I had my IUD replaced… no this is not a scary story.
The first kind of contraception I was on were birth control pills. They worked for a while and made a big difference when it came to cramping. Then I started to notice myself getting so upset and easily irritated the week before my period was expected to start. I attributed it to the birth control pills because prior to being on them I had never experienced this before. I decided it was time to explore something different as the pill was not right for me. Despite hearing scary stories about IUD insertion, I decided to get one. After months of waiting for an appointment with my family doctor, waiting for the specialist to call me, and then waiting for the actual appointment with the gynaecologist, it was finally time, October 19, 2017.
When I got there, I had to pee in a cup. They were going to do a pregnancy test and test for certain STIs as well. Then I went into the small room, put the humbling paper blanket over my bare legs, and laid back. First, she used the speculum and then a local anaesthetic to freeze my cervix…which I must say stung quite a lot. Next, she went to insert the IUD which comes in a deceivingly large box for something the size of a toothpick. After about 3 minutes or so and some short bursts of really intense cramping, the IUD was in! For the next few hours, I experienced cramping, and for the next few days, spotting – nothing too bad. Thankfully this experience was only uncomfortable and not as bad as I had heard from others.
4 ½ years later, this past March, I figured it was time to start the whole process over because I knew it needed to be replaced by the 5-year mark and if it was anything like last time… it could take a while. I was right about that; my appointment to have my IUD replaced was on October 19, 2022, coincidentally 5 years later to the day. For anyone who knows me well, it is so fitting to my personality that this coincidence happened.
My mom drove me to my appointment an hour away even though I had been determined to be independent and go alone… she did stay in the car. I go in, follow the pink line on the floor to gynaecology, and meet the receptionist who quickly takes my blood pressure and weight, and asks me once again to pee in a cup. Afterwards, I sit down in the waiting room. 5 minutes later I am called into the small room where I meet a new doctor as the one who inserted my IUD 5 years ago has retired.
She asks me a series of questions that likely help to generate some statistics, however I really didn’t think it was necessary to tell her who I lived with, where I worked, and whether I am in a relationship. Regardless, I answered each question.
No humbling paper blanket this time as I got onto the bed, but a real sheet which was just so much better. At this point I was nervous because I knew that my old IUD had to come out and she hadn’t said anything about freezing me this time. I was so thankful when the old one was out within 15 seconds of her inserting the speculum, and it was essentially painless!
Now time for the new one. I knew what to expect, though I was nervous it would hurt more without the freezing. I realized this time that the IUD box is so big because of the applicator. About 30 seconds later, and some intense cramping, it was done except “It didn’t release from the applicator, this is a defective IUD” she said. Oh no. Am I going home without one? Does she have another? I had to get this one via prescription at the pharmacy so what’s going to happen now? She tries again and thankfully it works but recommends that I come back in 6 weeks to double check it’s placement. I put my pants on, headed to the waiting room, and then had to sit down because I was feeling very light-headed. Maybe it was the pain of the cramping, or that she had to do it twice and I wasn’t expecting it, but I did not feel good. The receptionist gave me some juice and shortly I was ready to go. I was now thankful that mom drove me so I could sit back in the passenger seat on the way home.
So, what was different this time? For one, no freezing, which I actually appreciated as the stinging from the anaesthetic wasn’t worth it for the length of the procedure. Secondly, it seemed to go way faster! I really remember it taking up to 3 minutes to insert the IUD 5 years ago, and only about 30 seconds this time (except that she had to do it twice). Oh yes, and there was no paper blanket.
So why am I telling you all of this? I remember being so nervous the first time, not really knowing what to expect, and I have had friends who were anxious as well. I feel I would have benefitted from a detailed account of how it may have gone down. This isn’t to say that your experience will necessarily be anything like this, however my hope is that it may calm your nerves a little bit.
Additionally, I studied social determinants of health at Western, which is the study of how societal factors beyond our control have a large influence on our health. I was able to make this appointment, get a prescription for an IUD, and even take work off for the whole day to have it done! All of this means that I have control of my reproductive health. I know that I am fortunate, and I desperately want everyone to be afforded the same opportunities. Speaking publicly about the impact that contraceptives have may help to make them for accessible for people who do not have a family doctor, are told they cannot use contraceptives, or just cannot sacrifice a day of pay to go to an appointment.
If you made it to the end of this blog post… I REALLY appreciate you.
