It is now 5ish hours from when I left my appointment for the IUD insertion, and I promise Iām not dying. Iām chillinā on the couch, a little sleepy, a little crampy but a lot thrilled I didnāt let my fear of the āpainā and the process stop me from getting the Mirena.
Itās probably easiest to just read my ālive tweetsā which Iāve complied via Storify (click the title for the link) to get the full experience. However here are the main takeaways:
1- It hurts. But not that bad. About two short, dull, uncomfortable pains and two quick, sharp ones. Then follows the cramping everyone talks about. But I sat up afterward, walked home fine and wasnāt doubled over in pain. Just take ibuprofen and Tylenol beforehand, and youāre good. And no, I wasnāt given the shot that some people have referred to. I think Iām glad for that. Why endure ANOTHER source of ow?
2- Its so fast. I tried to count in my head while the main event took place. I never even made it to 40 before it was over. It was a good distraction as well. You can handle anything for 40 seconds! Especially if it lasts you 5 wonderful years.
3- The worst partā¦ Honestly, the waiting was the worst. The hype, the anxiety and the anticipation. And for Gods sakes do NOT do what I did and browse other peopleās āexperiencesā on Twitter while waiting. Itās a nightmare. Iām taking it that this is similar to customer serviceā¦ Everyone will talk about a bad experience while all of the good ones go under the radar.
4- Its individual And thatās probably what is most important. My experience wasnāt that of some of my friendsāā¦ Everyone I talked to had a unique story to tell and was affected differently. Both during the insertion and in their side effects. For me, my initial panic was all in the extreme pain of two previous procedures Iād hadā¦ A cervical biopsy and a leep. In which I was told to āprepare for heavy cramping and a pinchā in both casesā¦ Thatās NOT how I would have explained the torture of either. This was nothing in comparison. For my friends who have had children, āit really isnāt bad.ā Well, that makes sense. But for those without, thereās not much to compare it to and youāre not used to that sensation so of course it could seem significantly worse than your monthly period cramps. However- itās nothing compared to labor and delivery. Isnāt that why youāre considering the IUD anyway? So, give it a shot.
Like I saidā¦ Iām already VERY happy with my decision and it hasnāt even been 24 hours. Of all the friends Iāve talked to, even those who had tough experiences or temporary unpleasant side effects, so far all have said theyāre happy they did it and will do it again. š
