IUD Experience Part 2: The Insertion

Before you read this post, make sure you’re all caught up on Part 1 of the IUD series. I talk about my struggles with PCOS and a little look into why I wanted to go with the IUD. 

Before I got the IUD, I watched countless YouTube videos of women’s experiences and read a number of articles about what to expect, but a majority of them were horror stories… I mean it makes sense, right? If you go through something traumatic, you want to warn others and share your story.

Well those horror stories are not helpful to anyone because, in reality, those IUD horror stories happen to the tiniest fraction of people who actually get the IUD.

I want to share my genuine thoughts and feelings on the whole thing because quite frankly, that’s what women deserve. In this post, you’re going to read about the day I got my IUD inserted, a friend’s story about the day she got her IUD inserted, and a more in-depth look at why I went with the IUD.

If you listen to the podcast or have been a reader of the blog for awhile, you know I don’t hold anything back. This post is no exception. I’m very honest about the pain, the awkwardness, and my thoughts on the whole procedure.

The Insertion

So here’s a look at the day I got my IUD inserted.

My appointment was scheduled for 9 AM on a Tuesday. I stayed over at Brad’s house because I wanted to distract myself the night before, and he would be coming with me to the appointment because I needed a hand to hold. 

We stopped to get food beforehand and the whole way to the doctor’s office, Brad was blasting ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ and other upbeat songs to take my mind off of what was going to happen in the next hour. 

We got to the doctor’s office, parked, signed in, and plopped ourselves on the couch. The entire time Brad is trying to comfort me and make me laugh because I was pretty stressed out. I started getting really nervous, my palms were getting sweaty, and I could feel my heart start beating faster. Y’all I was terrified. I’m pretty sure as we sat there on the couch together that most of the people in that waiting room probably thought we were a very young couple getting an ultrasound.

They called my name, and off we went down what seemed like the longest hallway in the world. 

We walked into the exam room, the nurse told me to undress from the waist down, and I climbed up on the exam chair/table/bed thing. There was a split second where I really questioned whether this pain that I was about to endure would be worth it. 

What happened next was the fastest 5 minutes of my life that is a huge blur but so vivid all at the same time. 

The doctor comes in. My feet go in the little foot holder stirrup things. I lay down. They’re talking to me about the procedure but all I can think about is what this pain is going to feel like.

The doctor feels the position of my uterus, which BTW hurt a lot. IDK why they don’t put you under, give you local anesthesia, or something to help deal with the pain. They measure my uterus with the uterus-measuring device which felt like a little pinch. Honestly not bad at all. I figured that’s the level of pain that the rest of the procedure would be. 

Here comes the actual insertion.

The doctor is talking me through the whole thing, explaining what he’s doing and where to expect pain. When the nurse handed me the squeezy stress ball, that’s when I should’ve known. There I was, laying down on this table with my vagina and uterus exposed to the world, holding on for dear life to Brad’s hand and the stress ball, all while the nurse is telling me to take deep breaths. 

And then it happens. 

Holy f**king s**t. 

I thought I was going to pass out, throw up, scream for dear life, and fall off the table all at the same time. Involuntary grunts and moans came out of my mouth, my eyes were shut, and all I could see was the color red. 

It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Hands down. I  don’t think any amount of YouTube videos, online articles, and word of mouth could’ve prepared me for that pain. 

After what was the longest 10 seconds of my entire life, the doctor is explaining about the strings of the IUD and how I should be able to feel them and probably a bunch of other important information. But I don’t remember at all because I was so focused on the pain. 

And just like that it was done. 

My uterus was filled with such intense cramping that I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to walk out of the room

I had to lay down for 5 minutes before I could manage to get off of the table and put my pants back on.

The cramps I experienced for the first hour or so after the insertion were worse than any of my period cramps that I’ve had. And that’s saying a lot.

Brad took me home and I stayed in bed with my heating pad and prescription strength ibuprofen for the remainder of the day. The cramps slowly got better over the course of the day, but I could equate them with my normal period cramps.

I usually have pretty bad period cramps as it is. I give them a 6 or 7 out of 10 on the pain scale. These cramps were right up there with that. The cramps slowly got better as the week went on, and by Friday, I was back in the gym and the cramps were occasional.  

I had very minimal bleeding for about the first hour or two after insertion, and after that, I haven’t bled since. 

Would I do it over again? Hell yes. 

Strangely enough, I have a friend who got her IUD inserted the day after I did. I had no idea until she responded to one of my Instagram stories of me complaining about the pain. When I found that out, I immediately asked her if she wanted to contribute to this post by explaining her experience and a brief overview of her past. I’m so thankful that she said yes!

Here’s a look at her experience:

The females in my family, which include my 3 sisters and my mom, all have issues with periods. My mom and two older sisters have been diagnosed with endometriosis, and both myself and younger sister often struggle with the same symptoms. I’ve been on BC since I was 15, and I started on pills. I took them religiously, at the same time every day – no skips, but I still had a big issue with irregularity/pain etc. I was switched around on two other brands of pills with higher hormones and different ingredients but honestly, it did nothing. I was really frustrated that even after years and years of taking the pill, I still never had a regular period.

Then I decided to switch to the rod (Nexplanon) at the beginning of this year, in hopes that it might ease my pain/period issues. I was also going abroad for most of the year, so the convenience of not having to carry around pills was a plus. After having the rod, my irregularity got 100% worse. I had my period for a month, then off and on, and then for a month and a half and so forth. I had the WORST mood swings – which are not typical for me as I’m typically an optimistic/happy/gregarious person. It became bad enough to where the littlest thing set me off for no reason and I couldn’t control it – it was like my emotions and hormones ran my body. I also had horrible pains/cramps/etc. that became much worse after switching. I could feel a difference in myself, a negative one, and it turns out it was because of the rod. I talked to my gyno about the issues I was having and asked for suggestions, and he said you definitely need to get the rod taken out. I was disappointed because the rod had worked miracles for my younger sister (20) who had the same issues as me. She struggled with weight gain with the pill, shot, and the patch, but she has loved the rod after almost having it for 2 years now.

After my women’s care physical, I decided to switch from the rod to the Skyla IUD. I had the IUD insertion appointment first. Unfortunately, I was having a really bad period for over a month when I went in to get the IUD (and had to miss class earlier in the week because of pain) so just as a note I was already not feeling well going into the IUD appointment. I took ibuprofen and the pill an hour before that they gave me that was supposed to relax everything and make it easier for them to insert it. My doctor was a nice man, and he explained everything. The appointment was going well at first, no issues, and I was just playing on my phone while they were doing their thing. I was fine.. until they hit my cervix and holy HELL I screamed. I don’t know what they did or what happened but from that point on 10 minutes in it was 150% the WORST pain I have ever experienced in my life (as a side note, I’m in Air Force ROTC, am very accident prone – so I’m usually fine with pain). They had yet to insert the SKYLA, but when they did I could FEEL it.. not in a good way. I’m not one to cry, but I was crying/sweating/screaming all the while. And once they finished it did not get any better but was worse. I was writhing with horrible cramps/pain, with tears etc. for over an hour. After 30 minutes of getting the IUD, I barfed (like an exorcist) because of the pain (first time for that too – I’ve never even thrown up for exercise). My blood pressure kept dropping, so the nurse stayed in there with me because they were worried they might have to take the IUD out because of the pain (which apparently should not have been that bad). After over an hour, the pain eased somewhat – enough for me to move finally. Eventually, I left after having water and whatever they gave me, but I did NOT feel okay. I spent the rest of the day lying in pain with a heating pad not sleeping not doing anything because it hurt so bad. It took me about 3 days before I felt okay again and didn’t have to take ibuprofen and the cramps finally died off.

Now, after a couple of weeks, the pain is 100% gone, my period finally ended after almost two months and my crazy mood swings went away. I’m hoping the IUD works well (as it has so far) but it was by far the most painful thing I’ve ever endured. I don’t understand why they don’t numb you or give you pain meds or something but then numb your arm to put in a tiny rod?? Maybe its because it is probably men that set the rules and don’t know how freaking PAINFUL it is. Other people have said it wasn’t that bad for them, but it was for me. I guess people are different but hopefully this goes better than the rod (fingers crossed).

Why I Chose the IUD

As you read in the first installment of this IUD series, I’ve been on birth control pills for 10 years, and quite frankly, I was sick and tired of taking them.

The pills were making me so ridiculously moody, they were worsening my anxiety and depression, they were making my acne worse, and they just were not doing good things for my body. 

The hormones in the Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta, and Skyla IUDs prevent pregnancy in two ways: 1) they thicken the mucus that lives on the cervix, which blocks and traps the sperm, and 2) the hormones also sometimes stop eggs from leaving your ovaries (called ovulation), which means there’s no egg for a sperm to fertilize. No egg, no pregnancy.

One of the awesome things about IUDs is that they last for years — but they’re not permanent. If you decide to get pregnant or you just don’t want to have your IUD anymore, your nurse or doctor can quickly and easily take it out. You’re able to get pregnant right after the IUD is removed.

– Planned Parenthood

I went with the IUD because:

• It lasts for FIVE years. That’s 5 years of no babies.
• It’s a low-dose, local hormone which means it’s less likely to affect my body in the way that the pill does. Because it works locally, the hormones don’t get into your bloodstream and therefore, it doesn’t affect your entire body.
• I don’t have to remember to take it every single day.

I am curious to see how the IUD helps/affects my PCOS. Hopefully it’ll help… I’m crossing my fingers. I’m really interested to see what it’s like not knowing when my period is going to come. On the pill, I knew exactly when mother nature would bless me with my monthly gift, but now, who knows when it’ll come.

Getting the IUD was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. I feel that I’m taking my health back into my own hands, and I’m learning how my body functions without pumping it full of hormones every single day. 

If you have any questions regarding the insertion process, how I’m feeling now, or anything else regarding the IUD, please let me know in the comments below!

Happy Holidays!

~abigail gray