# IUD Stories (TMI, promise) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 3, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282 "2011-01-03T23:28:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/41 "2011-01-05T14:38:42Z")
I have a niece who shared space with an IUD for 9 months. My sister required surgery to have it removed after the birth. Didn’t prevent pregnancy, required hospitalization and surgery to remove. Too many women die, from complications with an IUD, for my liking, I’d rather go with the pill, thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/42 "2011-01-05T15:16:36Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > Well I never heard that one. I can’t tell you all how sorry I am to hear your unfortunate stories, \ Thanks, but I really don’t consider “frequent vigorous sex” an _unfortunate_ story. 😉 Having read Crazy Cat Lady’s story, I think when it comes time to replace my Mirena, I will ask them to knock me out for a minute. Then I won’t mind a bit! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/43 "2011-01-05T18:39:00Z")
If you can, get your doctor to prescribe a couple of [Arthrotec](http://www.medicinenet.com/diclofenac_and_misoprostol/article.htm) before removal or insertion. The Diclofenac is a painkiller, and the Misoprostol will soften the cervix and make dilation easier. I think that the reason removal went so smoothly for me, when the insertion 18 months later failed (despite a cervical block and plain Diclofenac) was that I couldn’t take Arthrotec for the insertion of Mirena number 2 because I was breastfeeding but I had taken a dose the night before and day of the removal of number 1. Doctors sometimes have reservations of prescribing Misoprostol to women of childbearing age, because it can be used as an abortifacient, but if you can get it, it is good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Finally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/67e7ee/32.png) [@Finally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finally)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/44 "2011-01-05T18:57:42Z")
I think I’ll insist on getting drugged or knocked out when they remove mine after the horrible insert experience! And I think my dr will go along with it as I was this/close to passing out on the table. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/45 "2011-01-05T22:22:08Z")
The outpatient center at the hospital just called to let me know that since it’s January, my deductible has reset and my benefits have changed. Boooo. Tomorrows trip just went from “bring a copay” to “bring 320 dollars or ELSE”. I’d cancel if I weren’t so concerned with the state of my innards. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/46 "2011-01-06T03:49:05Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Too many women die, from complications with an IUD, for my liking, I’d rather go with the pill, thanks anyway. I was not aware this was a problem. I can’t find any mortality rate related to IUD, other than the infamous Dalkon Shield. Is that what you’re referring to? ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/47 "2011-01-06T04:48:40Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > My mom had the old, bad Dalkon shield put in back when it was the new hot thing (early '70s). She had a whooooole boatload of pain and some bleeding that night, so she went back to the doctor. Couldn’t find it. The doc says well, it looks like your body rejected it, sorry about that, you need another method. > > Fast-forward to the mid-'90s or so, and mom gets a hysterectomy; she’s had a bunch of uterine fibroids and things going on. After surgery, the doctors tell her they found something interesting: the Dalkon shield. Buried in the **outside** layer of her uterus. > > I’m just saying, uterine perforation isn’t always an emergency. This could be my story, but I don’t have a daughter. Your mom must be my doppelgänger (the nice one). ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/48 "2011-01-06T11:47:30Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Thanks, but I really don’t consider " **frequent vigorous sex"** an _unfortunate_ story. 😉 I didn’t mean THAT bit Doggie. :smack: I only replied so I could say " **frequent vigorous sex"** again 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/49 "2011-01-06T15:33:52Z")
I had my Mirena checked yesterday and happily everything was still in place. I had a housemate once who also lost her coil, didn’t realise it, and fell pregnant. Talk about a nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/50 "2011-01-06T18:45:19Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > I was not aware this was a problem. I can’t find any mortality rate related to IUD, other than the infamous Dalkon Shield. Is that what you’re referring to? Not to mention that no medication is without risks - people die from the Pill, too. People probably die from Q-tips and Band-Aids. IUDs are very safe when used correctly under the care of a responsible physician. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/51 "2011-01-06T19:09:23Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > I didn’t mean THAT bit Doggie. :smack: I only replied so I could say " **frequent vigorous sex"** again 😃 And I only quoted this so we could read it one more time. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/52 "2011-01-07T05:25:36Z")
No frequent vigorous sex to report (sorry), but my doc called and according to my 320 dollar uterine photo shoot, my IUD is snuggly hanging out in my uterus where it’s supposed to be. Yaaay! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/53 "2011-01-07T06:39:21Z")
> [@malkavia](#): > > No frequent vigorous sex to report (sorry), but my doc called and according to my 320 dollar uterine photo shoot, my IUD is snuggly hanging out in my uterus where it’s supposed to be. > > Yaaay! Next time, just walk through an airport scanner and save yourself some money. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/54 "2011-01-07T14:32:05Z")
I have no stories to add, but this thread is making me really, really glad I decided not to get an IUD. The words “perforated uterus” are making me woozy. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/55 "2011-01-08T04:38:26Z")
[QUOTE=malkavia] No frequent vigorous sex to report (sorry), but my doc called and according to my 320 dollar uterine photo shoot, my IUD is snuggly hanging out in my uterus where it’s supposed to be. Yaaay! [/QUOTE] > [@needscoffee](#): > > Next time, just walk through an airport scanner and save yourself some money. Ok, that made me laugh. 😃 Went in for my annual exam this morning. My gyn could not feel the strings and asked if they were trimmed. Yes, they were. I’m not sure if she scoped in there or what, but she finally gave up and said they’re not there. The chances of the IUD moving around, she sad, are very minute, but the only way to determine if it’s seated properly is by ultrasound. If it’s all the same, I told her, I’d prefer to cross that bridge if I have any problems or discomfort come up, but everything feels fine at the moment. I figure there’s really no sense having an unnecessary procedure to confirm what is most likely the case. If it isn’t, I’m pretty sure I’ll feel it. At the end, she asked me if I had any questions and I mentioned this thread and asked her if she could give me any insight on mortality as a result of IUD complications. She said, there’s less than a one percent chance of having any complications, but did not give me any actual mortality data. She added that complications arising from systemic hormonal contraceptives are more prevalent than IUD complications, but didn’t specify what those complications would be. It seemed to me she was saying that IUDs are safer \*and \*more effective than any other type of contraceptives. Anyway, I still have no idea what the mortality rate of complications arising from IUD usage actually is. I don’t think it’s right to put that scare out there with no data to back up such an assertion. It would be a shame if a Doper who would benefit from the IUD was scared out of considering it by comments such as those. [QUOTE=yellowval] I have no stories to add, but this thread is making me really, really glad I decided not to get an IUD. The words “perforated uterus” are making me woozy. [/QUOTE] As my gynecologist noted today, every type of birth control carries some risk, but fortunately most serious complications for contraceptives and contragestives are extremely rare. That’s not to say you shouldn’t consider these risks when determining what works for you. One of the reasons I opted to stop using oral contraceptives was that, at my age and due to the fact that I smoked, I was at increased risk of suffering a stroke. Frankly, the words ‘blood clot’ made \*me \*nervous. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/56 "2011-01-08T05:12:06Z")
Thought I’d add a link to an informative article that discusses the [prevalence of IUD use in Europe](http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html) in contrast to the very low rate of usage in the United States. The author notes that the Dalkon Shield (combined with our litigious nature) is the one of the reasons Americans have yet to accept the IUD as safe, efficacious and convenient as it did not have nearly the negative impact in Europe as it did in the US. Something else to note wrt to uterine perforations (which typically occur during on insertion), is that European health care providers typically receive better training than American physicians on IUD insertion and removal: > [@](#): > > Judging by the European experience, increased IUD-insertion training among physicians may be particularly helpful. The long European experience with the IUD is reflected in the fact that training in insertion is a standard part of the medical curriculum in many countries, especially in the north and the east of the continent. > … > In contrast, according to a study published in 1997 in Family Planning Perspectives, more than four in 10 chief residents at U.S. family practice programs had received no training in IUD insertion and removal, and two-thirds had no clinical experience in the procedures. A 2002 study from Obstetrics & Gynecology had more positive findings about U.S. obstetrician-gynecologists: only 13% had not inserted an IUD during their residency. The article doesn’t cover this, but I wonder if, due to lack of training, this particular complication is more prevalent in procedures performed in the US as opposed to those performed in Europe. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/57 "2011-01-08T11:09:55Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Thought I’d add a link to an informative article that discusses the [prevalence of IUD use in Europe](http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/10/4/gpr100419.html) in contrast to the very low rate of usage in the United States. The author notes that the Dalkon Shield (combined with our litigious nature) is the one of the reasons Americans have yet to accept the IUD as safe, efficacious and convenient as it did not have nearly the negative impact in Europe as it did in the US. > > Something else to note wrt to uterine perforations (which typically occur during on insertion), is that European health care providers typically receive better training than American physicians on IUD insertion and removal: > > The article doesn’t cover this, but I wonder if, due to lack of training, this particular complication is more prevalent in procedures performed in the US as opposed to those performed in Europe. Absolutely dumb question here … I read the article, seriously interesting =) Um … how the hell can you espell one without noticing? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/58 "2011-01-08T13:01:22Z")
Well, they’re little, and tend to come out when you’re busy expelling other stuff. I’ve passed bigger clots during a bad period, so the sensation probably wouldn’t raise any flags for me during a heavy period. (Not that I’ve had any heavy periods with either Mirena, but I could easily lose a copper one and never know.) Nor would I necessarily notice the sensation if I were having a high-effort bowel movement. And, well, not everyone inspects the toilet bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/59 "2011-01-08T14:20:15Z")
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’d notice if I expelled mine. I guess my gyn seemed to think so too, she hadn’t even mentioned the possibility of my expelling it. Maybe she felt it when she palpated my uterus? I don’t know. Anyhow, FWIW, I do inspect my movements. Well, at least I peer into the bowl to see what a good girl I am. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wifey.M.J](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a88e4f/32.png) [@Wifey.M.J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wifey.M.J)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282/60 "2015-09-23T04:02:33Z")
I had the Mirena in for 2 years after baby number 1. I accidentally polluted it out today thinking I was pulling out a tampon. I don’t really have any complaints about it. I read some women experienced a lower sex drive. I did too but never thought it might be because of the Mirena. I learned that when I was taking a lot of Zinc to ward off colds, it put my libedo into hyper drive! I want another Mirena put in. I really like the freedom of not having to worry about pills. My husband uses condoms most of the time. But even with no condom we never got pregnant. Mirena allows for spontaneous lovemaking. I really don’t like the idea of having to use a birth control every single experience ( we like to go at it 4 or more times). In the beginning after insertion, deep penetrating sex is uncomfortable but it becomes comfortable again in time. I like the lighter periods. Was able to loose the baby weight in time as well with no problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iud-stories-tmi-promise/566282.md?page=2)