Specifically, how much does insertion hurt, and for how long? And how bad do the period cramps get if you use the hormone-free kind?
Further background, for those interested: I have an appointment scheduled to have an IUD inserted next week. I looked for some threads on this board to get more information, and got scared reading the threads. But they’re old, and I don’t know if anything’s changed in the last decade.
Relevant information:
I have only used the pill (and condoms) as contraception up to this point in my life.
I didn’t really notice a difference in my body getting on the pill, but coming off it I noticed some. My body got less bloated, and I also felt different. Hard to describe, but it felt like a relief to not be putting hormones into my body, and I hated the idea of going back to doing that.
Having to take a pill every day was irritating. A minor annoyance, but still something I’d like to avoid doing if I can help it.
I had a consultation with my doctor explaining this stuff, and in talking with her, I decided the IUD sounded like the best option. Also had a consultation with the gynecologist who will insert it, so neither of them saw any red flags in my health history.
The big thing scaring me is the insertion. I have never had children. I’ve felt pain during every PAP test I’ve gotten, sometimes during sex, and sometimes even when inserting tampons. I’m scared that the IUD insertion is going to be really painful.
I’ve also been reading that your periods can get worse on the non-hormonal IUD. I had some painful period cramping in my early twenties right before I went on the pill. The pill helped with those cramps. I’m not on the pill right now and experience only minor cramping.
That’s all the relevant info I can think of. If I’ve forgotten something relevant, ask me.
According to my cousin who’s got one, not at all. She’s on a copper IUD.
Her mother took her to get the Pill as soon as she had her first period, and she’d been on the same one until her old ObGyn retired and the next one suggested looking into alternatives. Turns out that a lot of “small health issues” that she’d always thought were normal were secondary effects of the Pill instead. No more bloating, much lessened PMS and cramps, even her acne cleared. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be exactly the same for you but hey, one can always hope.
Yes. I know anecdote does not equal data, but your one data point is reassuring, nonetheless. Also, your response made me realize that I neglected to mention in my OP that I’ve requested the copper IUD. Though perhaps people can infer that since I’m asking questions about the cramping that comes with that one.
No personal experience with them (I know I wouldn’t handle it well and I feel alright on the pill), but I’ve heard from others who recommend taking something for pain beforehand, to help with the cramps. I’d run it by your doctor or nurse first, but assuming you’re taking a normal dose, I don’t see what could be harmful about it.
I have a copper IUD. I was pretty apprehensive about the insertion, but it really wasn’t too horrible. I never really get menstrual cramps, so I have no basis for comparison, but in a day or two the cramping was gone. Periods were MUCH heavier for a coupe of months, though, so don’t let that freak you out if it happens.
My gyno recommended taking ibuprofen before insertion, and I believe some will prescribe valium, stronger painkillers, and/or a drug to help open up the cervix if you’re really that concerned.
FWIW I’ve never been pregnant, either.
(I was at a point where it was medically inadvisable to use hormonal BC, having had a DVT, so it was pretty much this or condoms, and this seemed more reliable and less of a PITA. So far since the insertion I haven’t had any other issues, and it’s been 5 years, I think?)
There’s a few horror stories. I suspect the reason is that for some women, there’s space in there for the IUD, and for others, there are scars and keloids and things in their uterus that take up space, such that the IUD is perpetually creating tension and bleeding. Like the difference between wearing a watch when you have some sores on your wrist versus a normal wrist.
So the obvious thing to do is that if it does hurt severely and it doesn’t quickly start getting better, get it taken out. Don’t just endure the pain and bleeding hoping it’ll get better. But that probably won’t be you.
I have fibroids. It hurt like a bitch going in, and has been wonderful since then. I think if you don’t have other uterine issues, it shouldn’t be any worse than a pap smear (and may be better).
Thanks for the replies. Yes, the gynecologist emphasized to me that I should take ibuprofen an hour before my insertion. Sunny Daze, you make a good point when you say “It hurt like a bitch going in, and has been wonderful since then.” Reminds me of when I first got cortisone shots in my back – for the first few hours the pain was more intense than the back pain it was meant to relieve, but after the first few days, my back pain improved so much that when the cortisone shots started to fade, I went back for more. A bit of pain may be worth the long-term benefits of an IUD.
When I was a student in Philadelphia from '78 -'82, I had an IUD inserted by Kermit Gosnell at a women’s health collective.
He went on to become “America’s Biggest Serial Killer” per a Wikipedia (Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer - Wikipedia)
It didn’t hurt at the time and he seemed nice enough. I was plenty freaked out later when he was arrested.
To answer OP, I do think it is easier for those of us who had kids, based on what I have heard and experienced. I had an IUD for a while after I had my first kid, and the insertion was nothing. However, if it is any consolation, removing it was even more of a nothing event.
I have to comment on this though:
I think you may have missed a few important details of the case.
-He was convicted of killing an adult woman.
-He was convicted of killing at least three infants who were born alive during abortions.
However, in addition to those deaths, according to the Grand Jury report:
There is no question that Gosnell was a serial killer, even if you only think the four born people he was definitely convicted of killing “count”.
In case anyone ever stumbles across this thread at some point in the future, I just want to put it on record that the answer to my question posed at the beginning of this thread is: A lot. Enough to make me scream and cry and shoot across the table in an instinctive attempt to get away from the woman who is causing me so much pain, and her to ask me if I want her to continue, and if I do then I need to come back down to the edge of the table and I need to promise her that I want shove myself away from her again. Thank god that’s over with.
I’m sorry it hurt so much. When I had my hormonal IUD inserted, it was a nonevent. I had had a baby before though, which helps a lot.
I have a bit of a horror story to tell but I’ll preface it by saying that I would still do it again if I could. I have alway had a bit a trouble with hormonal birth control. In college, I developed erythema nodosum which ended up being caused by the pill. Because I was already a pretty heavy bleeder, my doctor didn’t think the copper IUD was a good fit for me and recommended I get the hormonal IUD instead, to minimize the amount of hormones I got while still ensuring I didn’t get pregnant until we were ready again. I bled continuously for 3 months but, after that, I had a glorious 8 months of peace. My periods reduced to basically nothing, I didn’t have to worry with condoms or remember to take a pill every day. I didn’t have to worry about running out either. It was wonderful. And then it wasn’t. I started to bleed kind of heavy one day, one month shy of one year of having the IUD. Then I started to have not really pain but pressure. It was deeply uncomfortable. I checked for my strings and found that I was expelling my IUD. I called my doctor and she got me in right away to have it removed. It turned out that my IUD had failed. I got pregnant and miscarried and lost my IUD in the process. My doctor says that I am no longer a candidate for IUDs and I had to go back to the pill.
My experience is rare. Most of the time, if you are going to have a problem with your IUD, it’ll happen in the first 3 months. Of all the birth control I’ve been on, the IUD was the best in terms of side effects and ease of use. It just really sucks that it doesn’t work for me.
This might be a stupid question, but why are you no longer a candidate for IUDs? I mean, clearly it didn’t serve its intended purpose the first time you got it. Does the fact that it failed once indicate that it was more likely to fail again?
I sympathize. I once had to have a uterine biopsy, which is probably way less traumatic than an IUD insertation.
My doctor at the time was good. Beautiful Upper East Side office that looked like a spa. Special comfortable recliners ( no tables with stirrups at this place! ). Angled video screens overhead showing relaxing landscapes ( the doctor could also bring up relevant imaging on these screens ).
And none of this “just take an ibuprofen first” stuff, either. I got a real painkiller and a tranquilizer to take before the procedure, plus some sort of pill I inserted the night before to “soften up” the uterus, or something. I really thought it might be OK. But it wasn’t.
And it was a horrific experience. I can’t explain it. The pain was more like a full body shock that had every cell in my body screaming NO!. I literally screamed, despite all the meditation music and relaxation videos. Then I went into this weird shock that had me curled up in ball, cowering. It was about a half hour before I felt capable of getting up and going home, where I went right back into cowering in bed mode.
Never again. Another doctor thought she might have to repeat the test and I told her not unless I got general anesthesia. Which, surprisingly, she would’ve arranged. Luckily, I didn’t need the procedure again.