Right now I am sitting on my couch doped up on 800mg of ibuprofen, cuddled up against my dog and heating pad, recovering from an IUD insertion earlier this morning. I always intended to share the details of my experience, because I think it’s super important to be able to openly discuss these types of things. And I wanted to do it while of this while it was fresh, and this is about as fresh as it gets.

Some background: I have been on birth control for a very, very long time. As an early bloomer with an awful period, I needed it to regulate my cycle and symptoms. (One time, I passed out from blood loss. That was an interesting time.) At such a young age, the only real option was The Pill, so I spent the next 9 years experimenting with different brands. Between the 10+ prescriptions I tried, I experienced every negative side effect in the book: weight gain, mood swings, lack of sex drive, acne, etc.

Most recently, I was on a pill that I liked the most out of all of them, but I was exhausted all the time (like hours after getting a solid night’s sleep I’d be tired again), had zero motivation to do things, and had dizzy spells during certain stages of my pill cycle. Not to mention the constant worry that I took my pill an hour late and would wind up pregnant. I began looking into other options – namely, IUDs.

IUDs appealed to me for a few reasons.

1. They last for for 3 to 10 years (depending on the type) and my insurance covers the price, so it’s way more cost effective than pills.
2. There is a no-hormone one called Paragard as well as numerous devices with significantly lower doses of hormones than the pill, and very little actually reaches the bloodstream.
3. They’re one of the most effective methods of birth control on the market and there is no room for human error, like when taking a pill.

Initially I thought I’d get the Paragard since it’s hormone free, however, my doctor advised me that it wasn’t the best fit for me for numerous reasons. We decided on Skyla – a smaller, lower-hormone version of Mirena, perfect for younger women who haven’t had kids yet – and set a date for insertion.

And that brings us to today. I knew going into it that there was a 50/50 chance on the pain – for some people it is fairly manageable, and for others its outright terrible – and I also knew that I would be on the “holy fucking shit this is awful” side of that spectrum. Why? Because insertion of IUDs requires opening the cervix, and the pain of doing so depends on the state of your cervix. When its closed, tight, and hard, it is extremely painful to insert (if not impossible, just google “my IUD wouldn’t go in”.) This is why doctors insert IUDs during your period — this is the stage in your menstrual cycle that the cervix is softest and most open.

I’ve been with my OBGYN for 10 years, so he knew that compared to other women, I have a particularly closed and tight cervix at all points in my cycle. He prescribed me Misoprostol for the night before the procedure to help loosen my cervix (more commonly, Misoprostol is given to women before labor to start contractions and soften the cervix.) It made me feel a little nauseous and crampy, but I figured that meant it was working.

Fast forward to this morning: I’m back in a room, stripped waist down, climbing into The Position on the stirrups, flanked by my fabulous boyfriend for moral support. My doc came in, gave me a quick rundown, and we got down to business.

As I eluded to before, he (and I) knew it was going to be pretty terrible for me given the state of my cervix. As much as I prepped myself, I still kind of thought it wouldn’t be *too* bad because I have a very high pain tolerance.

Ha.

It was probably the most painful experience of my life, in a way that I can’t begin to describe with words…the feeling, the intensity, the area where the pain was, is just impossible to describe. It wasn’t a sharp pain, and it honestly wasn’t quick either (like most women say.) I was already VERY uncomfortable during the measuring part, so when he said “okay, brace for sharp pain” and snapped the T-shaped device into position, I immediately started to sweat while softly yelling “Fuck fuck fuck… oh, I’m sorry doctor Windom… FUCK” and squeezing the life out of Tucker’s hands. At one point, the nurse in the room had to remind me to breathe calmly in through my nose and out through my mouth because she was worried I would hyperventilate.

And then it was over. But unlike the women on online forums who said it was over in a snap and they returned to their normal, everyday routine immediately, the pain didn’t go away for me. Even right after he removed the tool, I felt very little relief and immediate contraction-esque cramps. The feeling that I might throw up hung around for a solid five or so minutes as I laid there crying before getting dressed. I felt weak, lightheaded, shaky – totally overwhelmed by what I just experienced – and couldn’t stop sobbing every time a new wave of cramps came on. There was a significant amount of bleeding and the lingering intense pains wouldn’t subside for a couple hours.

(My doc later told me that he wouldn’t have been able to insert it without the help of the Misoprostol, and that insertion + the lingering cramps is the closest thing to Labor that I’ll experience until I’m actually delivering my child one day. So that’s cool and also very disturbing.)

Alas, I pushed through the sobs and panicked oh-my-god-I-may-pass-out gasps of air by telling myself it would be worth it. And now, even just a couple hours later, I can confirm that it was. It has been two hours since the insertion and I still get a wave of intense cramps every 30 minutes or so, but those should disappear within 24 hours. So, even if Skyla doesn’t work out for me long term and I choose to remove it prior to the three year mark, the insertion was worth it to try a potentially life-changing form of birth control.

So, all that being said, here are some observations and recommendations I have for anyone considering getting an IUD:

• Please, for the love of god, take some ibuprofen at least an hour before your procedure. Not doing so was an epic mistake on my part.
• Make sure you schedule insertion during your period so your cervix is as open as possible.
• If you’re like me, you’ve probably googled stories about insertion and pain hoping to gauge the experience. Just know that it’s highly variable and while some feel just a sharp, uncomfortable pinch, others (like me), feel like the entirety of their lady parts is being ripped apart. It goes away, and it’s worth it.
• Pick the device that’s best for you. Skyla was the best choice for me given my medical history, goals, and physical characteristics.
• Have someone accompany you. Whether they’re physically with you during the procedure or not, you may need someone to steady yourself on as you walk out of the clinic, and you may need someone to drive you home afterward. I definitely did.
• Try to remember to breathe, very much so in the same way that women are coached through labor contractions. It makes it so much easier.

I hope somebody out there finds this helpful. I tried to spare you all the horribly graphic details, but I also wanted to provide my experience in a depth that I couldn’t find when trying to prepare myself. Happy experimenting ladies, and I wish you all the best on whatever birth control path you choose.

xx