Treatments
Contraception
Contraception is first and foremost intended to prevent pregnancy, but it is also used for other reasons, for example for cycle problems. The right choice depends on your age, your health, your lifestyle, whether you want children and your medical history.
At Femmecare you receive expert advice and support in choosing the method that suits you best.
When to come to Femmecare?
What can we help you with?
Women seek contraception advice for all kinds of reasons, such as:
- A need for reliable protection against pregnancy
- Hormonal symptoms, such as acne or mood swings
- Cycle problems, such as heavy or breakthrough bleeding
- Discussing stopping or switching contraception
- Questions about fertility and wanting children in the longer term
- Fear of pain, or an unpleasant earlier experience of having a coil fitted
You are also welcome if fitting a coil did not work before, or if the threads of your coil cannot be seen.
Methods
Which methods are there?
There are methods with and without hormones. Some you use yourself, every day or every week. Others work for years.
- Combined pill, vaginal ring or patchWith two hormones: an oestrogen and a progestogen.With hormones
- Progestogen-only pillA pill with one hormone, taken every day.With hormones
- Contraceptive injectionAn injection with one hormone.With hormones
- ImplantA small rod under the skin of your upper arm. Works for 3 years.With hormones
- Hormonal coilReleases a small amount of hormone inside the womb. Works for 5 to 8 years, depending on the brand.With hormones
- Copper coilA coil without hormones. Works for 5 to 10 years, depending on the type.Without hormones
In figures
How reliable is each method?
How many out of 100 women still become pregnant within a year? These are the figures for everyday use, so they include, for example, forgetting a pill.
- Fewer than 1in 100 women with a coil or implant becomes pregnant within a year.
- Up to 10in 100 women using the combined pill become pregnant within a year, mainly through forgetting it.
- 12in 100 women who rely on condoms alone become pregnant within a year.
- 5 to 10 yearsis how long a coil works, without you having to think about it every day.
Source (Dutch national guidance): RIVM/LCI, Draaiboek Consult seksuele gezondheid, deeldraaiboek Anticonceptie (2025).
Your visit
Making a choice together
-
Comprehensive consultation
Treatment starts with a comprehensive consultation with one of our specialist doctors. Among other things, we discuss:
- your periods and bleeding
- methods you have used before
- whether you want to become pregnant, now or later
- your health and medication
-
A safe choice
With some conditions or medicines not every method is safe, for example after a thrombosis or with migraine with aura. In that case the doctor will look with you for a method that is safe.
-
Treatment plan
Together we choose the most suitable form of contraception. If you choose a coil or an implant, we fit it here at the clinic.
Coil
Having a coil fitted
How to prepare
The coil is fitted in our treatment room. A medical assistant helps the doctor. Afterwards the doctor checks with an ultrasound scan that the coil is in the right place.
- Collect the coil. You will be given a prescription, collect the coil from the pharmacy and bring it with you to your appointment.
- Painkiller. Take a painkiller an hour before your appointment.
- Not pregnant. We need to be certain that you are not pregnant. If you are unsure, tell the doctor.
- Carevix or local anaesthetic. If you would like the Carevix or a local anaesthetic, tell the doctor. These are not covered by health insurance.
Feeling anxious?
Are you dreading the fitting, or a visit to the gynaecologist?
Many women find having a coil fitted daunting, for example because they are afraid of pain or have had an unpleasant experience before. We take that into account.
The pain is usually manageable
We find that fitting is usually not very painful when an experienced gynaecologist fits the coil. If you are still worried about pain, you can choose either the Carevix or a local anaesthetic. This is an extra option; usually it is not needed.
- The Carevix. To hold the cervix still during the fitting, the doctor then uses the Carevix: a small suction device instead of a tenaculum.
- Local anaesthetic. The doctor numbs the cervix. You may still feel the womb being measured.
Please note: the Carevix and the local anaesthetic are not reimbursed by health insurers. If you choose either, you pay for it here after the fitting.
A calm, personal setting
If you find going to the gynaecologist daunting at all, you are in the right place with us.
- A small-scale clinic that feels less like a hospital
- More time for explanation and for your questions
- Female doctors only
Good to know
What we do and do not do
Not at Femmecare
- Sterilisation
- Fitting a coil under sedation or general anaesthetic
Available at Femmecare
- Fitting a coil, if you wish with the Carevix or a local anaesthetic (at your own expense)
- Removing a coil, including when the threads cannot be seen
- Fitting an implant
Our approach
What can you expect?
- Personal support from an experienced doctor
- Full information about how each option works and its pros and cons
- Short waiting times
See also
For GPs
Referring for contraception
Secondary-care contraception in line with the Dutch NHG-Standaard Anticonceptie, supplemented by the NVOG modules and the UKMEC.
ZorgDomein: ‘Femmecare Clinics’
Reasons to refer
- Medically complex choice, for example after VTE, with migraine with aura or enzyme-inducing medication
- Difficult or failed coil fitting in primary care
- Non-visible threads or a coil that cannot be removed
- Contraception around the menopause, including alongside HRT
What we offer
- Fitting of copper and hormonal coils with ultrasound check
- Local anaesthetic or the Carevix instead of a tenaculum on request (not reimbursed, at the patient's own expense)
- Implant fitting
- Removal with non-visible threads, hysteroscopically if needed
A method that suits you
The result is a method of contraception that suits your body, your stage of life and your preferences. Would you like an appointment? First discuss with your GP whether a referral to Femmecare is appropriate.