IUD birth control and being called "dramatic"

[FlowerTomb]

I’ve seen yet more posts (mainly on Tiktok, Twitter etc) about the pain involved in having IUD birth control coils fitted. I don’t have one and don’t plan on ever getting one, but I’m just absolutely gobsmacked that not that many doctors seem to be taking this seriously. I’ve seen time and time again that no pain medication is offered, that it’s being sold as “painless” and when spoken about with the doctor, the result is that you’re called “dramatic”.

I don’t actually know anyone (to my knowledge) that has one, so I’m just wondering about others’ opinions really. Is anyone else very shocked (and pissed off!) about this, or is this just part and parcel with women’s health not being taken seriously and this whole situation is very unsurprising to the majority?

[picklemewalnuts]

@RagzRebooted

I help fit them. We never say it will be painless, I usually advise taking paracetamol and ibuprofen beforehand and the GP puts numbing gel on (not sure that does much). It's uncomfortable, definitely. Some parts of the process are downright pinchy/painful but they're short and afterwards some women find they have cramping pains. Occasionally women faint, but that's often more anxiety and anticipation of pain combined with the cramping.

I was in agony after mine, but it had a D&C at the same time so could have been that.

You say it's anxiety causing them to faint... I wasn't expecting pain. I didn't take paracetamol/ibuprofen ahead of time.
I'd had smears and I wasn't anxious.
I was shocked by the pain I experienced, felt nauseous and traumatised afterwards. It was like being at the dentist for a check up, and suddenly they just reach in and extracted a tooth! I felt like I'd been assaulted- I'd gone with no worries, and experienced a sudden and completely unexpected pain.

I believe people are asked to sit and wait for ten minutes afterwards, to be sure they don't faint?

[redbigbananafeet]

Mine was painful to put in and take out. I do have a tilted uterus in case that is relevant. I am a firm believer that women's health is poorly managed because the assumption is well put up with it. IUD should come with the offer of pain relief. I recently had to have surgical procedure to remove my baby after a miscarriage and was given injections into the cervix. And gas and air and no offer to be put to sleep because you know 'covid'. I was screaming and crying in pain while my deceased child was painfully scraped out of my womb. Men would not be expected to put up with it.

[SemperIdem]

I’ve had 2 IUD’s, one when I was 20 pre child and the second at 26 post child.

Having both fitted was fine. Mildly uncomfortable but absolutely nothing like the pain of childbirth. Most of the discomfort for me was related to having someone wrist deep in my vagina.

I’m not invalidating the experiences of women who have found it tremendously painful, but I am a little surprised so many have done.

[Lastsecondfail]

Had mine done privately 6 years ago... had numbing gel as it was private and it hurt. Can't imagine what it feels like without gel and if you haven't given birth before

Had a copper (IUD) - worked brilliantly until DD came along 10 months ago.... had to have the coil removed when 8 weeks pregnant. Luckily everything went well

[rainbowzebra05]

@redbigbananafeet

Mine was painful to put in and take out. I do have a tilted uterus in case that is relevant. I am a firm believer that women's health is poorly managed because the assumption is well put up with it. IUD should come with the offer of pain relief. I recently had to have surgical procedure to remove my baby after a miscarriage and was given injections into the cervix. And gas and air and no offer to be put to sleep because you know 'covid'. I was screaming and crying in pain while my deceased child was painfully scraped out of my womb. Men would not be expected to put up with it.

Mine's tilted and folded over. I did wonder if it'd contributed to my issues after insertion, but they wouldn't believe it was an issue so I never got an answer

[Vikrum]

I had one after two children and actually puked and almost fainted from the pain of having an IUD inserted. It was absolutely horrific

[DelurkingAJ]

I do wonder if the fact that they’re inserted more or less blind doesn’t help.

I’m at the other extreme to some here…mild pain, similar to a smear test, a little cramping in line with normal period pain and then done. I’ve had two inserted.

[flipflopping]

I’ve had three fittings- the first one was fine, no more than mildly uncomfortable. Second one was agony, far worse than childbirth, and the best description I can give is that it felt like what I imagine being stabbed to death feels like. Obviously that sounds very melodramatic 😂 but I am genuinely trying to give a sense of the extent of the pain. Tried a third time and had to abandon it due to agony and passing out from pain.

[flipflopping]

I would love to know what makes the difference, especially as I had one fitting which was fine and therefore had no anxiety at all about my second.

Quite shocked by PP above who says she fits coils and that her own was agony but that other women are just experiencing “anxiety”. When people tell you they are in pain, believe them. Amazed it needs saying to a health professional.

[BungleandGeorge]

Personally I find it a bit ridiculous to compare it to the pain of childbirth, perhaps they had an epidural! Nobody told me it wouldn’t hurt but it really wasn’t that bad. Coming out is a sharp pain but takes literally a couple of seconds. They can put anaesthetic gel on your cervix, I think I had that I can’t really remember
I think the most under treated pain is dental pain which is quite frankly agony, you don’t even get painkillers routinely offered with a severe abscess or dry socket.

[flipflopping]

Personally I find it a bit ridiculous to compare it to the pain of childbirth, perhaps they had an epidural!

A truly stupid remark. The whole point of the thread (which I’m guessing you haven’t read) is that women have vastly different experiences of the pain, so what you experienced is completely irrelevant to what other women experience.

I had a home birth, no drugs at all, not even gas and air. The coil was far more painful.

[BungleandGeorge]

Sorry just read all The responses and not just the tic tocers saying worse than childbirth so I accept must be very painful for some. Maybe it’s the skill of the insertion and maybe some not using numbing gel. I did take ibuprofen prior as I was aware it would hurt

[flipflopping]

Fair enough @BungleandGeorge

[girlfromtheloch]

There is so much variability from person to person it really depends on the individual.
For instance if you started a thread ‘is labour painful?’ you’d get quite varied responses and with coil fittings the level of pain experienced can vary a lot too. It can also vary depending on the type of coil used.

For the majority of women whilst it can be a little uncomfortable this is tolerable. There is evidence that taking naproxen (feminax ultra) which you can buy over the counter, and take beforehand, helps reduce pain during the procedure. There are other things that can be done to make it more comfortable also so it shouldn’t be a traumatic experience.

I fit coils and have had two myself. The first one I had done which was before having children I found very painful. The second one after having children was only mildly uncomfortable. I took lots of pain killers before having one the second time around and I always recommend this to women!

[Blimeyherewegoagain]

I listened to a talk from a pain specialist years ago and she said that “pain is what the patient says it is” . In other words if you’re telling the doctors it’s painful for you, then they should not try to tell you otherwise. Sadly this message doesn’t seem to have got through.
I’mbpretty sure too that some bloke years ago decided that the cervix has no nerve endings or pain receptors and that lie is still peddled today.

[EarlGreywithLemon]

I have no problem with smears, but my copper coil insertion was awful. I nearly vomited/ passed out. I was then in a lot of pain for the next 24-48 hours. I never got on with it either - very very heavy periods, and strong period cramps all the time, even when not on my period. I gave it a few months because everyone said it would settle. A few months too long frankly! It was such a relief to get the bastard out. I said to the GP who took it out “never again” and she said I might change my mind in the future. Not a chance, hell would have to freeze over first!

[Mxflamingnoravera]

I had five mirena coils fitted and removed over the course of my fertile years. Fitting was not painful for me, neither was removal. There was a momentary discomfort, thats it.
For me, the benefits were well worth a moment of discomfort.

[2Rebecca]

Mine wasn't painful but I think IUSs are best on women who have had children so insertion is easier. I'd rather have a Mirena without anaesthetic than a large needle stuck in my cervix for a cervical block

[RagzRebooted]

@flipflopping

I would love to know what makes the difference, especially as I had one fitting which was fine and therefore had no anxiety at all about my second.

Quite shocked by PP above who says she fits coils and that her own was agony but that other women are just experiencing “anxiety”. When people tell you they are in pain, believe them. Amazed it needs saying to a health professional.

I actually said it was anxiety combined with pain, that seemed to cause the fainting, but to be fair it is a small sample size as I've only seen 2 women faint and both were quite anxious.

I think gas and air would be a great thing to offer when we do it, I am skeptical that the numbing gel does anything much.

[Recycledblonde]

I've had three children without pain relief including one back to back labour, don't find smears in the slightest bit painful but the mirena coil insertion was excruciating. The GP told me I was less likely to find it painful after 3 uncomplicated labours so was a bit shocked when I passed out during the insertion. It felt like someone was drilling into my pelvis. Had 6 months of constant heavy bleeding and then had it removed which was totally painless.

[Recycledblonde]

@RagzRebooted

I actually said it was anxiety combined with pain, that seemed to cause the fainting, but to be fair it is a small sample size as I've only seen 2 women faint and both were quite anxious.

I think gas and air would be a great thing to offer when we do it, I am skeptical that the numbing gel does anything much.

I certainly wasn't anxious, I'd never read anyone's experiences of it and as I never had any problems with smears even pre kids and childbirth was relatively easy for me, I really wasn't scared or remotely anxious. The pain was a total shock, it was a good 12 years ago and I still remember it. Have had regular smears since with no pain nor have I been anxious about having them done.

[OrlandointheWilderness]

I had one fitted at 19 before I had a child. It was one of the most agonising experiences of my life, it was so bloody painful!

[EarlGreywithLemon]

The issue I have with attributing this to sexism is that a lot of the people who dismiss women’s pain are other women: the midwives who try to talk patients out of epidurals; the NCT teachers who do the same (ours said the pain was a useful rite of passage to having a baby and that Birth needs be hard to prepare you!). The doctor who fitted my coil and was fairly brutal and dismissive about it was a woman; ditto the GP who said I might change my mind. As was the nurse who told me to put up with it a few mints down the line. The most unpleasant and insensitive midwife I dealt with who abandoned me to scream in agony - also a woman. So I’m not sure it’s necessarily about sexism.

[flipflopping]

@EarlGreywithLemon Your objection presupposes that women can't be sexist.

[EarlGreywithLemon]

@flipflopping but it’s exactly the anti epidural brigade who describe themselves as feminists fighting for women’s right to kick patriarchal, sexist doctors and interventions out of the labour room and go all natural!

Also, I’ve heard so so many women dismiss other women’s pain in e.g. childbirth, but am yet to hear even one man doing that. I think many women assume they understand “being women” and what it entails, and that if they can put up with certain levels of pain so should other women- who are pathetic for not doing so.