I'm off today and my windows are open and the fresh air is so wonderful!
Also I got my IUD placed today, ended up having a vagal response, and nearly passed out on the little table there, haha. The provider and her assistant were so kind and caring! They let me take my time til I felt better to leave. It was super scary to have that whole sweating episode but it did pass in about thirty minutes. I'm home now and wrapped up in a blanket, very thankful for Mac n cheese and Advil ✌️
If anyone has any questions about the process or anything like that, let me know! I don't mind talking about it 😊😊
So I was on a low dose birth control pill for about 15 years (age 14 to last year), and my blood pressure finally started to creep up and I was getting awful headaches. I stopped taking the pill, BP went down, headaches went away; I even noticed I wasn't as stressed and anxious as I used to be, so yay hormones? Anyway, I talked to my obgyn.
They recommended the Liletta IUD, which I had already researched somewhat, and my mom has Mirena, so I was p sure I was going into this prepared, and my insertion was today.
Nope.
My experience was so different from my mom's, it's not even funny. Like, she had the "quick, easy, almost painless" experience that you read about in testimonials and I
I jumped, scared the obgyn, thought I was gonna puke on the observing med student, and cried bc the insertion itself was as bad as the period cramps I used to get before they put me on the pill as a kid.
Those on a scale of 1 to 10 IT'S FUCKING 11 cramps.
They told me I have a very sensitive cervix and uterus?
As soon as they stopped messing with my cervix, it felt immediately better, but now I have these dangley stiff strings that I guess are supposed to soften over time but idk right now they're annoying af.
I go back in a month to make sure it's still in position and to get my strings trimmed.
It's not what I expected, but I'm hoping it's as effective as stopping cramps and awful periods as the pill was, and that the mood swings and headaches don't come back.
Having a uterus kinda sucks. Also, I have no fucking clue how anyone has kids? Like, that was one of the worst pains I've ever felt IN MY LIFE and that was just opening my cervix less than a centimeter HOW DO PEOPLE PUT WHOLE BABIES THROUGH THERE???
Holy shit.
I may write about this more as I adjust. Right now I'm crampy and bleeding (within expected limits) and sort of afraid to use a tampon (THE STRINGS ARE WEIRD). I just wanted to write something in case anyone else is considering getting one of these things and is actually researching, and has decided this is the right choice for them. Life is hard and scary and uncomfortable sometimes, and you're not alone.
I got my Mirena four years ago. Right now the Mirena is approved for five years and they are currently working on approving it for more. I chose to get mine replaced a little early because my periods were starting to come back. It’s relatively common for your periods or spotting to start back up on the four or five year mark. Because I have really bad periods and experience gender dysphoria during my periods I wanted to get a new one in ASAP.
If you’d like to read my guide to getting an IUD inserted you can read it here. The procedure for getting it taken out is very similar and many of the same recommendations still apply. I’d definitely still recommend having a buddy, although it isn’t necessarily as bad coming out as it is going in.
At the clinic I went to they didn’t have the Mirena available, only the Liletta and Kyleena. Liletta is approved for 4 years, Kyleena for 5. They are also currently working on approving Liletta for longer so my doctor said that by the time the 4 years are up they’ll probably have it approved for longer. Despite only being recommended for Liletta, and it being a little bigger than Kyleena, is because Liletta has a higher amount of hormones that more closely resemble Mirena. Because I use the IUD to end my periods and I know the Mirena does that I was hoping to get the IUD that most closely matches it.
Below is a detailed recount of my experience. It can get a bit graphic, if you’d like I put the main steps in bold so you can get the gist by just reading that
Once we got the preliminary pregnancy test and consultation over with I was left to take off my pants and get ready for a pelvic exam. It is important for the doctor to take a look and see if they think you may have a vaginal infection before insertion so let them know if you have had any symptoms! This is because if there is an infection while putting in the IUD there is a chance of the infection to spread to the uterus. Turns out I had a yeast infection. Because it had been so hot and muggy apparently a bunch of people had come in with yeast infections so it wasn’t a big surprise. What that meant though was I had to come back a couple weeks after I took antifungals to get rid of the infection.
A couple weeks later I went back and we were finally ready for the insertion. The doctor asked if I was okay having a student come in to observe the process. I said yes because of course I am all about that learning. Know that you should always let your doctor know if you are uncomfortable. My doctor let me know that she likes using the smaller speculums and trying to be as careful as possible. It’s a good idea to tell your doctor if you experience vaginal pain easily, if you’ve experienced any trauma, or if you’re nervous so that they can help you out.
One thing I liked about having a student attend is that the doctor detailed everything going on. That was a fun thing for me, but I know that wouldn’t have been fun for a lot of people. The disadvantage to the student is that the doctor wanted her to try some things on me to learn which meant some things happened twice. The actual taking out and putting the IUD in was handled by the doctor though which was very good.
First the doctor and student checked on my uterus and pelvis by inserting two fingers into the vagina and pressing on various points on my belly/pelvic bone to see if there was any tenderness.
Then the doctor inserted the speculum and located the cervix. On the student’s turn they had trouble finding it which meant they moved the speculum quite a lot and that was not pleasant. Once the doctor helped her find my cervix I breathed again. So far, not much different than a regular pelvic exam.
After they located my cervix they inserted a device to clamp down on the cervix to hold it in place. This is what felt like a pinch. They put on the stuff to numb the cervix and waited a bit before going on. I was told later that the clamping can cause the cervix to bleed a bit, so this can cause some of the irritation you’ll feel later.
Using the strings they were able to pull the IUD out. She showed it to me. I am sad I didn’t think to keep it. You could definitely feel the arms of the “T” come down and then the IUD slide out. It’s not exactly painful, but really weird feeling. If you’re just getting the IUD removed this is as far as you go. They unclamp your cervix and you should probably sit back and relax for a minute before standing up and going about your day.
If you’re getting a new one inserted the next step is to put a sound into the cervix. A sound is a tiny cylandrical object that helps dilate the uterus a tiny bit to help insert it. Sometimes they’ll need to use other methods to help dilate you, but sometimes that is enough. Another reason they use this is that it can go through the cervix into the uterus and it helps them measure the uterus to know where to place the IUD. I found out my uterus is 8 cm, which is perfectly average. Not gonna lie, this part was uncomfortable. The actual going in the uterus wasn’t bad, but once it reached the top of my uterus it kind of hurt and the sensation kind of spread like a wave. What sucked for me is I had to go through it twice, first the doctor did it, then the student. The student apparently didn’t go in far enough so the doctor basically told her to shove it in more and that didn’t feel good. Pretty sure I made a little sound at that point.
When they are able to get an accurate measure of the uterus they use the applicator device to put the IUD in. This is really the most painful part in my opinion, it just feels really weird and like something is definitely trying to move around in your uterus.
After that they cut the strings that hang into the vagina so that they aren’t super long. If you find once you go home the strings are longer than you’d like you can go back and request they trim them a little more. Once you’ve had it for a year or so the strings tend to curl around your cervix out of the way.
This time around I knew what to expect and I stayed laying down. The doctors let me be for a while to let me lay down a bit then with their help sit up. I sat for a while before eventually cleaning up, getting dressed, and sitting back down again. I wore loose pants but where it lay against my belly still hurt. Definitely if you can, wear a dress. Had to hold the seat belt away from my belly while riding home too. Just take it easy and don’t plan to do anything strenuous for a day after. I spotted a bit for a day and I’m still a little sore but it is definitely worth it!
IUD’s and implants are over 99% effective at preventing unexpected pregnancy, but only condoms can protect you against STI’s. Talk about a perfect pair!
See here for my first post about Liletta: http://chocosaurus-rex.tumblr.com/post/163144545110/iud-day-1
Day two and it looks like I’m a lucky one! Cramping has gone down to almost never happening. It only happens when I sit at a weird angle, lean far forward with a tight waistband, or twist around too quickly, but the cramping is minimal (typical) and lasts only for a few seconds. On the odd occasion that it hurts more than normal or longer than normal, just holding still for a second and taking a deep breath takes care of my issues.
My period, which was in full Niagara Falls mode thanks to the Nexplanon implant, has actually stopped. Not even two days ago it was in full swing (I made Psycho look like a damn Veggie Tales movie). Today, two hours short of two full days since insertion, my period has stopped.
The strings are weird, but google is telling me that those should start relaxing and coiling around my cervix soon. I think my doctor may have neglected to cut them or just didn’t cut them short enough if she did cut them. The first day and yesterday I was actually able to feel the ends of them outside of me (feels like fishing line) which is not supposed to be a thing. Google, being my quiet teacher, told me that the depth of the uterus/cervix varies greatly, so as long as it wasn’t a prolonged period of time that I felt them (which it wasn’t) then I should be fine. If I want to, I can request my doc to cut them shorter (too short isn’t recommended as they can become too short to easily coil around the cervix and basically become “pokey”). She may have left them long on purpose because she thinks I have a fibroid (harmless growth on the uterus, usually causes pain and heavier periods at the worst). I still have to go to a Diagnostic Ultrasound specialist to get a confirmation, but I’m not sure where we’ll go from there. I don’t feel any pain whatsoever from it and I know the issues with my period were thanks to Nexplanon’s side effects, so I’m just kinda floating along going “Okay. Uhhuh. Sure. Right. Yeah”.
All in all, everything looks good for me so far! The worst part was insertion, but tbh it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. It was more weird than anything. It certainly didn’t hurt. It just felt like a really strong, really prolonged cramp. Any painful sensations certainly came about because of what all was going on and wasn’t actually pain. Kind of like when something bumps you and you immediately say “Ow” even if it didn’t hurt. It might have pinched a little? I can’t remember 100%, but it wasn’t bad. If you’ve gotten a tattoo before, then IUD insertion is nothing. It’s just weird feeling.
like always, message me if you want to talk to a peer about it!
I just had Paragard inserted yesterday. Let me tell you, it was not fun. Probably the most jarring experience of my life. BUT: it only lasted a couple of seconds, 30 at tops for the sharp pain. I'll be honest, I screamed. The receptionist whispered when I finished, "was that you screaming?" But the doctor encouraged it, saying things like "use sailor words!" and "yeah, come on! Scare the rest of the patients!" She was really great and supportive. The rest of the pain was just cramping that made you feel like you had period poop really bad. Then I passed out: there's a nerve in your cervix, if stimulated correctly, will make you pass out. But the doctors are prepared for that, had me lie down on my side, and made sure I didn't fall off the table, and had my partner hold my hand (I suggest having someone else drive you there, I wouldn't be good to drive for another two hours, at least. Support systems are great for this procedure, too). After the ringing in my ears stopped, everything was just the cramps. Took about 20 minutes to go through the whole fainting-and-coming-back-to-life thing. But today, my guys... today I feel anew. Very little cramping, my strings are in place, and I feel like I can conquer the world. Let me tell you, people: This shit is WORTH IT. If you're considering IUDs, go for it my guys. The pain isn't as bad as childbirth OR an abortion. Trust me, friends, invest in this shit. I don't think I've ever made a better decision in my life. This will last ten years, and since it's hormone-free, it won't make me gain weight. If you want a hormonal IUD, there are three major ones on the market right now: Liletta, Skyla, and Mirena. Those release progestin at a low rate for several years, and will trick your body into thinking you're pregnant. I have Paragard, a copper one, which makes a hostile environment in the uterus to where a fetus can't form. I chose that one, because it's a semi-permanent form of birth control that has no hormones. I really suggest IUDs to anyone considering them.
I have Skyla and love it. Liletta is basically the same exact thing, same size, same hormones, but it has a much higher hormone dosage than Skyla. I honestly would have probably liked a slightly higher hormone dosage, since that lightens/shortens periods even more than skyla already has for me. If you don't mind the hormones then I recommend it! I'm actually switching to kyleena next week so I'm covered for 5 years (aka the next administrative term).
Thank you! This really really helps with my decision, especially with the hormone levels linked to periods. They only offered Skyla, Liletta, and the one that lasts 12 years.
If you see this, can you tell me about what the procedure felt like? I know it only lasts like less than 5 minutes. But I’ve heard it hurts like crap or doesn’t hurt at all.
