So I thought it’d be appropriate to write about an experience I had this week concerning my body. I got an IUD! For those of you who don’t know what an IUD is it stands for Intra-Uterine Device. It’s a little t-shaped piece of plastic that gets inserted by a doctor into your cervix, and bam! Baby making prevention!
When I was considering going back on birth control, I knew I couldn’t do the pills because I’ve had awful reactions to them in the past (moody, bloated, weight gain, etc.), so I talked to my gyno about an alternative method and she strongly recommended an IUD, which I had heard about. I was totally 100% on board with it until she said “the procedure does hurt, like 30 seconds of take-your-breath-away pain and then you’ll get cramps.” Oh wonderful, I thought. But I decided to go ahead with it anyway. I’ve gotten tattoos, I’ve self-harmed, I’ve fallen down flights of stairs (ok that was just last week), I can do 30 seconds of pain for a device that will last me 5 years and is 99.9% effective against pregnancy. Sold. My gynecologist also told me to avoid reading anything online about IUDs, and just stick the information she gave me. Of course I didn’t listen to her.
A week later, I heard about the lady who got a ball of cat fur tangled in the strings of her IUD, at which point I was FREAKED OUT. “THAT CAN HAPPEN????” I thought. To which then I spent hours googling people’s experiences of having/getting an IUD which ranged from “it was the worst pain of my life and I spent a week in bed” to “I did some errands afterwards and even went for a run the next day.” So ok, I did this to myself, but I was completely freaked out by this point. I guess that’s why my doctor told me not to read anything online.
So the day of comes around, and I’m nervous as all hell. I go in and sit in the waiting room, take 2 xanax and 500mg of Aleve and wait for my name to be called. Luckily, the doctor I had was very friendly and reassuring about it, so I felt a bit better (not to mention I was cool as a cucumber from the xanax). She explained that I would feel two major cramps, it would only take 2 minutes at most, and then I’d be done. Ok, I can do this, I kept telling myself. Well, when you expect the worst, it’s actually not that bad. Imagine the worst menstrual cramps you’ve ever had and pack them into about a minute and that’s the pain I felt. As soon as all her tools were out, I felt instant relief, a little dizzy, but ok. But I have never been so aware of my cervix.
Most women can say when they’re aware of their vagina, for example, sex, periods, etc. But cervix? That was a new one for me. I can now say that I know where in my body my cervix is located exactly. It’s very strange to be aware of a body part you’ve never really thought that much about.
Long story short though, it was totally worth it and I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who’s seeking alternative birth control methods to get an IUD. I still have slight cramps since it’s only been 2 days, but it’s definitely worth it if this thing lasts 5 years. It’s still strange to have this little device in me and I can’t even feel it.. but I guess that’s why it’s so great!
Unruly Bodies 
Due to my interest in developing public health initiatives on campus (and for my own personal education, honestly), I spoke extensively with a UHS RN and the Health Education Coordinator last semester about various methods of contraception. Based on what they told me, I was particularly shocked by the relatively low number of people who know about and understand how IUDs work, considering how ridiculously effective they are. Turns out there is still some lingering paranoia over IUDs (concerning bacterial growth on the strings attached to them – the risk of this is really small nowadays though), and then there is also the recurring issue of price (pretty expensive compared to pills, at least in the short-term). But in any case, I’m really glad you talked about this – thank you for raising awareness about this excellent form of long-term contraception!
Okay I would first like to say I loved your “read more intro.” I had know idea what a IUD was and when i saw that the “read more” part did not even finish the sentence of what an IUD was, it really made me want to finish reading your post.
I feel as though I can really relate with you on being so anxious to look up something you might be diagnosed with or something you are about to get done, even after the doctor instructs you not to. I feel like that goes with how impatient I am. Unfortunately, looking up procedures or illness that you may have online only psychs you out or scares you. As I am looking at the symptoms of something, I start to say “Oh I do have that or I think that happened to me,” when in reality its really my mind just playing tricks with me. It is so funny to me how we continue to torture ourselves by looking things up and never learn from doing so. Overall your post was very relatable and I am glad that everything ended up fine with your IUD. Thanks for sharing!
The first few lines of your post really caught my eye. I did not know very much about IUDs before reading your post. Now I feel like I need to do some birth control research myself. My first reaction to the first few lines or your post was….” yes female empowerment, embrace control over your bodies.” Your post has also encouraged me to think about the steps and responsibility that women take in order to care for their bodies and seek contraception. You raised a lot of the same concerns that I have had concerning the birth control pill. I have worried about weight gain and changes in mood. I even know a woman that experienced depression and suicidal thoughts while she was on birth control. These fears are some of the reasons why I have not used birth control. Over all you made an extremely interesting and informative post I think I am now going to do some birth control research now. And maybe create a pill for men…. They can take a little more responsibility
Yay IUDs! I’m glad that you didn’t find the procedure to be very painful. I think it’s interesting how you brought up the fact that you’re aware of your cervix now. I had never thought about this previously and it got me thinking about how I had a lack of knowledge about my reproductive organs until I really began researching birth control methods (and also ended up choosing an IUD). I’m glad that you’re enjoying it so far!