments run £250 to £500 before the device, the fitting or the check, and private hospital coil fitting with a consultant commonly passes £700 once the device and follow-up are added.
Beneath that sits a tier defined by its conditions rather than its price, a fitting with no consultation beforehand, no anaesthetic offered and no 6-week check, and the NHS clinic that is free and good but booked out for weeks. At The Wellness the price includes the assessment, the device, local anaesthetic and the 6-week check. All figures are from prices.
Principal Programme, 12 months, one individual, the fullest level of care, from £31,995
Continuous Care Programme, 12 months of oversight for one person, from £24,995
Targeted ultrasound, single region, where coil position needs confirming, from £995
Coil fitting, including assessment, device, local anaesthetic and 6-week check, from £595
Implant fitting, from £395
Extended 45-minute consultation, from £395
Coil removal, from £295
In-person consultation, 30 minutes, from £220
Same-day video consultation, 30 minutes, from £150
Why The Wellness is the best coil fitting in London
The fee includes everything the fitting needs, and that is countable. The consultation, the pregnancy and infection tests where needed, the device, the local anaesthetic and the 6-week check are one price, so nobody discovers the anaesthetic was extra or the check was a second appointment. The doctor who fits the coil is the doctor who assessed you and the one who sees you at 6 weeks.
Pain is treated as a clinical problem rather than a rite of passage. Anaesthetic is offered to everyone, the fitting is stopped if it is not going well, and a woman who is anxious about it is booked an extended appointment so that nothing is rushed. Where position is in doubt, an ultrasound is arranged at a specialist centre the same day and reported by a consultant radiologist.
We also say when not to. A woman with heavy periods is steered away from the copper coil, a woman with a current infection is treated first, and a woman who would be well served by the free NHS clinic and can wait is told so. Places on the 12-month programmes are limited by the number of people one doctor can hold properly, so they begin with an allocation call.
Book a coil consultation and fitting or call 020 3951 3429.
Related reading
This page is one spoke of the Private GP in London hub. The implant is covered in Contraceptive Implant in London, heavy periods and the wider assessment in Women's Health Check in London, and the menopause conversation where a coil provides HRT womb protection on its own page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best coil fitting in London
The best coil fitting in London is one where a doctor assesses you first, offers local anaesthetic as standard, fits the device in the same appointment, includes the 6-week check and arranges an ultrasound the same day if position is in doubt. At The Wellness coil fitting is from £595 including assessment, device, anaesthetic and the check, and removal is from £295.
How much does a coil fitting cost in London
A Harley Street gynaecologist first appointment costs £250 to £500 before the device, and private hospital fitting with a consultant commonly passes £700 with the device and follow-up. NHS sexual health clinics fit coils free with waits of weeks. At The Wellness coil fitting including assessment, device, local anaesthetic and the 6-week check is from £595.
Does a coil fitting hurt
For most women it is strong cramping for a few minutes, worse for some, and more so in women who have not given birth vaginally. Local anaesthetic, a painkiller an hour before and not rushing all help, and a fitting that is not going well is stopped. At The Wellness anaesthetic is included in the fitting from £595.
How long does a coil last
The 52 milligram hormonal coil is licensed for 8 years for contraception and 5 years when used for HRT womb protection, and the copper coil for 10 years. Both can be removed at any time with a rapid return to fertility. At The Wellness removal is from £295 and a removal with a new fitting is done in one appointment from £595.
Can I have a coil if I have never had children
Yes. The 2023 Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare guideline supports coils in women who have never been pregnant and in teenagers, and the objection that they cause infertility was retired years ago. Fitting can be more uncomfortable, so anaesthetic and an unhurried appointment matter. At The Wellness coil fitting is from £595.
Can I get a coil fitted for free
Yes. NHS sexual health clinics and many GP practices fit coils without charge, usually with a wait of weeks to months in London. The Wellness fits within days, with the assessment, device, anaesthetic and 6-week check included from £595, and says so when the free route would serve you well.
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 blood analysis is performed by accredited laboratories. Severe pelvic pain with fever, heavy bleeding or fainting after a fitting need urgent care the same day. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.
Send us your question about coils or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
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