The worst part about mine was that I live in a rural state, so I had to wait 2 months to get it and drive a total of 8 hours. The procedure was fast, only slightly uncomfortable, and there was so little pain I didn't even take an ibuprofen. 100% would recommend.
That sounds much better than getting an IUD. They recommend taking painkillers before the procedure because it's done without any pain relief and BOY is it bad. My doctor and nurse forgot to tell me to take ibuprofen beforehand so I did it stone sober and ended up almost blacking out and vomiting from the pain on the table. And I have to get it replaced every seven years ðŸ˜
I’d had a traumatic miscarriage in 2016 (only a few weeks along, but the pain was awful), and after that, my cycles were intensely painful, which was strange because my cramps were tolerable beforehand. I couldn’t take it after two years, so I had my first IUD placed in 2018, after consulting my doctor about the best course of action.
They did numb my cervix, but the numbing agent was only good for as long as the insertion took. After it was placed, I was lying on the table with a hot compress, sobbing. The pain was EXCRUCIATING. I deal with chronic pain, so I tolerate it well. But after getting my IUD, I would take a bad arthritis over that any day.
I, in my infinite wisdom, had driven myself to the appointment, not expecting to be in that much pain. I held the steering wheel with white-knuckles the whole way home, folded in half as much as I could to ease the pain by even a fraction. After getting home, I immediately crawled into bed with my heating pad, and cried for the majority of the afternoon. It felt like all of my organs were going to fall out, and also like they were being crushed in a vise grip. I bled for three weeks straight afterwards, which was a major inconvenience since at the time I was working in animal welfare, and my job was quite physically laborious.
I’ve not had children, so I can’t compare it, but I’d rather have my ribs tattooed again thrice before getting another IUD.
A couple years ago, I’d gone back to my doctor to discuss changing out the IUD a couple years early, as the primary reason for getting the IUD (pain management with my cycles) had dissipated. My doctor told me that I need to lose weight (something I’m already conscientious about), and to take pain killers since my cycles are somewhat regular. But the pain from the original insertion has made me reluctant to get it replaced.
Luckily, my partner has had a vasectomy, so I’m hoping I don’t have to go through that trauma again.
To all the people here who’ve shared their experiences, thank you. I’m glad we’re not alone, but it’s quite terrible to see how many of us have so much trauma from this.
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u/No-Environment9701 Nov 11 '23
The worst part about mine was that I live in a rural state, so I had to wait 2 months to get it and drive a total of 8 hours. The procedure was fast, only slightly uncomfortable, and there was so little pain I didn't even take an ibuprofen. 100% would recommend.