IUD Experience Before & After Olivia

I’ve tried many different birth-control options since I was 18 years old. Over the years I tried to find one that I loved and I always had issues with each of the products I tried. In another blog I will compare and rank each of the options I tried. In todays blog I will be telling my story and sharing the pros and cons of having the Merina IUD before and after having my daughter. I am not a doctor and I don’t hold any degrees that make me an expert in this. I’m just sharing my experience in the event this helps another women decide on an option and avoid the trail and error method as I did.

I will start this story by saying the IUD was the 3rd option I tried after starting birth control and the 2nd option I tried after having my daughter. I wasn’t aware of the extreme pain that having one placed would cause. The doctor I used told me just to take some Tylenol and it wouldn’t be painful. This was a total lie and the level of pain this procedure could cause should’ve been stressed and pain options should be offered for this procedure. Tylenol is not going to make this any easier. If you are one of the ladies that this process isn’t painful I wish I could say that was me. I wish doctors would stop down playing the nature of such a procedure as if it’s like taking a pill.

I was around 25 years old when I was told that the birth control I was using would go up in price and at the time I wanted to minimize the chance of pregnancy due to forgetfulness. At this time I was working a new job and paying $110 for each month. I went to a low income clinic out of a near by hospital to get this procedure down for free since at that time I had been without insurance since I was 18 and everytime I tried to get insurance I was denied. I was instructed to take 500 mg of Tylenol 30 mins before coming to my appointment and to come prepared to give urine for a pregnancy test. I showed up early since peeing on Command was hard for me. After they confirmed I wasn’t pregnant they seated me in a exam room and told me to remove everything from the waist down. They left me a paper sheet to cover up with and someone would be in shortly.

After waiting for 10 mins a doctor and nurse came in to walk me through the possible side effects and what to expect the next few days. They informed me that my IUD was good for 5 years and gave me a card with the name and expiration or removal date on it to keep in my wallet. We went over the side effects and what to do if they occurred. Next they talked to me about how to check for the IUD and went to come back or seek my OBGYN to have the strings cut if they were too long. The explanation of what was to happen next was worded as such. I’m going to prepare the IUD and I will use the speculum like a exam and take measurements to determine how long the strings should be. Then you will feel a pinch as I place the IUD in your uterus and you will be good to go.

The next 10 mins of my life was filled with sharp pain and the feeling of scratching of the inside of my uterus. I made the terrible decision to go into work that evening for my 2nd shift and it was the worst decision I could make. I left feeling dizzy, nauseous, and had a massive headache. I headed to work and found myself sitting on the floor at work crying from the pain within 3 hours of arriving to work. Oh decided to give it a few weeks to get used to it and talk to the doctor after having my strings cut. I never got used to it and the year and half that I had it was horrible. I stopped my period for the whole time, but I had horrible cramps followed by a never ending pelvic pain that left me feeling sick. I repeatedly took Tylenol for the pain. The Tylenol never helped the pain and one night the pain lasted for so long I went to the ER hoping they could help.

The ER told me after several hours that my IUD was placed properly, but my uterus was tilted and the doctor who placed it shouldn’t have done so when she realized this. They told me to see my OBGYN to discuss my options. They told me my best bet would be to have it taken out. My doctor told me the same thing, but phrased it differently. We discussed my other options and I decided I needed it removed.

A could months later I had the appointment to have the IUD removed with the hope the pain would stop. My doctor informed me I need to decide on what birth control I wanted to be put on and I needed to give her an answer. I decided to go to the Depo shot and she agreed it would be the next best choice. Anyway, the day I had the IUD removed was the best decision I could’ve made. The moment she removed it I felt immediately relief of pain in my pelvis and the cramps followed.

Fast forward 4 1/2 years I had my daughter and had to go back on birth control. I decided to give the IUD another chance since it was only recommended for women who had at least one kid. I was shaking the day I showed up to have it placed, but this time they used ultrasound guidance to place it. This made a world of difference. I didn’t have to come back to have it checked and the strings cut. I’m now a year out from the placement and have had any pelvic pain, but the cramps are still Just as bad.

Just make sure you look at all of your options and do research on them. Don’t let a doctor sell you what they think is best for you. It’s your body and your choice. Make it on your terms and no one else’s.