I’m putting this in IMHO, hope that’s the right place.
Anyway…
I’m scheduled to get an IUD in 3 weeks.
It’s a morning appointment, and I’m just wondering how I will feel the rest of that day and the next day.
The New Our Bodies Ourselves was very helpful when I was trying to decide whether to go the IUD route, and it does a great job of explaining what to expect during the procedure, but it doesn’t say much about afterwards.
Those of you out there who have/have had IUDs, what can you tell me about your personal experience 24-48 hours after the procedure? Were you completely bedridden? Up and about within hours? Crampy? Completeley unaffected?
I have never had children, BTW, in case that matters.
If you’ve never had kids, an IUD might not be the best choice. The literature that my OB gave me emphasized that. (I have a Paragard T-380. I don’t know about the new hormonal ones.)
That said, however, I had absolutely no problems having it placed. It took all of five minutes, and except for some mild pinching sensations, was painless. Any pain can be treated with some Advil.
I would VERY strongly advise that you talk with your practitioner at length before your appointment to make sure this is the form of birth control that is best for you and is what you want. As I mentioned, the literature for the Paragard warns several times that it’s intended for women who have a) borne at least one child, and b) are in a monogamous relationship. A major risk of IUDs is loss of fertility.
I think it’s great that you’re doing some research beforehand, but your practitioner knows you in a way that a book can’t and can explain alternatives.
I’m not trying to change your mind, but an IUD is something to think about.
Robin
I’ve had mine for three years, I’ve had no children.
My OB/GYN is of the opinion that a woman should have no problems with an IUD past a certain age. Well, more to the point, past a certain uterus stretching, which comes to most women with age, regardless of use of said uterus.
Other than that, I’m with Robin. Pinching, mild cramping. I wouldn’t have jumped up and gone straight back to running a marathon, but little more than minor discomfort and very minor spotting for a day or two.
I’m in love with mine still. Non-hormonal birth control is the way to go, IMHO.
I’ve had a paraguard in place for about a year. The insertion was a little pinchy (more when she sounded the uterus than when she did the insertion) and I had mild cramping - nothing advil wouldn’t take care of.
Thanks for all the info so far.
I’ve been thinking about the IUD for a couple of years, and I talked at length with my practitioner a few weeks ago. I’m aware that the insertion might be more difficult and there is a slightly increased chance it will be expelled. Because of this, we together made the decision that one of her colleagues would be doing it because he’s had more experience inserting IUDs for women who have not had children.
I am unconcerned about loss of fertility, and I’m in a longterm mutually monogamous relationship so the chance of PID due to STDs is very low. Plus I have absolutely no plans to have children. Actually, I should rephrase that as: I have plans to have absolutely no children. 
After evaluating all the options (I’ve done the pill for 10 years, condoms, sponge, etc, so I have lots of birth control experience), I decided on the IUD and happily my practitioner agrees. My main goal is longterm, hormone-free birth control. If after 10 years my resolve to remain childfree has not wavered, I will opt for surgical sterilization. I’d do that now but it can be difficult to convince a doctor to do it when you’re in your early 30s and childfree.
I do appreciate the cautions and concern, MsRobyn. They’ll be especially helpful for anyone who reads this that is considering an IUD, and if I hadn’t already done my homework you’d have convinced me to investigate further. 
I’ve tried to make this story non-icky.
I’m 35, no kids. I had an IUD inserted. It was a fairly painful process and took about 10 minutes. I nearly fainted, partly because I tend to hold my breath when I’m in pain. I went home afterwards, although I’d intended to return to the office, took the maximum dosage of Advil and slept for a few hours. I felt better then I woke up, but there was cramping and discomfort for several days afterwards. I did the self-test where you feel your cervix to make sure the IUD has not come out, but either it hadn’t at that time or I missed it. Unfortunately, as the nurse told me to expect some pain and bleeding, I didn’t go back until it was time for the follow up exam in spite of the fact that there was cramping and some spotting every day. At that time they found that the IUD had been partly expelled and they had to remove it, which was quick and relatively painless. I then got the joy of deciding whether or not I wanted to live risky or take the “emergency contraceptives”. Now, because I’ve had an IUD failure, the doctor will not consider trying again.
My advice: take some light painkillers beforehand and have someone drive you home.
My wife got an IUD about six months ago. For her the insertion was fairly painful, and I think she took the rest of the afternoon off. However, by that evening, she was feeling OK, just a bit crampy. She went back to work the next day.
She loves having an IUD. Since we were using condoms before she got it, I love it too, obviously. Hormonal methods have too many side effects for her, so this is a really good solution for us.
IMHO is not the right place to put an IUD.
My sister has an IUD. She said it hurt a lot little bit when the put it in and she had some pretty bad cramping after. But, she said that she would still do it again to avoid other methods of BC.
She is also kind of a whimp so maybe it didn’t hurt as bad as she made it sound like.
Of course what I meant to say was “She said it hurt a lot for a little bit when they put it in”
But this is my story such as it is.
I got my first IUD, the coil shortly after the birth of my daughter. I had it for four years and it was nothing but trouble. I was/am in a monogamous marriage. I had it removed because I wanted another baby. After my son was born I got the copper seven which came out and then I got the progestasert (?spelling)
First off, the one thing they don’t tell you is that IUD’s do not prevent conception, they prevent implantation. The egg and the sperm get together in the usual fashion but the embyo is unable to implant in the uterus because there is a foreign object there. In other words they cause you to spontaneous abort the embryo. Since I had an IUD for over 4 years and had sex just about every night, I was probably pregnant 40 or 50 times. I didn’t find this out until after I was rid of it.
Second, My vagina had an usual taste and smell, like something vaguely rotten and the secretions were yellow, sticky and stinky. Before you make any rotten crotch jokes, know that I am very clean as is my husband and I got regular checkups.
Third, each month I bled for 7-10 days at a time to the extent that when I got up in the morning blood was dripping off my feet before I could get the the bathroom.
Fourth, my husband said he could feel the strings when we were having sex and it was very irritating to the head of his penis.
Fifth and last but not least, because of my IUD and the embryo having nowhere to implant, I had an ectopic pregnancy. The embryo implanted in my right fallopian tube and grew there for about 10 weeks until the tube burst. All I knew is that I was having abdominal pain but no symptoms at all of pregnancy. I finally decided that I had enough of the aggravation and scheduled for a tubal ligation. When the doctor inserted the laparscope he found my abdomen was literally full of blood, 2-3 pints by their estimation. They were not able to stop the hemmorhaging and I am not kidding when I say I nearly bled to death–internally, no blood coming from the vagina. I ended up with a hysterectomy at the age of 22, without my knowledge or mine or my husband’s consent. I was literally black from my ribs to my thighs and halfway around my back from all the blood in there. I was very ill for months.
I would not wish an IUD on my worst enemy. YMMV of course.
Mermaid Thanks for sharing your experience, I do appreciate hearing about negative experiences as well as the positive. It certainly makes the complications discussed in the literature seem more real.
The literature I’ve been reading is very upfront about the IUD not preventing fertilization, just preventing implantation. My doctor was also willing to go into the whole thing in great detail (along with possible complications), and the New Our Bodies Ourselves covers both pretty well in a reasonably objective way.
I am very much aware that complications may occur, but I also understand the probabilities involved, as well as the just-as-real risks associated with being pregnant, which to me are less acceptable than the risks associated with an IUD.
[nitpick] The IUD does prevent both conception and pregnancy, which require implantation. [/nitpick]
Motorgirl - I don’t know about The Mermaid (or mermaids in general) but we Catholics consider conception to take place at fertilization. Strictly a non-medical opinioin, of course, but for us a crucial difference when thinking of birth control.
StG
My nitpick referred to a medical definition, but in my own purely personal opinion the difference between fertilization and implantation in terms of whether or not a pregnancy/conception has actually happened is enormous. There are countless eggs which are fertilized but never implant, because they are imperfect, are fertilized at the wrong point in their trip, etc. If we consider those fertilized eggs to be conceptions, do we then count those as miscarriages?
That was a rhetorical question, BTW. If we want to pursue this philosophical discussion, I’d rather move to another thread.
Motorgirl - From Medicinenet.com: Implantation: The act of setting in firmly.
In embryology, implantation refers specifically to the attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterine lining, which occurs approximately 6 or 7 days** after conception (fertilization)** )bolding mine).
StG
Two definitions of conception from online dictionaries linked to by the National Library of Medicine: (bolding mine)
from http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk
“The onset of pregnancy, marked by implantation of the blastocyst, the formation of a viable zygote.”
The Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary available on the Harvard Med School’s website ( http://www.intelihealth.com/ )waffles a bit more: "the process of becoming pregnant involving fertilization or implantation or both "
So, like most words, I guess it’s go with the dictionary you trust most.
(Total hijack, intended for StG and anyone else who knows) I’ve asked before- does anyone know the stats on how often the Pill is abortive? I’m pro-life, and I’m getting married in, um… (checks calendar) a month and a half, so this is not of purely academic interest.
I’m not Catholic, and also not regular, so I’m not going to do NFP. I’m thinking really, really hard about alternatives. Please help! I heard from a friend that fertilization and spontaneous abortion are pretty common when on the Pill. If it has a less than 5% rate of fertilization, I might still go for it.
Sorry for the hijack.
motorgirl You asked a question and I gave you an honest answer from a first person perspective. Now I would like to address your nitpick from a medical perspective.
I am an RN with experience in obstetrics and I have a daughter with Polycystic Ovary Disease. I have been pregnant four times and delivered two babies. As you can imagine, I have done much additional research on conception and fertility.
Most research will support the fact that pregnancy occurs when the embryo becomes implanted in the uterus and conception occurs when the sperm enters the egg and cell division begins.
In other words the IUD does prevent pregnancy but it does so by preventing the implantation of the product of conception.
I am pro-choice. I believe a woman should have the right to choose if she wishes to carry a pregnancy to term. If I had known at the time that I was responsible for the deaths of dozens of embryos I may have made different choices.
I must admit I do have a selfish motive in answering your post. If I can prevent even one woman from going through what I did it would make me happy. I don’t think finding yourself mutilated at the age of 22 an acceptable risk.
Lissla Lissar - I’m certainly no expert, but I believe that most birth control pills work by preventing ovulation and increasing the cervical mucus to act as a barrier to sperm. However, if conception occurs it does prevent implantation. From what I’ve read, most hormone-based contraceptive method are the same way.
StG
STGermain is correct in that birth control pills prevent ovulation by basically tricking your body into thinking it is already pregnant and therefore does not need to release an egg this month.
I’m not sure what role the mucous plays exactly but I know ovulation produces a change in the consistancy of the mucous and many women factor take note of it to determine if they are fertile.
**Mermaid **, thanks for following up with more information. I appreciate you sharing your medical expertise. I was basing my definition on various things I’ve read, and I now see there is some difference of opinion between different sources. I’m not in the medical field, though I do have a strong interest and (long-ago) coursework in health & nutrition.
I do not think that “finding yourself mutilated at the age of 22 an acceptable risk” either, and I sypathize with your situation.
Given my views on remaining childfree, however, I feel that the risks associated with the IUD are acceptable for me, especially when weighed against the medical risks inherent in bearing a child and the personal burden of raising one.
Thanks again for weighing in with your information and opinion. You and I don’t agree on this particular subject, but I respect your viewpoint.