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My IUD Story: battle fought and won!

i just learned that the IUD is the most common birth control in the world. never would've guessed, as most people say "what's an IUD?" when i say that i have one...

i got mine put in when i was 19 or 20, no kids, but had used the patch for two years prior and just didn't like the horomones at all.

the IUD seems so ideal compared to most other methods-- especially if insurance covers it, which mine did. i didn't know they don't always cover it if you haven't had kids, guess i got lucky there. i paid something like $80 bucks for the insertion and it's good for years- seems obvious! the pill costs most of my friends $20-60 per month! no horomones, too- no emotional ups & downs, being sick, having to remember to take it every day, etc... blah.

it is painful... i cried a little when it was put in, it's just so extremely uncomfortable for that first day. had some cramping & bled for the first month also, and irregular periods for about 3-4 months after that, but then it all went back to normal with the exception of 6 months when i was exercising very heavily and had lost ~50 lbs... then my period stopped for almost 8 months, had nothing to do with the IUD though.

anyway... i've had it almost 5 years and love it, i strongly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want kids in the next couple years. i've convinced some of my friends to get them, and they love em too.
 
After the past 4 months of being on the crappiest pill I've ever been on, I finally scheduled my appointment to have my IUD put in on the 28th of this month. I was initially going to wait until the middle of December, but I realized I have a long weekend to re-cooperate.

I'm going to get some EPO this week, so hopefully that will help out.
 
^ <3

Update: everything's still fine with my Paragard and me. Last two full periods were a little heavy but normal, and it's still in place. It's been odd adjusting to being "me without artificial hormones" yet I'm glad I'm "me" again.
 
the only thing i don't like about the IUD is that sometimes i'll get 7-day periods... never used to be more than 4-5 w/o it. anyone else have this problem? sux.
 
My girlfriend had an IUD (Marena I believe) for a year and a half. She is now ~7 and a half weeks pregnant :eek: Be sure to get regular checkups, it can sometimes come out during a menstrual period and be overlooked as a clot.
 
10/10 pain? Dammit, I don't think I'd have the nerve to do it although no hormones would be sooooo nice!
 
I'm going to try my best to tell my story, and it's difficult because I had passed out after the procedure. ;)

I went in with my boyfriend, and I got to the clinic about 30 minutes early. I had a bit of paperwork to fill out, so I'm glad we got there early. I will advise to anyone, though, to please try and have someone who can take you to the clinic and home. I would not have been able to leave if I hadn't. :\

I was first given a pregnancy test to make sure that I was not pregnant since my periods had been weird with the last pill I was put on. I had my period for about a day and a half over the course of 3 months while on this new pill. I had taken a home pregnancy test before, just to make sure, as I had always had my period at the same time, give or take a day, for the past 12 years of being on hormonal birth control.

After my pregnancy test was shown as being negative, I was taken back for a blood test to make sure that my blood would clot and to ensure that I didn't have a blood disease or that I was anemic. I should have, at this time, told them that I have previously passed out at the loss of blood since I already have low-normal blood pressure.

After my blood test was okayed, I was taken back in the room where I met the nurse who would be performing the procedure. I was also introduced to another woman, a surgical doctor, who was in the process of learning how to insert IUDs. I had no problem with this, and I think there should be more healthcare professionals able to perform an IUD insertion. Both women were very nice, and both of them had run through the required information about the IUD, when I'd have to have it removed/replaced (if I so choose), etc. I had been waiting a few years to do this as I was turned down by two nurses within the PP network because I had not yet had children, so I pretty much knew the ins and outs of the information that they were giving me.

I was asked to undress and cover up, and the two women would return. Once they returned, they basically performed half of your typical PAP where they checked to make sure my uterus was in tact and that I wouldn't have any problems with the procedure. They then numbed my cervix, and I had to wait a few minutes for the novocaine to begin working.

The nurses had told me prior to the insertion what they would be doing, but the more they talked about it, the more scared and kind of grossed out I started getting. I'm not usually like that at all, but this was a big step for me.

The nurse put in the speculum, and then she used an instrument to affix my uterus in place. THIS is where I started feeling pressure and began feeling uncomfortable. At this point, I would rate the pain on a 1-10 scale of 10 being a highest at about a 5 or 6. It wasn't bad, but it was pretty uncomfortable. I didn't hear anything out of the norm, no popping or anything of that sort.

I was then told that they were inserting my IUD and I may feel a little more pressure. I felt a little more pressure, and then they cut the strings on my IUD. All of the equipment that was used was removed, and it was all done. The procedure took about 10 minutes total, if that. I was then handed the remainder of my strings so that I knew what they would feel like if I was checking for them. I was advised by my nurse that I didn't need to check them but once a month after my period, as she has had a few girls pull on their strings and actually pull out the IUD themselves. I'm getting a little queazy typing that. :)

So, I had the strings in my hand, and I sat up. I started to experience dizziness, and they told me I most likely would. I was talking to the surgical doctor about how dizzy I was feeling, and she pretty much had shoved me back on the table and put my legs up at the end of the table. She was talking to me, and I was starting to pass out. I was apparently 20 shades whiter than I already am, and my lips were turning a weird color. I was still talking to the nurse, and I was beginning to lose my hearing and on came the pouring of sweat that I had only experienced twice in my life - the last being when I gave blood for medical research at a hospital at my university.

Yep, I was passing out. I asked them to grab my boyfriend so I could see him, while they also grabbed me a bottle of OJ and a huge fan. Once I felt okay enough to walk, my back started cramping tremendously, and I'm going to be blunt here, I felt like I had to take the hugest dump of my entire life.

My boyfriend walked me to the bathroom, and I sat down doing my thing. I, again, began to start passing out in the bathroom. I was trying to tell my boyfriend to throw wet paper towels on me while I was pulling off my shirt to cool down. So there I was in my most vulnerable state, sitting on the john drinking OJ about to pass out, while my very awesome boyfriend is throwing paper towels at me. I start feeling better, and he pulls me back into the room where i laid down with my shirt off in front of the fan. I was brought more OJ, and the nurses took me to an office where I was given cookies and more OJ while my boyfriend got the car ready with the A/C for the ride home.

So, I get in the car, and lean the seat back having all of the vents on the car faced at me with the A/C going. At this point, I'm very worn out from passing out twice and the whole procedure. I keep thinking that I should probably eat something else (I had lunch about 40 minutes prior to going to the clinic), but everything sounded so disgusting.

So, I arrive back at home, and my boyfriend gets the bed set up. He finds my heating pad and puts episodes of 90210 in the DVD player. I stayed in that spot for a majority of the rest of the day and night. I eventually took a nap and got my appetite back. I decided to hang out in bed most of the day yesterday as I was still mildly cramping.

I woke up this morning and discovered that I have my period, and while I would probably be ecstatic had this been a week or two later, I'm still cramping, a little, from the insertion, but now I have my first full blown period less than 2 days after having my IUD put in. I contemplated for about 10 minutes whether to wear pads or put my cup in, as I'm still a little tender from the insertion, but I decided to put my cup in. I'm feeling crampy, but nowhere near how I was feeling the day I came home.

So, there you have it. The story of the insertion of my IUD, which sounds more like a soap opera than anything what with the passing out and what not, and my first period with my IUD. :D
 
RR: thank you muchly for sharing your account. I am very proud of you.

You went with the paracervical block, which if you were at a 5-6 pain level at that point... I wish I had elected to get that; it's my one regret about how I went about the procedure. It would have put a big dent in the pain. (A paracervical block is one or more injections to the cervix itself, like novocaine for dental work for lack of a better analogy.)

Low blood pressure is the norm for women in their 20s. I have a theory on why this is but it can make us prone to passing out/lightheadedness. In your case, you may be blood/injury phobic, and that's adaptive in that you can't lose as much blood if your blood pressure is low. It is an adaptive trick that your body pulls on you if you perceive you've lost a good amount of blood. I am sure it was most uncomfortable at the time. Your experience is probably very representative of most women.

Was your uterus sounded first? That was the worst part for me.

Did you talk to your doc about using your menstrual cup? I used the "Instead" previous to my IUD, then I read the warning on the box. The suction of the cup may place you at risk for expulsion. I would recommend using pads for the first week unless the doc told you otherwise. Yes, pads are gross. I didn't ask about the cup (because I haven't used one). If you didn't ask, I recommend you ask. The first period and the 20 days post-insertion hold the highest expulsion risk. But I do not expect that to be an issue for you.

I hope that you are experiencing less pain today. The best drug to control cramping in most women, ironically, is ibuprofen as it acts as an antiprostaglandin (prostaglandins are the hormones that cause cramping -- good advice in general to women who experience cramps). If you need something stronger, ask the doc.

My NP also showed me the strings. They are red/white and they feel like fishing line. Were you given a card with your IUD's serial number and date of insertion to give any future OB-GYN? Did they tell you how long the strings you feel inside you would be? Mine were clipped at 3 cm.

The experience is absolutely gory and embarrassing. The professionals who care for you know that. That's awesome that you got a surgeon in training to observe! That surgeon will know what to do going forward. An IUD insertion is a very basic procedure, but if the uterus is perforated, that can affect fertility at such time one might choose to conceive (not an issue for you, but it is for many). You don't want that to happen regardless; a uterine perforation by an untrained practitioner isn't a good thing.

Everything will settle down, and when your period finishes (it may become longer and you may lose more blood, so be sure to eat well and take iron supplements if necessary) it will be but a distant memory. You're good for 10 years. And you're a cyborg too!

You made the right decision, RR, and the pain of an IUD with a paracervical block is nothing close to having a child or an abortion from what I understand. You may not be ready for sex for a week (I wasn't, the thought repulsed me) but when my partner and I tried it out after I healed, it was better .

Congratulations on making the best choice for you and taking control of your fertility.
 
I didn't even think to ask her about my cup, as I honestly didn't anticipate having my period within a few days of insertion. But, I did take it out, slowly, as I imagine the suction in a Diva Cup is much harder than the Instead. But, the two sit in totally different places, and I'll try to call them on Tuesday to see if what they say. Of course, I get this done on a holiday weekend, and the clinic closes early today. >:eek:

I didn't lose a whole lot of blood. From what I saw, I lost maybe a few mg worth, if that. I only wore a pad on the way home, and once I got home, I was no longer bleeding. I'm sure the passing out had to do with my low blood pressure + weird pain that I hadn't experienced before. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if I were to break a bone or something. :\ That situation kind of made me wonder, but you never know.

I got a card and a paper with my IUD's lot # on it. I'm actually going to make a copy to give to my Mom to keep at work should something happen to me, or you know, if I were to lose it (because I lose EVERYTHING!).

Luckily I have some reusable pads here incase of an emergency, but I don't imagine the few that I have will last long enough until Tuesday before I ask, so it's off to the store for me. This will also mark the first time in almost 5 years that I've actually purchased pads or tampons. :\ So weird.

The thought of sex seems painful right now, honestly. With the addition of getting my period this morning, it doesn't even remotely sound pleasing. It's definitely weird having a "normal" period after 12 years of being on the pill. I almost forgot the reason that I went on the pill, and the cramps and bleeding were it. I know it will get better over time, and my body is much more mature than it was when I was 15.

I will say, it definitely was hard for me the first night to convince myself that this is probably one of the best decisions I've made regarding my health and my life in a long time. After the pain and everything, I had to keep telling myself that it was worth it, and each day that goes by, I can tell that it was.

<3 to you and jaymie for being so helpful. :)
 
^^The procedure is weird and gory, but the benefits are significant. You can expect 10-12 years of near-absolute protection against pregnancy. <3

Inotocracy: your partner is (literally) one of over a million women for whom an IUD didn't work. It's absolutely necessary to perform a self-check (i.e., the woman or her partner should feel for the strings after the woman's period ends each month) to ensure that the IUD is still in place. If the woman/her partner can't feel the strings, the woman should call her doctor and until she can get there, use a condom or abstain.

Side note: the orgasms have stayed more intense than before I got the IUD. My partner looked a lot up when we decided together that it was in both our best interests for me to get the IUD. He found something correlational to the fact that orgasms can get more intense. If he can find the link one of us will post it.

You probably can forget about sex for a week, though my clinician told me that I could have sex as soon as I wanted, even that day 8o umm, no thanks! I had sex and all was well about a week after. I got it first day of my period and was bleeding heavily so I wasn't exactly in the mood.

A week later I was all better, although the day of the procedure was tough. The worst is over now. Did you take a benzodiazepine first, and did you take ibuprofen or anything stronger?

RR (and other ladies with IUDs/their partners): please update once you've gotten checkups. There is a lot of misinformation about the IUD in general so to thank all the bluelight ladies who have shared their experiences... keep the good and relevant information coming, because it's very much needed!

thank you <3 <3 <3
 
Mariposa said:
Inotocracy: your partner is (literally) one of over a million women for whom an IUD didn't work. It's absolutely necessary to perform a self-check (i.e., the woman or her partner should feel for the strings after the woman's period ends each month) to ensure that the IUD is still in place. If the woman/her partner can't feel the strings, the woman should call her doctor and until she can get there, use a condom or abstain.

Correct! She didn't have it checked for a year and a half, and we haven't been using condoms for about a year, so it did work while it was in place because we've never had a scare before. Just keep getting those checkups because it can shift and then not be as effective.
 
inotocracy said:
Correct! She didn't have it checked for a year and a half, and we haven't been using condoms for about a year, so it did work while it was in place because we've never had a scare before. Just keep getting those checkups because it can shift and then not be as effective.

Oh no! I made a followup appointment just a few weeks after the procedure to see if it was in place. It was. I learned not to panic and call the doc, and mine was in place.

The IUD can shift positions and often does, apparently. Remember, it's slightly smaller than a US quarter dollar. Call your doctor if you feel it coming out, you have unexplained bleeding, or if it does come out. Your doctor will know what to do. (and before anyone asks: if your IUD falls out and you can see/pick up/easily retrieve and save it -- do so, sometimes "proof of expulsion" is needed). At this point, though, the worst is over.

Relax, don't rush into anything, and make sure you have that follow-up scheduled. If the strings are where they need to be, it's in place, and if they aren't, no need to panic -- your clinician can quick check that. :)
 
I'm a little concerned that I just read that, but oh well, I've described my body mod procedures in detail to very scared looking people in the past.
 
as far as menstrual cups and IUD's go there is a good IUD live journal group called IUD_divas with a section on IUD's and menstrual cups. As well you can check out the menstrual_cups group which has a section devoted to IUD's.
 
jaymie said:
as far as menstrual cups and IUD's go there is a good IUD live journal group called IUD_divas with a section on IUD's and menstrual cups. As well you can check out the menstrual_cups group which has a section devoted to IUD's.

i checked both, and obviously, i got conflicting opinions, post to post. i'll wait it out until tuesday and contact my NP. i think i'm going to order a mooncup, which is smaller than my diva cup. i'd been planning on ordering a back up for a while now, but i want to wait to see with my NP says.
 
yea I know what you mean! ^ I got a diva cup a month ago because I'm going to be on the road for a while, but I am now afraid to use it after reading all the experiences on those groups. I asked my doctor about it and she said no problem, but when I did a test run of the diva cup the suction of it kind of freaked me out to where I probably don't even want to risk it, even if I am super careful. I wish I knew about the other less suction-y cups before I got it.
 
i have noticed, jaymie, that after a few uses, the diva cup gets a little more pliable, and the suction is a lot easier to break after a couple of months. if you do decide to use it, i would just make sure you completely break the seal first. i had an issue once or twice in my 5 years of using my cup where i just COULD NOT get the seal to break, and well, it definitely doesn't feel good to try to pull it out without breaking the seal. you're better off, honestly, waiting longer than usual to let it kind of soften up before you take it out without breaking the seal. i learned my lesson, for sure, and i can definitely see how it could pull it out (though it would definitely require quite a force to pull an IUD out).
 
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