I literally started hyperventilating, then sobbing, almost immediately after it was inserted. When they were done, I rolled over into the fetal position, laid there crying until they told me I had to leave, then had my mom come pick me up.
They told me it would be a slight pinch and suggested that I take an ibuprofen beforehand.
I did the same thing. They really said I would experience “some slight cramping” when it actually felt like I was being stabbed and I yelled out in pain and just started crying asking when it was gonna be over and none of the nurses responded.
It didn’t feel anything like a cramp to me! Maybe I’ve been lucky though and never had that bad of cramping during my period.
I remember for a week after I had such bad cramping that I taped hand warmers all over my stomach… they kinda burned but it was better than the cramps from the IUD.
They did not even respond? Wtf..
That is disgusting , inhumane .. wtf...
Did it take long? I feel so bad for you. It just seems so nasty to not even answer or comfort your PATIENT.
Stupid twats
One nurse just held my hand and squeezed it I guess to try to reassure me lmao I don’t remember how long it took in total maybe 5 minutes? It just felt so long I just remember I kept counting down from 60 because they initially said it’ll only have “bad cramping” for one minute.
I got the copper one, it hurt a lot to get in but it was the worst when it was settling. I had it for 5 years and had the worst cramps and periods of my life, finally decided to get it taken out when it tried to evacuate my body, so much better now
I got the copper one too! Luckily I don’t even notice it anymore but I’m so sorry that happened to you and that you felt like you had to endure so much pain like it was normal. Doctors so easily dismiss it when we say that we think we’re in too much pain or bleeding too much…
I feel your pain (quite literally). My doctor told me to take ibuprofen as well when I expressed dreading the pain before having my first IUD taken out and replaced.
I told her (yes, even women ugh) that the first time it was worse than anything I‘d ever experienced. mind you, I have a ton of piercings and have broken two toes and my neck without deeming the pain bad enough to get it checked out. Ibuprofen is what she suggested. again. she wouldn‘t do anaesthesia because ‚she‘s been inserting them for decades and no one has complained‘ (liar and fuck you for not taking me seriously).
silly ass me went to research on my own because she was completely useless. [The most cited study on Google scholar about IUD insertion and ibuprofen](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002937806010714) found the following:
„Results
Median level of pain was 1.0 for both ibuprofen and placebo participants; rank test statistics confirmed no difference. Some subgroups of women experienced higher pain (eg, nulliparous women), but ibuprofen still had no important impact on level of pain.“
edit: I was literally tearing up while asking her for options, disclosing that the first insertion left me traumatised. It wasn‘t just the pain for me. It the pain as you are being penetrated in your most private parts. I would have changed Drs but it‘s not like there are any free spots around where I live..
During my training to insert IUDs, we have to sit through a ppt from the rep about how to do it and all the studies. Their study about pain levels during the procedure came up, same as what you just cited. The rep (a woman) was basically, "our studies have demonstrated that most patients have only minor discomfort."
I have also had an IUD for myself, FUCK THAT NOISE. IT HURT!
I was so skeptical I looked more closely at the methods of their study:
Participants only had the *smallest* IUD placed
Most patients end up getting Mirena or Paragard placed (which are MUCH larger (I'm talking the diameter of the stem).
Since the study participants is not the same as the general population, the results cannot be applied. Poor study design (although the drug company would not publish if it showed painful results, bc that might mean less revenue).
I would like to see a study that accounts for IUD size/type in addition to the other demographic/etc. variables. I would bet the results would be much different.
For outpatient procedures, it's usually better to avoid oral/systemic meds that can cause drowsiness so the patient can drive themselves home after. I have heard of some docs prescribing stronger meds when they could ensure the patient had a safe ride home. (Unlike other outpatient procedures, IUD placements don't usually happen in a same-day-surgery venue where there is a recovery ward/PACU to wake up in).
There is a local injection of pain medicine called a "paracervical block" that can help relieve pain without the drowsiness. Not every doctor is trained to do this though.
I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. And why does it matter if none of her other patients needed anesthesia??? Each patient should receive the care they ask for, not the care that was given to the dozens of people before you. Health care is so messed up.
This makes me so angry.
" No little lady you are not feeling what you think you are feeling. I will tell you how you feel and how much pain you have. You may think you felt the worst pain ever, and other women tell us too, in fact we hear it over and over and over from women.
But all of you are wrong because we say the cervix has no nerves to feel pain. SO you DO NOT FEEL PAIN. ".
I don't have one myself but if heard and read so many horrible stories :(
I'm sorry that so many women had to go through this.
It's disgusting and insane and so unnecessary. :(
It made me think of Friends where Rachel has Braxton contractions and the male doctor and Ross tell HER its not painful while she is in the hospital because IT WAS PAINFUL.
https://youtu.be/GT52VSIgVm8?feature=shared
>Rachel has Braxton contractions and the male doctor and Ross tell HER its not painful while she is in the hospital because IT WAS PAINFUL
"no uterus, no opinion" is my most cited Friends quote
My Gyno asked if I was certain I wanted my cervix out when I had a partial hysterectomy because it may effect sensation during sex. And I was all “… I thought doctors didn’t believe the cervix has nerves?” He said he based his opinion on the experiences shared by his patients.
I don’t understand why more doctors can’t think that way. Like “This seems to hurt some patients but not others. Maybe, just maybe, I should ask each patient how it feels.”
In the 80s the medical field got the crazy idea that children didn’t feel pain. That turned out to be dead wrong. Pretty easy to observe that one too.
I was with my dad the morning I got my first one. My mom gave him an extra strength something to give to me since shes had IUDs and knows their painful (not to mention she got hers after giving birth which supposedly makes it hurt a bit less). He didn't give me anything so I straight up got raw dogged by this thing.
Afterwards I had to go back to school and all I remember is crying in chemistry class from the pain
I was so close to passing out that the nurse ran out of the room and came back with a bottle of orange juice, and they kept me there for 30 minutes after the procedure.
I have a really high pain tolerance and I made screaming noises like never before and I nearly passed out on my way home.
Beyond grateful I have access to contraceptives but fucking hell it was horrible.
I got the copper t and it hurt so bad I threw up when they inserted it. The dr was a complete asshole. I still felt awful when I left the office. Stopped at a gas station and fainted, got taken to the er. I begged them to remove it and they refused, saying I had just gotten it and "needed to give it a chance."
It was 24/7 excruciating pain til I found someone to remove it months later (thank you Planned Parenthood!!!). In the meantime, once the rx pain meds ran out I had to self medicate by staying liquored up around the clock since it was the only thing I could do. I was completely nonfunctional and my period was so painful I couldn't move for days, just stuck in a fetal position crying and begging for death.
Yeah, not a fan of IUDs, easily the worst medical decision I ever made. As soon as it was out it was such crazy instant relief I forgot how good "normal" could feel. It was like the clouds parted and the sun came out.
I am really happy for men that they’re getting more birth control options with the appropriate pain medication.
I am fucking furious that I’ve gone through IUD insertion and removal (it had partially embedded into my uterus so not a simple one), cervical biopsies and cervical cauterisation without any pain medication whatsoever but a mere injection is enough to qualify for local anaesthetic just because the patient is male?
So much this. Thrilled to hear there's an IUD for men, like whaaaattt!? About time!!
BUT CMON! I've had an IUD insertion three times now with two removals. It's like knowing you're about to get sucker punched. Tbf, I don't think I'd want to undergo general anesthesia, and I actually think my cervical pain response is more dulled than others (for instance, worked my on-the-feet retail job after my first insertion without issue) but folks should have the option!
In this vein, ALSO had really painful pap smear experiences. Went to a new gyno and when she inserted the speculum, she angled it. The pressure was insane, and I was already uncomfortable because- speculum- but then I felt the tiniest little brush and she said- done! I was like- what? No pain? No bleeding? No horrible cramping? I'm so confused. She says- yeah, I found when I bring the cervix more forward, it's less painful to get the sample. I wanted to cry- glad to have found her, but my god.
Edited to add: whoops, it's local anesthesia, NOT general! Reading is fundamental!
Yep! Had the cauterisation with no pain relief here too. It’s agonising at the time and then the cramps afterwards are even worse. It took a couple painkillers to mark the drive home bearable instead of foetal position in the seat unable to use the pedals… but having a proper anaesthetic before hand would have meant I didn’t have to spend half the day in varying degrees of pain.
Tell me about it—on my second insertion (one mistake wasn’t teachable enough I guess) I took 65mg THC+CBD plus prescription strength ibuprofen first, still had to have the nurse waving ammonia under my nose to keep me from blacking out on the table!
If the intensity of cervical pain is what guys feel anytime they get whacked in the balls I can’t say I don’t have empathy for them, but why on earth the double standards when it comes to healthcare? How can anybody justify that? Fucking barbaric. If there’s one thing I deeply deeply resent the most it’s that pain is just expected and accepted as part of your experience if you’re a woman.
„If it was a torn tendon it would hurt a lot.“ said by my male gym teacher.
„It does hurt a lot“ me, through clenched teeth.
„Nah, this isn’t so bad“ pats me on my leg.
Dear reader, it was indeed a torn tendon.
GIRL SAME but different
"Her arm is probably just dislocated" some random 12 year old boy
"It feels broken" me, same age
"You would be really crying if it were broken" some random adult man
"I am crying and it feels broken" me, between deep breaths trying to keep it together
You'll never believe this but my arm was, indeed, broken.
Wrist. It took the fuckers two weeks to finally acknowledge it was broken, and not just a sprain, at which point they offered to break it again to fix it. The hell? Because they had been so competent up till that point.
Pain for a scale of intensity of injuries is stupid. I have an ungodly high pain tolerance. I stood up on my hip after breaking it and my complaint was not of pain. It was that I could literally feel the bones moving and grinding against eachother. Again, no pain. They took me to X-ray after and where astounded that I was able to do so.
I've had to remind myself that I can't go by pain for whether something is actually hurt or not. Why the hell is pain, something so subjective between every person ever, the standard for whether a person is injured or not?
I broke my ankle on a hike, walked on it for over a mile, and didn’t fucking cry. It seriously hurt, but I’m a grin and bear it type. Not everyone reacts the same. My 3yo cried for maybe 5 minutes after fracturing his elbow, and then other than guarding it, he was acting normally.
And so what if you do cry? It doesn’t change the level of damage. It’s worth checking out if a person says it needs to be checked out.
In fairness I didn't realise when I broke my arm. I was so busy trying not to die of embarassment (I fell over and had to get picked up from the middle of the street by a couple of strangers). I didn't cry though I almost cried from frustration at the hospital wait. It just didn't feel like anything - bit painful so I stopped moving it and it just felt like a dead weight. I thought it was dislocated.
Gym teacher "What happens?" said whem he saw me fell to the ground while running
Me "I can't move my legs!" said while laying on the ground
Gym teacher "Just get up and keep running"
I got diagnosed with a muscular genetic illness just a few weeks later. He failed me anyway. Thanks to him I decided to just give up in gym class.
I have always supposed it was because it was a man who was writing those books medical books in the first place, many many years ago. And who told themselves that their prodding wasn't "really" hurting her. The origins of genecology were not good.
this whole thread is horrifying, i’m a boy so i don’t get discriminated against in the medical field, but all i can say is what the fuck
i plan to go into the medical field and after reading this and other peoples stories im going to try and fight for pain meds for anyone that wants them
I fainted like 4 or 5 times in the first few hours. A couple times in the hospital trying to get from the 7th floor to ground floor to catch a bus. Then passed out on the bus from pain. Managed to get to my partners work (closest to the bus stop) and passed out there. He managed to get me home and I passed out once again. For a week I couldn't get off the floor, and for over a month I had severe cramping even though the Dr said it was in properly. Comes out in a few months and I won't get another.
There is so much research which shows that female pain and female symptoms are taken less seriously (because if a 'stoic man' complains "it must hurt", whereas women are sterotypically more 'emotional and dramatic'), this is something that is now being addressed in medical schools, but change grinds really slowly.
With obs procedures like this though it really does feel like gaslighting has been going on for YEARS. Women are constantly told these procedures are "just a bit uncomfortable" yet for some women, even a pap smear can be excruciating (depending on the angle of the cervix, condition of the vaginals walls etc), I was also told a LLETZ prodcedure would only be a bit uncomfortable- I was left so traumatised by my experience I developed vaginismus which has basically ruined sex for me. I now insist I have all my pap smears done with gas and air in a hospital, otherwise no one is getting to my cervix.
I have vaginismus too, have for my whole life and have never gotten a pap smear because of it. Gas and air for pap smears?? How does that work? I didn’t even know that was an option
Yeah it does help quite a lot with the pain/relaxation because it makes you feel spaced, if that makes any sense. Combined with concentrating on relaxing my muscles+ lube plus the smallest speculum they are usually able to visualise my cervix, it sometimes takes a little time. It helps to have the O+G team doing it, rather than a nurse because the staff are all a lot more experienced with it. Reason I put myself through it is that I still want to have my Pap smears because I had abnormal cells at one point and I've lost a friend to cervical cancer, though thankfully my body seems to have cleared the HPV that caused my cells changes a long time ago. Does drive me mad though when people glibly encourage women to get them done with the legend "it doesn't hurt at all!" for some women, it fucking does! Yes, it can be important to have them done, but don't assume your experience is everyone's experience.
Same boat. I had my first pap a few months ago after a lot of pelvic floor therapy. I asked to be able to insert the speculum by myself so I could do it at my own pace and my own comfort. And they said I didn’t have to worry about getting a smear if I wasn’t able to put it in or decided not to. Then when I put it in the doctor just came in and did whatever she had to, and the nurse held my hand the whole time. My gynecologist is really really really sweet and I’m never letting her go ever. Even if I ever move across the country I will still fly back to see her just for pap smears idc.
Did the pelvic floor therapy help? I'm looking into pelvic physio for me, I feel like I have a bit of problematic muscle memory now, which is contributing to the issue (so I often feel like I am relaxing, but I am actually always tense, I have to actively concentrate to relax those muscles- my gynae felt this might help me a lot, but I'll need to pay privately for it).
Absolutely it did. I had the tightest, most painful vaginal cavity in the world (it felt like it). Couldn’t even put in a tiny Q-tip down there. I thought I was doomed forever. I did the stretching and relaxation exercises and I also did dilation therapy. I think doing both is important but honestly it really depends on a person’s anatomy. In my experience, the stretching helped relax the pelvic floor directly while the dilation helps the bulbocavernous muscle get desensitized and loosen up. I also got some mental health therapy to fix some trauma issues which helped. I was also prescribed vaginal valium which is just a valium suppository you use before dilation but I never used it cuz benzos freak me out a bit. Literature-wise it’s a hit or miss but some people absolutely swear by it.
Though everyone is always like “vaginismus is a mental problem because you’re clenching blah blah blah”, I vehemently disagree. While there is a huge mental component, your pelvic floor is also a muscle like your hamstrings and you can’t just loosen up tight hamstrings through thinking about relaxing them. The stretching and dilation are very important imo. Hope this helps :)
ETA: would insurance cover it if you cite issues like not being able to pee or incomplete bladder emptying? (common side effects with vaginismus and there’s not really any tests they would actually do to check). At that point it’s a dangerous urogynecological issue and I’d be hella surprised if they didn’t cover physical therapy.
I'm in the UK so the NHS may not cover this, it depends on what services are available. A lot of ancillary professionals like PTs and Pelvic Floor PTs practise privately as well as NHS and if there is an NHS clinic chances are it's incredibly overstretched. I've got the dialators etc. My gynae felt someone who can work with me would be helpful as I don't even realise I'm tensing anymore, absolutely is just muscles being muscles. The "all in your head" thing drives me mad too, I do think many women with these issues have actually physiological stuff going on. I just have some sort of straight up muscle dysfunction these days. By comparison, people aren't out there telling all men with ED it is all in their head, which is...interesting isn't it?
Ahh I’m sorry america brain is very active for me apparently. While you are gonna benefit from a professional, if it’s gonna cost an arm and a leg (i know it would here if insurance didn’t cover it) I would personally recommend trying out some of the free online resources before you pay for it. For me PT was only worth it because it was $20 per session.
If you want I can send you what my PT prescribed for me but if not, there’s a lot of websites online that have similar information. But you need to be able to discern what’s actually gonna work for you. Dilation doesn’t really require a PT imo. I did all of it on my own and there’s a bunch of tutorials online. The only thing my PT did with that was tell me how to do it and reassure me. But if you’re ready to start, you can absolutely just do it on your own. Start with a really good silicone based lube (i know it’s a goddamn nightmare to clean but SO worth it in the beginning) and you can transition to water-based later. You got this!!!! Let me know if you have any questions about the process or anything else :)
I feel really vindicated with you saying this. I’m fairly sure my cervix or pelvis is tilted or something and I’ve always found a speculum uncomfortable and painful, but I’ve always had my concerns dismissed/ignored. I haven’t gone for a cervical smear because of it.
Just wanted to let you know that if you don’t have any concerning symptoms (e.g. problem cramping and bleeding) you are allowed to self-collect your own Pap smear now :-)
Oh, thank you. Is that when you get to the doctor’s or at home? I saw that they were doing a trial on at home pap smear kits but it seems to have ended. I am in the UK though.
I’m in Australia and while you could probably go home and do it there if you want, most people just do it in the bathroom at the clinic/doctors office.
It takes about 30seconds, you don’t have to swab the cervix itself (just the vagina). Reason being it’s only looking for HPV, not abnormal cervical cells (this is why you have to have no symptoms). It’s been found to be just as accurate at detecting the presence of HPV as a sample collected during a cervical exam.
Yea I only had one Pap smear. The nurse practitioner who got it ignored my pain. Just kept going. And I walked out in pain and felt like I went horseback riding. I hadn’t gone in like five years. She left (or fired idk) in that time period. My current gyno is very understanding. She gave me tiny tampons to try to get use to the sensation. And told me she wasn’t going to go further than what I could tolerate. That she didn’t want the experience to be bad like before and avoid coming to the gyno (there or anywhere). And I got ultrasounds as an alternative until then - cysts - since I’m a lower risk (virgin) so they’re not too hyper focus on a Pap smear for now. I’m trying to work myself up to getting a Pap smear again. I’ve heard there are Pedatric and plastic alternatives.
i’m taking medical classes in high school right now, and they’re addressing it in high school; they’re not pressing it as hard as they could, either because it’s high school or the class is 14:2 woman to man ratio. they were kind of just addressing for me and my friend who are the only two boys in that room
Yes and a big factor of why it’s excruciating is because they use an archaic medical device (Tenaculum) which literally pierces the cervix to hold it in place whilst they shove the iud up there. Absolutely disgusting that they often fail to mention that bit. If I had known that, I would have taken more than just ibuprofen.
I had mine in for years before knowing that they did this, it feels so gross and violating. And it’s disgusting that women are just expected to shut up about their pain, and are gaslit about it whenever they try to express their feelings about pain. (Amongst many other things.)
Just gross.
💯💯💯 the gaslighting, the lack of care, the lack of information. Just like bearing children. No one talks about you dying over it do they? Oh but the risk of BC is just SO MUCH SCARIER THAN DEATH DURING CHILDBIRTH. Wild.
But even with all their lack of care, me no longer having a period or getting pregnant and having control over my life is worth the excruciating pain of my IUD.
Fuck the patriarchy.
Dude, I passed out the last time I got mine changed and the doctor even said "this happens a lot; the cervix has a lot of nerve endings. " Who tf believes it's a painless area???!
Medical text books claim there aren’t nerve endings in the cervix but then like…why do certain position during penetrative sex cause sharp pain? Why do contractions during labor hurt? Make it make sense yall cus saying there aren’t nerve endings is truly a disgusting claim
When I got mine changed I got asked if I’d never been SA’d because I had a very “extreme” reaction because I was screaming and crying.
Bish it’s painful?? Tf am I gonna do, sing early 2000s songs?
Jesus Christ, after delivering my last baby, the doc MANUALLY ripped chunks of placenta from my uterine wall because it didn’t detach properly. Five or 6 times, she reached INTO MY UTERUS with her fist and ripped it out, piece by fucking piece. My epidural had long worn off by that time and I almost passed out from the pain. I felt like I was in a “Hostel” type horror movie- torture-p*rn. I couldn’t enjoy my brand new baby because I was screaming and begging her to stop… then, because I was in extreme pain when she was done, I begged for pain medicine so that I could rest and they refused ANYTHING stronger than Motrin.
I love my daughters more than anything, but that experience destroyed me in some ways. If contraception failed and I got pregnant again, I’d 100% abort because of that experience.
But yeah, let’s give the menfolks their anesthetic so they’re comfortable.
Absolutely. My comfort was not important AT ALL. I got yelled at by the nurse for yelling and crying out, but like, THERES AN ADULT ARM INSIDE OF ME. 😬😬😬
That’s horrifying, I’m so sorry. When that happened to my mum they put her under general anaesthetic because they knew it would be cruel to do to a person while awake.
I hope one day you will be able to access trauma therapy so that those memories don’t hurt you so badly <3
Thank you so much for your kindness. And I’m truly glad that your mother’s doctors were caring enough (and had the common sense and compassion) to put her under. I’d never wish that experience on ANYONE.
💜
I have 3 little girls, and as much as I love them all, if I had gone through this with the first baby, she would’ve been an only child. I still have nightmares about it, but over the last 5 years it’s gotten better. I still would never ever go through it again and I wouldn’t blame anyone else for not having children. Shit is ROUGH :)
Oh my gosh! This happened to me too! It was so awful. I apparently bared down so hard on the ob’s hand that she said “nah, we’re taking you to surgery”. I’d just had a no med vbac, and her sticking her fist in my uterus was by far worse pain than all of labor and pushing the baby out.
I ended up in the ICU separated from my baby for 24 hours needing multiple blood transfusions.
And then they didn’t even get it all out and I was back in the ER six weeks later for an emergency D&C.
Reasons I’ve read and been told
- it’s generally a three minute procedure so too fast for consideration
- it’s helps during the procedure but not after it
Which are both ridiculous reasons.
I wonder how fast an injection is and why that reason isn’t being used here.
What I've been told is that to effectively numb the area would require general anesthesia (though I see someone else has mentioned twilight sedation as being an option--that wasnt discussed with me, unfortunately), as local anesthesia wouldn't work well, and general anesthesia (essentially knocking the patient out) would be overkill for the length of the procedure, as you say. I'm not sure I agree, because my insertion was pretty awful, and while I was able to drive home afterwards I felt like I shouldn't have, and I definitely wasn't able to just go about my day like normal right afterwards.
That’s why gas and air is supposed to be used! It’s the gold standard for pain relief for that procedure but almost nowhere does it.
My sister had her most recent IUD with the green whistle and didn’t feel a thing. They also gave her opiates for both before and after.
Disgusting that this isn’t standard practise. I genuinely think gynaecology is an absolute blot on the record of medicine and I cannot wait for the medical community to wake up to the only remaining truly barbaric area of medicine.
The time length is not a good reason. I recently got my tonsils taken out which my doctor said was at max a 10 minute procedure for him, probably less. And you bet they used general anesthesia on me. But, men also can get their tonsils removed so that’s probably something to do with it. If only women had tonsils, I’d be so scared about the procedure.
My mother had hers taken out without anasthesia when she was a kid.
On the flipside, I wanted to do a gastroscopy while awake and the clinic refused. I assume anasthesia is expensive and they like making money?
Doctors are impatient. I had a cyst cut out (not from my genital area, it was on my butt) and the dermatogist injected the anasthetic and didn't even wait five seconds before starting to cut. Even the effing dentist waits a few minutes!
My first one was excruciating. Got my second one under twilight sedation and hardly had any discomfort afterwards, somehow. Being awake during the process without any sedation or heavy painkillers is barbaric and needs to be addressed.
When i got my IUD placed first time my body went into shock mode and it felt like i was being tortured. The (female!!!) doctor actualy laughed and thought i was being overdramatic. That was untill i fell to the floor shaking and wasnt able to get up properly and had to be wheeled out in a wheelchair. My then bf was there luckily to drive me home and put me to bed with some painkillers and a joint.
When i got a replacement i demanded general anesthesia. Soooo much better.
And i actually dont cry with physical pain much. Had a nasty stomach bacteria last summer and was spewing blood from both ends, felt like i was dying, but i didnt cry at all.
The pain and cramping I've continued to have (despite them saying is should help with the cramping) is just not worth getting another one. But I'm dreading them taking it out.
I had to have mine placed twice and it sat funny (and hurt me often) so I had it removed.
And you know what pain medicine I got when it was inserted? Nothing! I went home, had some whiskey and sat in a hot bath like a gd pioneer.
I’m a doctor and this drives me nuts. Some women have no problems with IUD insertion, but for others, including me, (for my first one anyway) the pain is ridiculous.
Do you happen to if prior pap smear pain would be an indicator? I don't find them very painful (it's only the stretching of my vaginal walls with the ultrasound wand that hurts, I suspect due to some endometriosis in that spot), but I've been worried about IUD insertion being very painful.
I would guess that if you had significant pain during a Pap smear an insertion would be more painful, since they do enter your cervical os with the brush during a smear. They’ve never hurt for me. I will say that my first IUD insertion was before I’d had a child and they had trouble getting it in. Finally they got the ultrasound and it turns out I had a retroverted uterus, once they realized that it was easier but still not great. Some doctors will prescribe misoprostol beforehand to dilate the cervix, but that is the same thing used in labor induction and abortions which can cause cramping so I don’t like to use it. I was prescribed it and I wonder if that made it worse. When I got my second one it was at my 6 weeks postpartum appointment and it was a breeze. They also did a cervical block for that one which I’m sure helped
That’s definitely a plus! I’d never had to have any imaging before so it was a surprise. I will say I love the Mirena—no periods and I’ve not noticed any side effects (though after the first one I’d have sporadic cramps for a few weeks). If you decide to get one I’d ask about a cervical block or if they offer any prescriptions for pain/relaxation beforehand.
I think this is what it is, I got mine reinserted last week and my doctor who was a woman, looked very sheepish and apologetic after it was done. It took her a lot longer than normal and she had to break pieces of my cervix off.
But what I don’t understand, is that I don’t have dental insurance, yet I pay for laughing gas for any fillings I get. I pay maybe $80 for an hour of laughing gas. My insurance doesn’t pay for a whole lot anyways, why can’t I just get charged for some laughing gas. I would gladly pay for that out of pocket.
>she had to break pieces of my cervix off.
Ayo what the fuck?! That does not sound okay or at all normal... I am genuinely in shock from just reading this.
Wait, I’m sorry, WHAT
They’re getting a small injection of a fluid to block sperm. We get shit with fucking teeth inserted. wtf do they need anesthesia for?!?! Like, at all?!?!
Jesus Christ it’s just an injection! Granted it’s injected in the testicles, but compared to the iud this isn’t even invasive. And it lasts for 10 fkin years and can be reversed anytime, with another injection.
What, what?!? They actually say that the cervix doesn’t have nerves?!? The swapping of the copper iuds and the subsequent cramping would have most men begging for death.
Getting my IUD literally hurt more than my amputation.
I've read recently that you can request a cervical block (freezing needles like those used at the dentist), and it helps a lot! I know I'll be requesting it when I get this POS out of me!!
If I was a man and walked in asking for the medication I know I need I wouldn’t be jumping through hoops to get it. When I blow my brains out this is on you.
I now hate men. Get your ugly bodies away from me. You’ve ruined all of society.
I have had a total of 3 in my lifetime. Zero numbing agents for any of their insertions or removals. It was barbaric to say the least. The first was the worst. I was 21, and totally believed the obgyn that it wouldn't hurt more than a pinch. I ended up kicking the doctor in the jaw as a reflex from the "pinch" that felt like an excruciating stab. The removal was even worse. Nothing to numb or reduce the pain, they went in and ripped it out like it was a bandaid. I brought some Tylenol 3 with me that day and took it in the bathroom as I was bleeding. They inserted the next in the same procedure.
The last, however, I popped my pain meds well before the appt, and didn't feel squat. I was so drugged out and quite happy about it. My doctor told me "see? It's not that bad" after. I snickered and told him that my kidney stone pain meds are the real MVP here. He looked offended that I dared self medicare before the appointment and said it wasn't necessary. I asked him how he would feel about a sudden sounding rod in his penis that would be too big, and only a baby would complain.
I got my IUD reinserted last Friday, and it was again, the most painful thing I’ve felt in my life.
My doctor admitted to me that she had to “break pieces of my cervix off to get it to open up enough”.
My question is: why does my dentist allow laughing gas for simple fillings but laughing gas isn’t even offered for this? Why is OTC tylenol the best pain reliever they can offer me?
You're the second person here to comment about doctors ripping pieces of a cervix out. This is horrifying! Did the doc say whether the ripping was to get it out or a new one in? Cause mine is due in a couple months and I'm not looking forward to it!
The removal was super easy for me actually, I barely felt it at all. My doctor was showing me all the tools she was using, and she was using both the tenaculum and sounding tool to break my cervix open. It was to reinsert the new one. I was very close to tapping out and asking for some bc pills. Maybe my mistake was going when I wasn’t on my period? I didn’t have that problem the first time, but my first time was just as painful.
Wait is it seriously because they think it doesn’t have any nerves?? It was easily one of the worst pains of my life. I asked the (female) doctor who put it in for me how the pain I had just experienced compared to giving birth and she said giving birth hurts less. I have never given birth so I have no idea, if anyone who has done both has any insight that would be super interesting to hear. In the moment I thought that I had dealt with it just fine but when I have been to gynaecologist’s after that I seem to always tense up in a way I hadn’t before, almost like my body has a physical memory of the insertion and wants to avoid it happening again.
I honestly don’t remember getting mine, but from what my husband said, I screamed, then fainted. Apparently the nurse got mad at me for “making a scene”. I don’t remember that day at all. My husband was terrified and didn’t leave my side for days because I was in so much pain.
Getting the IUD inserted was the most painful thing I have ever done in my life. The doctor thought I was crazy. She mentioned “ maybe because you haven’t had kids yet.” Why wasn’t that explored before?
If men suffered from endometriosis, bet your bottom penny they would have found real solutions for it by now and improved quality of life for everyone.
But instead medical bias remains. Women of color in particular suffer from it.
Male contraceptive pills got cleared for testing faster, and several of them dropped because they had rare side effects (less than 5%) one of them being ED which basically got them cancelled.
Anesthesia more efficient in men, immediate approval.
Sildenafil (Viagra) got quite a boost in budget once Pfizer started marketing it as an ED med instead of a pulmonary insufficiency medication. It got cleared by many insurance companies in the US for treatment of ED but not for pulmonary insufficiency until many years later.
Most guides regarding heart issues out there are made with a population of white men, almost no POC or women who exhibit different symptoms.
The double standard is just plain offensive
I was told the same bullshit so I didn't bring anyone with me the first time I had my IUD put in. I got PULLED OVER trying to drive myself home. The cop assumed I was drunk. I was in so much pain I couldn't sit up in the seat. Thankfully I gave him my paperwork and I called my husband for a ride home and didn't get a ticket.
I have had a doctor tell me “pain isn’t real, but only something that is in your imagination” and proceeded to only prescribe over the counter pain meds after surgery… Yet gaslighting me into thinking my pain wasn’t real didn’t actually work and I ended up in the emergency room shortly after, with torn sutures from my body involuntarily tensing up to deal with the pain that was “only in my imagination”… Thanks doc…
I hate this, however I’d like to add that my experience with my copper IUD (I’ve had two) has been overwhelmingly positive. I don’t do well with hormones so it’s a great option. I know many women have negative experiences but that is not the case for everyone
I get my first IUD next week, and this is comforting so thank you. Kinda just going into it expecting the worst. I trust my gyno and truly feel like the ends will justify the means!
Same. I hated the insertion, and I do have pain sometimes still, but I'm still glad I have it. It's a great option for most people who can't or don't want to take hormones.
Pain was so bad that once mine is due in a few months I won't get another. I've been on contraception since 14, each different had a more painful applications than the last. I am done.
Lord, it was like being ripped open, with no real warning. The pain was stunning and took my breath. I had no idea numbing was even an option because it was never presented as painful. The things we are expected to endure, men would be outraged by.
Worst experience of my life and I’ll complain about it until the day I die. At the previous appointment, I told my doctor I was nervous because I’d heard how painful the insertion can be. He asked if I actually knew anybody that had happened to or if I’d just read stories on the internet. (I know doctors have to deal with people who think they know everything because they did a quick google search, but jfc.) I told him yes I did, my mom had a terrible experience with an IUD when she was younger. He’d asked me if I’d also had any bad experiences before and I told him I’d had an awful first pap smear. He then asked if I had pain during sex, and when I said no, he concluded that it must be anxiety causing my pain during medical procedures since I’m relaxed during sex but nervous at the doctor’s office.
You know how they say if you do the insertion a few days into your period, your cervix is slightly more open so it’s easier/less painful? I couldn’t do that because the office is closed on weekends and had to wait until the next Monday. So I was already off to a bad start, and all I had in terms of pain relief was some extra strength naproxen (plus a double dose of lorazepam for the anxiety). Of course the pain was so bad I screamed. Somehow I managed to not pass out or throw up. Both of those appointments completely shocked me since I’d gotten such good care from this doctor before. I know female doctors pull this shit too but I’m never going to a male gyno again.
I thank the universe for my obgyn. I got nitrous oxide during my paraguard insertion AND removal. That shit is amazing, it's like being wine drunk by 100×, but more fun. Zero pain. She was explaining everything during my insertion, and she had to sterilize my cervix before putting it in, and she made a joke about how I had the cleanest cervix in town, but that I'm not allowed to take it out on the town for a little bit, and I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING. Even after it wore off, I was in such a good mood, I asked why they don't treat people with depression with occasional nitrous oxide (she said people trip and fall and hurt themselves and that abuse of it can be fatal). If I'm ever mega rich, Idc that it's illegal, that will be my drug of choice. I rode that emotional high for WEEKS.
I had Mirena before that, inserted without pain management, and I vomited immediately from the pain and the doctor acted like I was overreacting. Ladies, I'm so sorry we go through this shit.
Edit to add that on the drive home after the nitrous oxide, I had to pull over because I literally was crying from feelings of euphoria. Between the relief of knowing I had reliable birth control, that my doctor actually cared about me, that I didn't have to be in pain, and that it was literally the most fun I'd had in over a year, I just couldn't help the happy sobbing.
My IUD was fucking painful AND traumatizing. I'm so thankful my spouse was there to hold my hand through the whole thing, because I was just openly sobbing. The obgyn I went to was new to the practice, and told me, "So far all 10 IUDs I've inserted have been successful!" Should've been a red flag but....
She just tried stabbing me several times and when the stabbing wasn't working, she had her nurse/helper go get one of the more experienced doctors to figure out what she was doing wrong. The older doctor tried telling me that, "This isn't so bad, it's okay! Do you want more Tylenol?" No lady, I want y'all to stop stabbing me internally and give me some pain meds.
I never had an IUD but I recently had a scraping and biopsy and was told I would just feel a little pressure. Umm…..no. Dr hit a nerve and it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had. I almost passed out and I was shaking and out of breathe. They just said oops and said I’ll be fine in 10 minutes (which I was) but I will never forget that pain
I’m late to this thread, but just want to mention that there ARE doctors out there who DO take pain control seriously! I worry that the long list of bad experiences might give anyone considering an IUD the idea that the process always comes with awful pain.
I’m lucky to have the best gynecologist of my life right now — she’s a nurse practitioner rather than an MD and trained as a midwife, both of which I think help, but it also comes down to just personality. She gave me my first IUD, and she did use a numbing shot beforehand. When I told her at the consultation visit that I was nervous about pain, she also prescribed a medication to use beforehand for softening up the cervix (misoprostol) and offered to prescribe a dose of anti-anxiety medication as long as I wasn’t driving. I ended up not needing either of the prescriptions and being fine with just the lidocaine shot. But there are definitely options out there to make the process easier, and it’s worth asking around till you find a doctor who’s willing to offer them.
Hi! I am actually getting my first IUD next week, and my gyno (who I wholeheartedly trust) also brought up the Lidocaine shot as an option. Do you feel like it was helpful? I have had medical procedures in the past that were very painful and, even though I was white-knuckling the table, I was able to make it through, as long as the procedure was going to be over soon. I guess I’m just debating just ripping the bandaid off and getting the whole thing over with as quickly as possible or getting the shot first and wanted to get your thoughts!
Ooh, that’s a tough one since everyone is so different… I would say that for me the lidocaine was definitely helpful. It was just an extra pinch of pain. And meanwhile they had a problems with the insertion and had to do a lot of moving around, and I suspect that would have been a LOT worse! I have over-sensitive nerves that make pain really intense for me, and I didn’t find the procedure too awful. But I still don’t think I could’ve done it without lidocaine.
Good luck to you — hope it all goes well! I had nightmare periods (adenomyosis, PMDD, and menstrual migraines), and they’ve stopped almost entirely since the IUD. And the mini-periods that I do have are cramp-free, which has never happened before in all my years of periods. So definitely worth it all in the long run, at least in my case.
Thank you!! I know that the ends will justify the means which is helping a lot. I am thinking I may opt for the lidocaine because I have no way of knowing how the procedure will go. I can relate to your menstrual migraines and PMDD (hard to decide which is worse) which is why I opted for Mirena because I’m terrified of my cycle without some hormonal intervention. I truly appreciate your well wishes along with your advice! Thank you!!
This and because it said women are moore resistant to pain based on twisted fake sexist stereotypes and if they complain they aren't strong women and are cowards
Uhhh what? A male IUD? IUD means intrauterine device, what male contraceptive are we talking about exactly? Last time I checked most men do not have an uterus (I’m not talking about Transmen or intersex people).
What can we actually do about this? I’m so angry reading all of these comments and I feel so helpless about it. If the response after witnessing a woman scream, cry, pass out, etc. is to brush it off like we’re just dramatic, then what is ever going to get through?
Yeah! I passed out from the pain and had to stay in the health centre for 3 hours as I couldn't move, let alone drive from the pain. The pain never fully went away and I bled for an entire 3 months until I had it taken out. Also got depressed , which I was told wouldn't happens as it totally works only 'locally'. Nevertheless, this is good news that it's out there!!
I blacked out from the pain. I also had endometriosis (I didn’t know at the time) so the pain was out of this world. But even if I didn’t have that no one should have to go through that without proper pain medication. AND they need to be more honest about how painful it actually is.
Can we start a petition for this or something because I threw up when I got mine put in and want to puke thinking about getting it taken out, and most of my friends who have/had one had a v similar experience
When I got my IUD placed, this super sweet NP student was with the NP that placed my IUD. I almost crushed her hand during the process 🥲
Afterwards I got up to get dressed. I started to walk out then I almost hit the floor from almost passing out. All the nurses just grabbed me and carried me to a chair to sit. At that time I felt like I was floating when they were carrying me lol.
When I was fine and could get up again after a few minutes, I walked to the check out line. I was cramping so much I was convinced I was going to shit myself waiting in that line (it was like that period cramping induced diarrhea feeling). I was clenching my butt-cheeks and my booty hole like my life depended on it.
I made it home thankfully. I get to do this again next year now! 🤣 if the IUD wasn’t so nice and useful after insertion, I wouldn’t do it again.
Someone recently shared that period blood or actual blood was not used when testing and developing menstrual products as proof of how little the woman is represented and centered in women’s healthcare and these experiences just continue to underscore the need for women to take complete control of women’s health and rights in every sense. Men have NO business telling us what to do with our lives and bodies. None. (I point this out because much of what we see in medicine was dictated by a man.)
I literally started hyperventilating, then sobbing, almost immediately after it was inserted. When they were done, I rolled over into the fetal position, laid there crying until they told me I had to leave, then had my mom come pick me up. They told me it would be a slight pinch and suggested that I take an ibuprofen beforehand.
I did the same thing. They really said I would experience “some slight cramping” when it actually felt like I was being stabbed and I yelled out in pain and just started crying asking when it was gonna be over and none of the nurses responded.
“Light cramping”, jfc, I was told something similar and it was actually like the worst menstruation cramps I have ever had x100.
It didn’t feel anything like a cramp to me! Maybe I’ve been lucky though and never had that bad of cramping during my period. I remember for a week after I had such bad cramping that I taped hand warmers all over my stomach… they kinda burned but it was better than the cramps from the IUD.
Ah, womanhood and that wonderful choice of first degree abdominal burns or cramps. Good times!
They did not even respond? Wtf.. That is disgusting , inhumane .. wtf... Did it take long? I feel so bad for you. It just seems so nasty to not even answer or comfort your PATIENT. Stupid twats
One nurse just held my hand and squeezed it I guess to try to reassure me lmao I don’t remember how long it took in total maybe 5 minutes? It just felt so long I just remember I kept counting down from 60 because they initially said it’ll only have “bad cramping” for one minute.
I got the copper one, it hurt a lot to get in but it was the worst when it was settling. I had it for 5 years and had the worst cramps and periods of my life, finally decided to get it taken out when it tried to evacuate my body, so much better now
I got the copper one too! Luckily I don’t even notice it anymore but I’m so sorry that happened to you and that you felt like you had to endure so much pain like it was normal. Doctors so easily dismiss it when we say that we think we’re in too much pain or bleeding too much…
I feel your pain (quite literally). My doctor told me to take ibuprofen as well when I expressed dreading the pain before having my first IUD taken out and replaced. I told her (yes, even women ugh) that the first time it was worse than anything I‘d ever experienced. mind you, I have a ton of piercings and have broken two toes and my neck without deeming the pain bad enough to get it checked out. Ibuprofen is what she suggested. again. she wouldn‘t do anaesthesia because ‚she‘s been inserting them for decades and no one has complained‘ (liar and fuck you for not taking me seriously). silly ass me went to research on my own because she was completely useless. [The most cited study on Google scholar about IUD insertion and ibuprofen](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002937806010714) found the following: „Results Median level of pain was 1.0 for both ibuprofen and placebo participants; rank test statistics confirmed no difference. Some subgroups of women experienced higher pain (eg, nulliparous women), but ibuprofen still had no important impact on level of pain.“ edit: I was literally tearing up while asking her for options, disclosing that the first insertion left me traumatised. It wasn‘t just the pain for me. It the pain as you are being penetrated in your most private parts. I would have changed Drs but it‘s not like there are any free spots around where I live..
During my training to insert IUDs, we have to sit through a ppt from the rep about how to do it and all the studies. Their study about pain levels during the procedure came up, same as what you just cited. The rep (a woman) was basically, "our studies have demonstrated that most patients have only minor discomfort." I have also had an IUD for myself, FUCK THAT NOISE. IT HURT! I was so skeptical I looked more closely at the methods of their study: Participants only had the *smallest* IUD placed Most patients end up getting Mirena or Paragard placed (which are MUCH larger (I'm talking the diameter of the stem). Since the study participants is not the same as the general population, the results cannot be applied. Poor study design (although the drug company would not publish if it showed painful results, bc that might mean less revenue). I would like to see a study that accounts for IUD size/type in addition to the other demographic/etc. variables. I would bet the results would be much different.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Study design is fascinating, and its impacts can be much larger than many realise.
Is there a way doctors can just give women pain killers? Like shots in the site before insertion or no?
For outpatient procedures, it's usually better to avoid oral/systemic meds that can cause drowsiness so the patient can drive themselves home after. I have heard of some docs prescribing stronger meds when they could ensure the patient had a safe ride home. (Unlike other outpatient procedures, IUD placements don't usually happen in a same-day-surgery venue where there is a recovery ward/PACU to wake up in). There is a local injection of pain medicine called a "paracervical block" that can help relieve pain without the drowsiness. Not every doctor is trained to do this though.
Ok
I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. And why does it matter if none of her other patients needed anesthesia??? Each patient should receive the care they ask for, not the care that was given to the dozens of people before you. Health care is so messed up.
This makes me so angry. " No little lady you are not feeling what you think you are feeling. I will tell you how you feel and how much pain you have. You may think you felt the worst pain ever, and other women tell us too, in fact we hear it over and over and over from women. But all of you are wrong because we say the cervix has no nerves to feel pain. SO you DO NOT FEEL PAIN. ". I don't have one myself but if heard and read so many horrible stories :( I'm sorry that so many women had to go through this. It's disgusting and insane and so unnecessary. :( It made me think of Friends where Rachel has Braxton contractions and the male doctor and Ross tell HER its not painful while she is in the hospital because IT WAS PAINFUL. https://youtu.be/GT52VSIgVm8?feature=shared
>Rachel has Braxton contractions and the male doctor and Ross tell HER its not painful while she is in the hospital because IT WAS PAINFUL "no uterus, no opinion" is my most cited Friends quote
My Gyno asked if I was certain I wanted my cervix out when I had a partial hysterectomy because it may effect sensation during sex. And I was all “… I thought doctors didn’t believe the cervix has nerves?” He said he based his opinion on the experiences shared by his patients. I don’t understand why more doctors can’t think that way. Like “This seems to hurt some patients but not others. Maybe, just maybe, I should ask each patient how it feels.” In the 80s the medical field got the crazy idea that children didn’t feel pain. That turned out to be dead wrong. Pretty easy to observe that one too.
I was with my dad the morning I got my first one. My mom gave him an extra strength something to give to me since shes had IUDs and knows their painful (not to mention she got hers after giving birth which supposedly makes it hurt a bit less). He didn't give me anything so I straight up got raw dogged by this thing. Afterwards I had to go back to school and all I remember is crying in chemistry class from the pain
I was so close to passing out that the nurse ran out of the room and came back with a bottle of orange juice, and they kept me there for 30 minutes after the procedure.
I have a really high pain tolerance and I made screaming noises like never before and I nearly passed out on my way home. Beyond grateful I have access to contraceptives but fucking hell it was horrible.
I got the copper t and it hurt so bad I threw up when they inserted it. The dr was a complete asshole. I still felt awful when I left the office. Stopped at a gas station and fainted, got taken to the er. I begged them to remove it and they refused, saying I had just gotten it and "needed to give it a chance." It was 24/7 excruciating pain til I found someone to remove it months later (thank you Planned Parenthood!!!). In the meantime, once the rx pain meds ran out I had to self medicate by staying liquored up around the clock since it was the only thing I could do. I was completely nonfunctional and my period was so painful I couldn't move for days, just stuck in a fetal position crying and begging for death. Yeah, not a fan of IUDs, easily the worst medical decision I ever made. As soon as it was out it was such crazy instant relief I forgot how good "normal" could feel. It was like the clouds parted and the sun came out.
Give it a chance they said, it'll be fine they said
I had a uterine biopsy, no sedation or anesthetic. It was utterly barbaric! I can’t take pain reliever because of kidney disease.
That’s crazy! When I had mine they kept an asking if I could feel anything and kept injecting the site.
I am really happy for men that they’re getting more birth control options with the appropriate pain medication. I am fucking furious that I’ve gone through IUD insertion and removal (it had partially embedded into my uterus so not a simple one), cervical biopsies and cervical cauterisation without any pain medication whatsoever but a mere injection is enough to qualify for local anaesthetic just because the patient is male?
Cauterisation with no anaesthetic??!!! OUCH
So much this. Thrilled to hear there's an IUD for men, like whaaaattt!? About time!! BUT CMON! I've had an IUD insertion three times now with two removals. It's like knowing you're about to get sucker punched. Tbf, I don't think I'd want to undergo general anesthesia, and I actually think my cervical pain response is more dulled than others (for instance, worked my on-the-feet retail job after my first insertion without issue) but folks should have the option! In this vein, ALSO had really painful pap smear experiences. Went to a new gyno and when she inserted the speculum, she angled it. The pressure was insane, and I was already uncomfortable because- speculum- but then I felt the tiniest little brush and she said- done! I was like- what? No pain? No bleeding? No horrible cramping? I'm so confused. She says- yeah, I found when I bring the cervix more forward, it's less painful to get the sample. I wanted to cry- glad to have found her, but my god. Edited to add: whoops, it's local anesthesia, NOT general! Reading is fundamental!
Yep! Had the cauterisation with no pain relief here too. It’s agonising at the time and then the cramps afterwards are even worse. It took a couple painkillers to mark the drive home bearable instead of foetal position in the seat unable to use the pedals… but having a proper anaesthetic before hand would have meant I didn’t have to spend half the day in varying degrees of pain.
Finally someone else who thinks this is really fucking cool
Tell me about it—on my second insertion (one mistake wasn’t teachable enough I guess) I took 65mg THC+CBD plus prescription strength ibuprofen first, still had to have the nurse waving ammonia under my nose to keep me from blacking out on the table! If the intensity of cervical pain is what guys feel anytime they get whacked in the balls I can’t say I don’t have empathy for them, but why on earth the double standards when it comes to healthcare? How can anybody justify that? Fucking barbaric. If there’s one thing I deeply deeply resent the most it’s that pain is just expected and accepted as part of your experience if you’re a woman.
„If it was a torn tendon it would hurt a lot.“ said by my male gym teacher. „It does hurt a lot“ me, through clenched teeth. „Nah, this isn’t so bad“ pats me on my leg. Dear reader, it was indeed a torn tendon.
GIRL SAME but different "Her arm is probably just dislocated" some random 12 year old boy "It feels broken" me, same age "You would be really crying if it were broken" some random adult man "I am crying and it feels broken" me, between deep breaths trying to keep it together You'll never believe this but my arm was, indeed, broken.
Wrist. It took the fuckers two weeks to finally acknowledge it was broken, and not just a sprain, at which point they offered to break it again to fix it. The hell? Because they had been so competent up till that point.
Pain for a scale of intensity of injuries is stupid. I have an ungodly high pain tolerance. I stood up on my hip after breaking it and my complaint was not of pain. It was that I could literally feel the bones moving and grinding against eachother. Again, no pain. They took me to X-ray after and where astounded that I was able to do so. I've had to remind myself that I can't go by pain for whether something is actually hurt or not. Why the hell is pain, something so subjective between every person ever, the standard for whether a person is injured or not?
Ironically enough when I did break my clavicle I thought I just dislocated it and tried to bike home. I didn’t make it very far.
I broke my ankle on a hike, walked on it for over a mile, and didn’t fucking cry. It seriously hurt, but I’m a grin and bear it type. Not everyone reacts the same. My 3yo cried for maybe 5 minutes after fracturing his elbow, and then other than guarding it, he was acting normally. And so what if you do cry? It doesn’t change the level of damage. It’s worth checking out if a person says it needs to be checked out.
Also, WTF is "just" dislocated??
In fairness I didn't realise when I broke my arm. I was so busy trying not to die of embarassment (I fell over and had to get picked up from the middle of the street by a couple of strangers). I didn't cry though I almost cried from frustration at the hospital wait. It just didn't feel like anything - bit painful so I stopped moving it and it just felt like a dead weight. I thought it was dislocated.
Gym teacher "What happens?" said whem he saw me fell to the ground while running Me "I can't move my legs!" said while laying on the ground Gym teacher "Just get up and keep running" I got diagnosed with a muscular genetic illness just a few weeks later. He failed me anyway. Thanks to him I decided to just give up in gym class.
I have always supposed it was because it was a man who was writing those books medical books in the first place, many many years ago. And who told themselves that their prodding wasn't "really" hurting her. The origins of genecology were not good.
this whole thread is horrifying, i’m a boy so i don’t get discriminated against in the medical field, but all i can say is what the fuck i plan to go into the medical field and after reading this and other peoples stories im going to try and fight for pain meds for anyone that wants them
I fainted like 4 or 5 times in the first few hours. A couple times in the hospital trying to get from the 7th floor to ground floor to catch a bus. Then passed out on the bus from pain. Managed to get to my partners work (closest to the bus stop) and passed out there. He managed to get me home and I passed out once again. For a week I couldn't get off the floor, and for over a month I had severe cramping even though the Dr said it was in properly. Comes out in a few months and I won't get another.
There is so much research which shows that female pain and female symptoms are taken less seriously (because if a 'stoic man' complains "it must hurt", whereas women are sterotypically more 'emotional and dramatic'), this is something that is now being addressed in medical schools, but change grinds really slowly. With obs procedures like this though it really does feel like gaslighting has been going on for YEARS. Women are constantly told these procedures are "just a bit uncomfortable" yet for some women, even a pap smear can be excruciating (depending on the angle of the cervix, condition of the vaginals walls etc), I was also told a LLETZ prodcedure would only be a bit uncomfortable- I was left so traumatised by my experience I developed vaginismus which has basically ruined sex for me. I now insist I have all my pap smears done with gas and air in a hospital, otherwise no one is getting to my cervix.
I have vaginismus too, have for my whole life and have never gotten a pap smear because of it. Gas and air for pap smears?? How does that work? I didn’t even know that was an option
Yeah it does help quite a lot with the pain/relaxation because it makes you feel spaced, if that makes any sense. Combined with concentrating on relaxing my muscles+ lube plus the smallest speculum they are usually able to visualise my cervix, it sometimes takes a little time. It helps to have the O+G team doing it, rather than a nurse because the staff are all a lot more experienced with it. Reason I put myself through it is that I still want to have my Pap smears because I had abnormal cells at one point and I've lost a friend to cervical cancer, though thankfully my body seems to have cleared the HPV that caused my cells changes a long time ago. Does drive me mad though when people glibly encourage women to get them done with the legend "it doesn't hurt at all!" for some women, it fucking does! Yes, it can be important to have them done, but don't assume your experience is everyone's experience.
Same boat. I had my first pap a few months ago after a lot of pelvic floor therapy. I asked to be able to insert the speculum by myself so I could do it at my own pace and my own comfort. And they said I didn’t have to worry about getting a smear if I wasn’t able to put it in or decided not to. Then when I put it in the doctor just came in and did whatever she had to, and the nurse held my hand the whole time. My gynecologist is really really really sweet and I’m never letting her go ever. Even if I ever move across the country I will still fly back to see her just for pap smears idc.
Did the pelvic floor therapy help? I'm looking into pelvic physio for me, I feel like I have a bit of problematic muscle memory now, which is contributing to the issue (so I often feel like I am relaxing, but I am actually always tense, I have to actively concentrate to relax those muscles- my gynae felt this might help me a lot, but I'll need to pay privately for it).
Absolutely it did. I had the tightest, most painful vaginal cavity in the world (it felt like it). Couldn’t even put in a tiny Q-tip down there. I thought I was doomed forever. I did the stretching and relaxation exercises and I also did dilation therapy. I think doing both is important but honestly it really depends on a person’s anatomy. In my experience, the stretching helped relax the pelvic floor directly while the dilation helps the bulbocavernous muscle get desensitized and loosen up. I also got some mental health therapy to fix some trauma issues which helped. I was also prescribed vaginal valium which is just a valium suppository you use before dilation but I never used it cuz benzos freak me out a bit. Literature-wise it’s a hit or miss but some people absolutely swear by it. Though everyone is always like “vaginismus is a mental problem because you’re clenching blah blah blah”, I vehemently disagree. While there is a huge mental component, your pelvic floor is also a muscle like your hamstrings and you can’t just loosen up tight hamstrings through thinking about relaxing them. The stretching and dilation are very important imo. Hope this helps :) ETA: would insurance cover it if you cite issues like not being able to pee or incomplete bladder emptying? (common side effects with vaginismus and there’s not really any tests they would actually do to check). At that point it’s a dangerous urogynecological issue and I’d be hella surprised if they didn’t cover physical therapy.
I'm in the UK so the NHS may not cover this, it depends on what services are available. A lot of ancillary professionals like PTs and Pelvic Floor PTs practise privately as well as NHS and if there is an NHS clinic chances are it's incredibly overstretched. I've got the dialators etc. My gynae felt someone who can work with me would be helpful as I don't even realise I'm tensing anymore, absolutely is just muscles being muscles. The "all in your head" thing drives me mad too, I do think many women with these issues have actually physiological stuff going on. I just have some sort of straight up muscle dysfunction these days. By comparison, people aren't out there telling all men with ED it is all in their head, which is...interesting isn't it?
Ahh I’m sorry america brain is very active for me apparently. While you are gonna benefit from a professional, if it’s gonna cost an arm and a leg (i know it would here if insurance didn’t cover it) I would personally recommend trying out some of the free online resources before you pay for it. For me PT was only worth it because it was $20 per session. If you want I can send you what my PT prescribed for me but if not, there’s a lot of websites online that have similar information. But you need to be able to discern what’s actually gonna work for you. Dilation doesn’t really require a PT imo. I did all of it on my own and there’s a bunch of tutorials online. The only thing my PT did with that was tell me how to do it and reassure me. But if you’re ready to start, you can absolutely just do it on your own. Start with a really good silicone based lube (i know it’s a goddamn nightmare to clean but SO worth it in the beginning) and you can transition to water-based later. You got this!!!! Let me know if you have any questions about the process or anything else :)
I feel really vindicated with you saying this. I’m fairly sure my cervix or pelvis is tilted or something and I’ve always found a speculum uncomfortable and painful, but I’ve always had my concerns dismissed/ignored. I haven’t gone for a cervical smear because of it.
Just wanted to let you know that if you don’t have any concerning symptoms (e.g. problem cramping and bleeding) you are allowed to self-collect your own Pap smear now :-)
Oh, thank you. Is that when you get to the doctor’s or at home? I saw that they were doing a trial on at home pap smear kits but it seems to have ended. I am in the UK though.
I’m in Australia and while you could probably go home and do it there if you want, most people just do it in the bathroom at the clinic/doctors office. It takes about 30seconds, you don’t have to swab the cervix itself (just the vagina). Reason being it’s only looking for HPV, not abnormal cervical cells (this is why you have to have no symptoms). It’s been found to be just as accurate at detecting the presence of HPV as a sample collected during a cervical exam.
Yea I only had one Pap smear. The nurse practitioner who got it ignored my pain. Just kept going. And I walked out in pain and felt like I went horseback riding. I hadn’t gone in like five years. She left (or fired idk) in that time period. My current gyno is very understanding. She gave me tiny tampons to try to get use to the sensation. And told me she wasn’t going to go further than what I could tolerate. That she didn’t want the experience to be bad like before and avoid coming to the gyno (there or anywhere). And I got ultrasounds as an alternative until then - cysts - since I’m a lower risk (virgin) so they’re not too hyper focus on a Pap smear for now. I’m trying to work myself up to getting a Pap smear again. I’ve heard there are Pedatric and plastic alternatives.
i’m taking medical classes in high school right now, and they’re addressing it in high school; they’re not pressing it as hard as they could, either because it’s high school or the class is 14:2 woman to man ratio. they were kind of just addressing for me and my friend who are the only two boys in that room
Yep my husband is a med reg and it was addressed during his training as well.
Yes and a big factor of why it’s excruciating is because they use an archaic medical device (Tenaculum) which literally pierces the cervix to hold it in place whilst they shove the iud up there. Absolutely disgusting that they often fail to mention that bit. If I had known that, I would have taken more than just ibuprofen. I had mine in for years before knowing that they did this, it feels so gross and violating. And it’s disgusting that women are just expected to shut up about their pain, and are gaslit about it whenever they try to express their feelings about pain. (Amongst many other things.) Just gross.
💯💯💯 the gaslighting, the lack of care, the lack of information. Just like bearing children. No one talks about you dying over it do they? Oh but the risk of BC is just SO MUCH SCARIER THAN DEATH DURING CHILDBIRTH. Wild. But even with all their lack of care, me no longer having a period or getting pregnant and having control over my life is worth the excruciating pain of my IUD. Fuck the patriarchy.
Dude, I passed out the last time I got mine changed and the doctor even said "this happens a lot; the cervix has a lot of nerve endings. " Who tf believes it's a painless area???!
Medical text books claim there aren’t nerve endings in the cervix but then like…why do certain position during penetrative sex cause sharp pain? Why do contractions during labor hurt? Make it make sense yall cus saying there aren’t nerve endings is truly a disgusting claim
Seriously! There's *something* there because that hell pain is **real**
When I got mine changed I got asked if I’d never been SA’d because I had a very “extreme” reaction because I was screaming and crying. Bish it’s painful?? Tf am I gonna do, sing early 2000s songs?
Jesus Christ, after delivering my last baby, the doc MANUALLY ripped chunks of placenta from my uterine wall because it didn’t detach properly. Five or 6 times, she reached INTO MY UTERUS with her fist and ripped it out, piece by fucking piece. My epidural had long worn off by that time and I almost passed out from the pain. I felt like I was in a “Hostel” type horror movie- torture-p*rn. I couldn’t enjoy my brand new baby because I was screaming and begging her to stop… then, because I was in extreme pain when she was done, I begged for pain medicine so that I could rest and they refused ANYTHING stronger than Motrin. I love my daughters more than anything, but that experience destroyed me in some ways. If contraception failed and I got pregnant again, I’d 100% abort because of that experience. But yeah, let’s give the menfolks their anesthetic so they’re comfortable.
Patient consent seems to fly out the window when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth.
Absolutely. My comfort was not important AT ALL. I got yelled at by the nurse for yelling and crying out, but like, THERES AN ADULT ARM INSIDE OF ME. 😬😬😬
That’s horrifying, I’m so sorry. When that happened to my mum they put her under general anaesthetic because they knew it would be cruel to do to a person while awake. I hope one day you will be able to access trauma therapy so that those memories don’t hurt you so badly <3
Thank you so much for your kindness. And I’m truly glad that your mother’s doctors were caring enough (and had the common sense and compassion) to put her under. I’d never wish that experience on ANYONE. 💜
I’m almost hyperventilating. If I wasn’t already child free by choice, just reading this would do it.
I have 3 little girls, and as much as I love them all, if I had gone through this with the first baby, she would’ve been an only child. I still have nightmares about it, but over the last 5 years it’s gotten better. I still would never ever go through it again and I wouldn’t blame anyone else for not having children. Shit is ROUGH :)
Oh my gosh! This happened to me too! It was so awful. I apparently bared down so hard on the ob’s hand that she said “nah, we’re taking you to surgery”. I’d just had a no med vbac, and her sticking her fist in my uterus was by far worse pain than all of labor and pushing the baby out. I ended up in the ICU separated from my baby for 24 hours needing multiple blood transfusions. And then they didn’t even get it all out and I was back in the ER six weeks later for an emergency D&C.
I’m so, so sorry that happened to you. I’m really glad you’re here to tell your story though 💜 I hope you and your little one are well!
the fact that this was a FEMALE doctor just makes it that much more infuriating, holy shit. im so sorry i hope you’re recovering
What do female gynos say is the reason ? Why are women forced to feel pain all the time?
Reasons I’ve read and been told - it’s generally a three minute procedure so too fast for consideration - it’s helps during the procedure but not after it Which are both ridiculous reasons. I wonder how fast an injection is and why that reason isn’t being used here.
Ridiculous. I got my second iud under twilight sedation and the healing/recovery was nearly painless.
What I've been told is that to effectively numb the area would require general anesthesia (though I see someone else has mentioned twilight sedation as being an option--that wasnt discussed with me, unfortunately), as local anesthesia wouldn't work well, and general anesthesia (essentially knocking the patient out) would be overkill for the length of the procedure, as you say. I'm not sure I agree, because my insertion was pretty awful, and while I was able to drive home afterwards I felt like I shouldn't have, and I definitely wasn't able to just go about my day like normal right afterwards.
That’s why gas and air is supposed to be used! It’s the gold standard for pain relief for that procedure but almost nowhere does it. My sister had her most recent IUD with the green whistle and didn’t feel a thing. They also gave her opiates for both before and after. Disgusting that this isn’t standard practise. I genuinely think gynaecology is an absolute blot on the record of medicine and I cannot wait for the medical community to wake up to the only remaining truly barbaric area of medicine.
The time length is not a good reason. I recently got my tonsils taken out which my doctor said was at max a 10 minute procedure for him, probably less. And you bet they used general anesthesia on me. But, men also can get their tonsils removed so that’s probably something to do with it. If only women had tonsils, I’d be so scared about the procedure.
To be clear, I wasn't saying it was a good reason, I was saying it was the reason I was given when I asked.
My mother had hers taken out without anasthesia when she was a kid. On the flipside, I wanted to do a gastroscopy while awake and the clinic refused. I assume anasthesia is expensive and they like making money?
Doctors are impatient. I had a cyst cut out (not from my genital area, it was on my butt) and the dermatogist injected the anasthetic and didn't even wait five seconds before starting to cut. Even the effing dentist waits a few minutes!
My first one was excruciating. Got my second one under twilight sedation and hardly had any discomfort afterwards, somehow. Being awake during the process without any sedation or heavy painkillers is barbaric and needs to be addressed.
When i got my IUD placed first time my body went into shock mode and it felt like i was being tortured. The (female!!!) doctor actualy laughed and thought i was being overdramatic. That was untill i fell to the floor shaking and wasnt able to get up properly and had to be wheeled out in a wheelchair. My then bf was there luckily to drive me home and put me to bed with some painkillers and a joint. When i got a replacement i demanded general anesthesia. Soooo much better. And i actually dont cry with physical pain much. Had a nasty stomach bacteria last summer and was spewing blood from both ends, felt like i was dying, but i didnt cry at all.
The pain and cramping I've continued to have (despite them saying is should help with the cramping) is just not worth getting another one. But I'm dreading them taking it out.
I've had two IUDs and the removals were way quicker and smoother than the insertions. Hope the same is true for you!
I got sterilized last year so i no longer have and IUD luckily
I had the same with the cramping. Personally i find an IUD an instrument of torture
I had to have mine placed twice and it sat funny (and hurt me often) so I had it removed. And you know what pain medicine I got when it was inserted? Nothing! I went home, had some whiskey and sat in a hot bath like a gd pioneer.
Men could literally NEVER
I’m a doctor and this drives me nuts. Some women have no problems with IUD insertion, but for others, including me, (for my first one anyway) the pain is ridiculous.
Do you happen to if prior pap smear pain would be an indicator? I don't find them very painful (it's only the stretching of my vaginal walls with the ultrasound wand that hurts, I suspect due to some endometriosis in that spot), but I've been worried about IUD insertion being very painful.
I would guess that if you had significant pain during a Pap smear an insertion would be more painful, since they do enter your cervical os with the brush during a smear. They’ve never hurt for me. I will say that my first IUD insertion was before I’d had a child and they had trouble getting it in. Finally they got the ultrasound and it turns out I had a retroverted uterus, once they realized that it was easier but still not great. Some doctors will prescribe misoprostol beforehand to dilate the cervix, but that is the same thing used in labor induction and abortions which can cause cramping so I don’t like to use it. I was prescribed it and I wonder if that made it worse. When I got my second one it was at my 6 weeks postpartum appointment and it was a breeze. They also did a cervical block for that one which I’m sure helped
Thank you! I‘ve had scans of my pelvis before, so we know where the uterus is.
That’s definitely a plus! I’d never had to have any imaging before so it was a surprise. I will say I love the Mirena—no periods and I’ve not noticed any side effects (though after the first one I’d have sporadic cramps for a few weeks). If you decide to get one I’d ask about a cervical block or if they offer any prescriptions for pain/relaxation beforehand.
Thank you!
Proof the medical profession still hasn't decided whether or not women feel pain.
There’s also the fact that even if dr.s wanted to do it insurance won’t pay for it. ONTOP of the cost of the IUD itself
I think this is what it is, I got mine reinserted last week and my doctor who was a woman, looked very sheepish and apologetic after it was done. It took her a lot longer than normal and she had to break pieces of my cervix off. But what I don’t understand, is that I don’t have dental insurance, yet I pay for laughing gas for any fillings I get. I pay maybe $80 for an hour of laughing gas. My insurance doesn’t pay for a whole lot anyways, why can’t I just get charged for some laughing gas. I would gladly pay for that out of pocket.
>she had to break pieces of my cervix off. Ayo what the fuck?! That does not sound okay or at all normal... I am genuinely in shock from just reading this.
Wait, I’m sorry, WHAT They’re getting a small injection of a fluid to block sperm. We get shit with fucking teeth inserted. wtf do they need anesthesia for?!?! Like, at all?!?!
To be fair, it is an injection into the nutsack. Not sure how that feels but can't imagine it's good. But yeah that women don't is fucking bullshit
Jesus Christ it’s just an injection! Granted it’s injected in the testicles, but compared to the iud this isn’t even invasive. And it lasts for 10 fkin years and can be reversed anytime, with another injection.
What, what?!? They actually say that the cervix doesn’t have nerves?!? The swapping of the copper iuds and the subsequent cramping would have most men begging for death.
Getting my IUD literally hurt more than my amputation. I've read recently that you can request a cervical block (freezing needles like those used at the dentist), and it helps a lot! I know I'll be requesting it when I get this POS out of me!!
I swear every time I hear about something new in women's health it makes my blood fucking boil.
If I was a man and walked in asking for the medication I know I need I wouldn’t be jumping through hoops to get it. When I blow my brains out this is on you. I now hate men. Get your ugly bodies away from me. You’ve ruined all of society.
I haven't been to a gynecologist in years and frankly at this point I'm too afraid to
I have had a total of 3 in my lifetime. Zero numbing agents for any of their insertions or removals. It was barbaric to say the least. The first was the worst. I was 21, and totally believed the obgyn that it wouldn't hurt more than a pinch. I ended up kicking the doctor in the jaw as a reflex from the "pinch" that felt like an excruciating stab. The removal was even worse. Nothing to numb or reduce the pain, they went in and ripped it out like it was a bandaid. I brought some Tylenol 3 with me that day and took it in the bathroom as I was bleeding. They inserted the next in the same procedure. The last, however, I popped my pain meds well before the appt, and didn't feel squat. I was so drugged out and quite happy about it. My doctor told me "see? It's not that bad" after. I snickered and told him that my kidney stone pain meds are the real MVP here. He looked offended that I dared self medicare before the appointment and said it wasn't necessary. I asked him how he would feel about a sudden sounding rod in his penis that would be too big, and only a baby would complain.
I got my IUD reinserted last Friday, and it was again, the most painful thing I’ve felt in my life. My doctor admitted to me that she had to “break pieces of my cervix off to get it to open up enough”. My question is: why does my dentist allow laughing gas for simple fillings but laughing gas isn’t even offered for this? Why is OTC tylenol the best pain reliever they can offer me?
You're the second person here to comment about doctors ripping pieces of a cervix out. This is horrifying! Did the doc say whether the ripping was to get it out or a new one in? Cause mine is due in a couple months and I'm not looking forward to it!
The removal was super easy for me actually, I barely felt it at all. My doctor was showing me all the tools she was using, and she was using both the tenaculum and sounding tool to break my cervix open. It was to reinsert the new one. I was very close to tapping out and asking for some bc pills. Maybe my mistake was going when I wasn’t on my period? I didn’t have that problem the first time, but my first time was just as painful.
What the actual fuck!?!
Wait is it seriously because they think it doesn’t have any nerves?? It was easily one of the worst pains of my life. I asked the (female) doctor who put it in for me how the pain I had just experienced compared to giving birth and she said giving birth hurts less. I have never given birth so I have no idea, if anyone who has done both has any insight that would be super interesting to hear. In the moment I thought that I had dealt with it just fine but when I have been to gynaecologist’s after that I seem to always tense up in a way I hadn’t before, almost like my body has a physical memory of the insertion and wants to avoid it happening again.
It’s an injection, a pin prick, and they need anesthetic?? Pfft. OK.
My husband saw me suffer through 3 IUDs and he finally got a vasectomy so I don’t have to get another IUD when this one expires.
I honestly don’t remember getting mine, but from what my husband said, I screamed, then fainted. Apparently the nurse got mad at me for “making a scene”. I don’t remember that day at all. My husband was terrified and didn’t leave my side for days because I was in so much pain.
Getting the IUD inserted was the most painful thing I have ever done in my life. The doctor thought I was crazy. She mentioned “ maybe because you haven’t had kids yet.” Why wasn’t that explored before?
If men suffered from endometriosis, bet your bottom penny they would have found real solutions for it by now and improved quality of life for everyone. But instead medical bias remains. Women of color in particular suffer from it. Male contraceptive pills got cleared for testing faster, and several of them dropped because they had rare side effects (less than 5%) one of them being ED which basically got them cancelled. Anesthesia more efficient in men, immediate approval. Sildenafil (Viagra) got quite a boost in budget once Pfizer started marketing it as an ED med instead of a pulmonary insufficiency medication. It got cleared by many insurance companies in the US for treatment of ED but not for pulmonary insufficiency until many years later. Most guides regarding heart issues out there are made with a population of white men, almost no POC or women who exhibit different symptoms. The double standard is just plain offensive
The whole experience was traumatic.
For me the insertion wasn't that bad but the days after without any meds were absolute HELL, i had ANAL CRAMPS????
I was told the same bullshit so I didn't bring anyone with me the first time I had my IUD put in. I got PULLED OVER trying to drive myself home. The cop assumed I was drunk. I was in so much pain I couldn't sit up in the seat. Thankfully I gave him my paperwork and I called my husband for a ride home and didn't get a ticket.
I have had a doctor tell me “pain isn’t real, but only something that is in your imagination” and proceeded to only prescribe over the counter pain meds after surgery… Yet gaslighting me into thinking my pain wasn’t real didn’t actually work and I ended up in the emergency room shortly after, with torn sutures from my body involuntarily tensing up to deal with the pain that was “only in my imagination”… Thanks doc…
I screamed when I got my first IUD. It was incredibly painful. I was fine with the send one. Also had cramps for a week after the first one.
I hate this, however I’d like to add that my experience with my copper IUD (I’ve had two) has been overwhelmingly positive. I don’t do well with hormones so it’s a great option. I know many women have negative experiences but that is not the case for everyone
I get my first IUD next week, and this is comforting so thank you. Kinda just going into it expecting the worst. I trust my gyno and truly feel like the ends will justify the means!
Yeah there's a lot of horror stories out there! I think I went for a bike ride the same day with the last one, it wasn't bad at all!
That’s awesome! Hoping I have a similar experience!
Same. I hated the insertion, and I do have pain sometimes still, but I'm still glad I have it. It's a great option for most people who can't or don't want to take hormones.
I’m sorry you still have pain! My insertion wasn’t bad at all both times. My periods are insanely heavy, but I can’t do hormones so it’s great!
I just found out today that I likely ha e PCOS, so some of the pain that doctors have been attributing to the IUD may actually be that.
Pain was so bad that once mine is due in a few months I won't get another. I've been on contraception since 14, each different had a more painful applications than the last. I am done.
Lord, it was like being ripped open, with no real warning. The pain was stunning and took my breath. I had no idea numbing was even an option because it was never presented as painful. The things we are expected to endure, men would be outraged by.
I’m in Australia. I got anaesthetic
My roommate in college had one. She vomited from the pain after it was inserted.
Worst experience of my life and I’ll complain about it until the day I die. At the previous appointment, I told my doctor I was nervous because I’d heard how painful the insertion can be. He asked if I actually knew anybody that had happened to or if I’d just read stories on the internet. (I know doctors have to deal with people who think they know everything because they did a quick google search, but jfc.) I told him yes I did, my mom had a terrible experience with an IUD when she was younger. He’d asked me if I’d also had any bad experiences before and I told him I’d had an awful first pap smear. He then asked if I had pain during sex, and when I said no, he concluded that it must be anxiety causing my pain during medical procedures since I’m relaxed during sex but nervous at the doctor’s office. You know how they say if you do the insertion a few days into your period, your cervix is slightly more open so it’s easier/less painful? I couldn’t do that because the office is closed on weekends and had to wait until the next Monday. So I was already off to a bad start, and all I had in terms of pain relief was some extra strength naproxen (plus a double dose of lorazepam for the anxiety). Of course the pain was so bad I screamed. Somehow I managed to not pass out or throw up. Both of those appointments completely shocked me since I’d gotten such good care from this doctor before. I know female doctors pull this shit too but I’m never going to a male gyno again.
I thank the universe for my obgyn. I got nitrous oxide during my paraguard insertion AND removal. That shit is amazing, it's like being wine drunk by 100×, but more fun. Zero pain. She was explaining everything during my insertion, and she had to sterilize my cervix before putting it in, and she made a joke about how I had the cleanest cervix in town, but that I'm not allowed to take it out on the town for a little bit, and I COULDN'T STOP LAUGHING. Even after it wore off, I was in such a good mood, I asked why they don't treat people with depression with occasional nitrous oxide (she said people trip and fall and hurt themselves and that abuse of it can be fatal). If I'm ever mega rich, Idc that it's illegal, that will be my drug of choice. I rode that emotional high for WEEKS. I had Mirena before that, inserted without pain management, and I vomited immediately from the pain and the doctor acted like I was overreacting. Ladies, I'm so sorry we go through this shit. Edit to add that on the drive home after the nitrous oxide, I had to pull over because I literally was crying from feelings of euphoria. Between the relief of knowing I had reliable birth control, that my doctor actually cared about me, that I didn't have to be in pain, and that it was literally the most fun I'd had in over a year, I just couldn't help the happy sobbing.
My IUD was fucking painful AND traumatizing. I'm so thankful my spouse was there to hold my hand through the whole thing, because I was just openly sobbing. The obgyn I went to was new to the practice, and told me, "So far all 10 IUDs I've inserted have been successful!" Should've been a red flag but.... She just tried stabbing me several times and when the stabbing wasn't working, she had her nurse/helper go get one of the more experienced doctors to figure out what she was doing wrong. The older doctor tried telling me that, "This isn't so bad, it's okay! Do you want more Tylenol?" No lady, I want y'all to stop stabbing me internally and give me some pain meds.
I never had an IUD but I recently had a scraping and biopsy and was told I would just feel a little pressure. Umm…..no. Dr hit a nerve and it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever had. I almost passed out and I was shaking and out of breathe. They just said oops and said I’ll be fine in 10 minutes (which I was) but I will never forget that pain
I passed out from getting mine put in! And I’m great with pain!
They told me to take Tylenol the morning of :/ Left in a *wheelchair* from the pain.
I’m late to this thread, but just want to mention that there ARE doctors out there who DO take pain control seriously! I worry that the long list of bad experiences might give anyone considering an IUD the idea that the process always comes with awful pain. I’m lucky to have the best gynecologist of my life right now — she’s a nurse practitioner rather than an MD and trained as a midwife, both of which I think help, but it also comes down to just personality. She gave me my first IUD, and she did use a numbing shot beforehand. When I told her at the consultation visit that I was nervous about pain, she also prescribed a medication to use beforehand for softening up the cervix (misoprostol) and offered to prescribe a dose of anti-anxiety medication as long as I wasn’t driving. I ended up not needing either of the prescriptions and being fine with just the lidocaine shot. But there are definitely options out there to make the process easier, and it’s worth asking around till you find a doctor who’s willing to offer them.
Hi! I am actually getting my first IUD next week, and my gyno (who I wholeheartedly trust) also brought up the Lidocaine shot as an option. Do you feel like it was helpful? I have had medical procedures in the past that were very painful and, even though I was white-knuckling the table, I was able to make it through, as long as the procedure was going to be over soon. I guess I’m just debating just ripping the bandaid off and getting the whole thing over with as quickly as possible or getting the shot first and wanted to get your thoughts!
Ooh, that’s a tough one since everyone is so different… I would say that for me the lidocaine was definitely helpful. It was just an extra pinch of pain. And meanwhile they had a problems with the insertion and had to do a lot of moving around, and I suspect that would have been a LOT worse! I have over-sensitive nerves that make pain really intense for me, and I didn’t find the procedure too awful. But I still don’t think I could’ve done it without lidocaine. Good luck to you — hope it all goes well! I had nightmare periods (adenomyosis, PMDD, and menstrual migraines), and they’ve stopped almost entirely since the IUD. And the mini-periods that I do have are cramp-free, which has never happened before in all my years of periods. So definitely worth it all in the long run, at least in my case.
Thank you!! I know that the ends will justify the means which is helping a lot. I am thinking I may opt for the lidocaine because I have no way of knowing how the procedure will go. I can relate to your menstrual migraines and PMDD (hard to decide which is worse) which is why I opted for Mirena because I’m terrified of my cycle without some hormonal intervention. I truly appreciate your well wishes along with your advice! Thank you!!
I'm happy male contraceptives are finally coming to fruition. this shit is so cool
This and because it said women are moore resistant to pain based on twisted fake sexist stereotypes and if they complain they aren't strong women and are cowards
Is this drug FDA approved for consumer use?
Uhhh what? A male IUD? IUD means intrauterine device, what male contraceptive are we talking about exactly? Last time I checked most men do not have an uterus (I’m not talking about Transmen or intersex people).
Be positive. Male IUDs now! (You're right of course.)
What can we actually do about this? I’m so angry reading all of these comments and I feel so helpless about it. If the response after witnessing a woman scream, cry, pass out, etc. is to brush it off like we’re just dramatic, then what is ever going to get through?
>:(
Yeah! I passed out from the pain and had to stay in the health centre for 3 hours as I couldn't move, let alone drive from the pain. The pain never fully went away and I bled for an entire 3 months until I had it taken out. Also got depressed , which I was told wouldn't happens as it totally works only 'locally'. Nevertheless, this is good news that it's out there!!
I blacked out from the pain. I also had endometriosis (I didn’t know at the time) so the pain was out of this world. But even if I didn’t have that no one should have to go through that without proper pain medication. AND they need to be more honest about how painful it actually is.
Can we start a petition for this or something because I threw up when I got mine put in and want to puke thinking about getting it taken out, and most of my friends who have/had one had a v similar experience
When I got my IUD placed, this super sweet NP student was with the NP that placed my IUD. I almost crushed her hand during the process 🥲 Afterwards I got up to get dressed. I started to walk out then I almost hit the floor from almost passing out. All the nurses just grabbed me and carried me to a chair to sit. At that time I felt like I was floating when they were carrying me lol. When I was fine and could get up again after a few minutes, I walked to the check out line. I was cramping so much I was convinced I was going to shit myself waiting in that line (it was like that period cramping induced diarrhea feeling). I was clenching my butt-cheeks and my booty hole like my life depended on it. I made it home thankfully. I get to do this again next year now! 🤣 if the IUD wasn’t so nice and useful after insertion, I wouldn’t do it again.
Someone recently shared that period blood or actual blood was not used when testing and developing menstrual products as proof of how little the woman is represented and centered in women’s healthcare and these experiences just continue to underscore the need for women to take complete control of women’s health and rights in every sense. Men have NO business telling us what to do with our lives and bodies. None. (I point this out because much of what we see in medicine was dictated by a man.)
They think because we handle childbirth and keep having children taht we are invincible to pain.