I had the procedure done over a year ago. Mine was under general anesthesia because my OB didn’t have the necessary scope in her office. I was just fine with that. I was given lidocaine and then propofol IV and then woke up an hour or so later. I could feel where the coils were in my body for a week or two, but I never had any post-op pain or spotting. In fact, later that night I helped my neighbor take her 60 pound dog to the emergency vet to be euthanized. I never took any pain meds and was just fine.
I haven’t had Essure, but I just got a Paragard copper IUD. I’m 46, and they are good for 10 years, so I’m hoping it will get me through menopause. After blood clots in my leg for the 2nd time, my gyno and I decided it’s probably better to avoid hormonal BC, and copper IUDs are super-effective and the current ones have a very low rate of complications.
Other than a couple of days of cramping and some spotting, it’s been a breeze and I totally recommend it to anyone who is looking for long-acting contraception. (Essure is contraindicated for people with nickel allergies.)
Just in case PurpleClogs needs an alternative to Essure, consider this another comment in favor of the Paragard copper IUD. I’ve never had children and haven’t had any problems with the IUD. My doc had no problems placing it. There are no hormones in the IUD I use.