Thread: Can't find IUD stings?!

Hey well I just got home from the dr's I have to go for a ultrasound on Thursday to find the iud.. they kinda laughed and said oh.. it's just lost.. no worries! Ok really, where in the heck can it go?? So I didn't take a preggo test I didnt know that I should but from reading on here I guess I need to huh? Geez.. why can't people get this birth control thing right?

Originally Posted by kimnee2

Hey well I just got home from the dr's I have to go for a ultrasound on Thursday to find the iud.. they kinda laughed and said oh.. it's just lost.. no worries! Ok really, where in the heck can it go?? So I didn't take a preggo test I didnt know that I should but from reading on here I guess I need to huh? Geez.. why can't people get this birth control thing right?

Well good thing you are having it out! I have a mirena for the past yr and nothing but problems... Its so scary cause they can move and get imbedded in the uterine wall or diff places... not trying to scare you but Im glad you are taking ot out... when I get the $$$ im gonna have mine taken out.... It causes weight gain and all other kinds of problems .... ladies here go check out the curezone.com site on the mirena iud like 35 pages of nothing but bad stuff.... thats why i want mine out!

Good luck and i will be prayn for you... GOD BLESS

I got my IUD (Mirena) inserted 6 months after my second child was born. Since the IUD was inserted, I never felt the string. I wasn't too worried about it because I read that some people cannot feel the string but the IUD is still in place. Finally, a month after it was inserted, I called my OBGYN to tell her that I cannot find the string. She called me in the office for the next day to do a visual check. She couldn't find it either. So she sent me to get trans vaginal ultrasound but the tech couldn't find it. Finally, she sent me for an x-ray and they found it in the abdomen area. As soon as the doc got the result of the x-ray, she called me into the office to talk about it. She told me that my uterus is tilted and it's not a straight shot from cervix to the uterus (which is pretty common). So when a midwife inserted the IUD, it went from the cervix, straight into my abdomen. At the time of insertion, I did have pain but I thought it was typical and I took ibuprofen when I got home. It was a little uncomfortable for a few days but after a few days, I could not feel it anymore.

The doctor set me up for a surgery for the next day to remove the IUD via laparascopy. She told me that it needed to come out ASAP because if the IUD moved around in my body and damage organs, it could be really bad. I had to have general anesthesia for it. I am still nursing my baby and she doesn't take the bottle so I was worried about what's going to happen to her. As it turns out, I was able to confirm with a lactation consultant as well as the anesthesiologist that I could nurse the baby as soon as I feel relatively normal and hold my baby. So soon after surgery, I pumped and dumped once at the hospital and I went back to nursing her.

As I write this, I am quite calm about it because it's all over. But at that time, I was frightened since I had never had any surgery and never imagined that my IUD would be lost (1 in 1000 chance as stated in the Mirena brochure). I asked the doc how often IUDs get lost and she told me that this year alone, she has already done 3 surgeries to remove IUD - it's only March.... (The OBGYN I go to has 7 doctors and 4 midwives and two office so it's not a small clinic)

Even though I would never get the IUD again, I am not totally opposed to Mirena. Just be prepared for the consequences. And make sure that the person who is inserting the IUD into you is skilled and know where your uterus is. If the IUD is lost, call the doctor immediately!!!

Oddly enough, I found this sight while I was searching for long-term effects of iud's. I never knew these horror stories existed. I chose the Paragard copper T iud after some extensive research 6 years ago. I was unable to take birth control pills and knew from that that I couldn't have hormones from any other source (Depo, Mirena, Norplant) in my body. When I discovered the copper T, it was a miracle.

So I researched the effects of copper on the body. Lack of copper=grey hair and wrinkles...so extra copper must mean no grey hair or wrinkles! Since I didn't have insurance, I called around and found that the women's clinic would perform my initial visit and insertion visit for under $200 total! So far a win-win situation all the way around for me.

To sum up my long story, the doctor who inserted my iud did it painlessly and told me that the only way it would go floating around in my body was if he punctured my uterus upon insertion. He didn't. He also cut the strings at a perfect length. I checked them every month for the first year as I was instructed. Six years later, they're still there. My periods are no heavier now than they were before the iud, however, every other month my cramps are worse because of a cyst on one of my ovaries. Ibuprophen works wonders.

My advice: do your homework. Research doctors in your area to find one with plenty of experience inserting iud's. Know that if you don't react well to the pill, then you wont react well to Mirena...they contain similar hormones. Weigh the pros and cons...if you can make it past the first year, it is possible to continue to use the copper T for up to 15-20 years (I learned that tonight through researching medical documents). In my book, that makes it extremely cost effective and worth every penny!

Originally Posted by FLA_Mommy_of_5

So I went to the hospital today for outpatient and was put to sleep. The doctor kept telling me not to worry that the IUD was coming out. Well, yes it was easy and I dont remember a thing about the surgery but when i woke up the nurse told me the doctor could not find the IUD. Now I am so scared. Just on wednesday he did a ultrasound to confirm it was in me and located it from the ultrasound. Today he tells me it must have fallen out. I know the IUD is still in me. I have cramps and pains. Plus i thing i would have seen an IUD if i came out me. I am not blind. Has this happen to anyone??? Now he wants me to go for a full body catscan so they can see where the IUD is. He is leaving me hanging and i am so confused, scared and ****ed. Everyone keeps telling me to sue and i have a lawsuit but do i??? If anyone went through this please contact me right away. Thank you.,....
Jessica

I am currently going through the exact same thing one dr found it underneath my 9 week pregnancy,the other said it was on the side then the other said they could not find it. what the heck.
Now I terminated my pregnancy just to avoid anymore complications and now it's lost God knows where today I go for an x-ray to see if they can find it.
I havn't been able to go to work the iud hurts wherever it is plus since the termination I have an infection in my uterus what **** is that. My husaband says i should sue also, remember that's why they always say no birth control is 100%

I am so glad to have found this forum. I have had my iud in for 9 years and went to get it out because we were considering having another child. I went to my family doctor - he couldn't see the strings. I went to an ob/gyn - he couldn't find the strings and fished around awhile and nothing! So, he says no problem, it will be easy to find it and take it out but it is considered a surgery....blah....blah....blah. Okay - check with my insurance company and nope - they still won't pay for it. It just went from $156 to $2895 in about 3 seconds. I don't have that kind of money. I am so frustrated. I was really ready to have a baby and now I can't. Plus, I don't even know what kind of iud I have because it was so long ago. But I have steadily gained weight for the last nine years. I always wondered if it were the iud - but have always been told no - it can't be. HA I knew it. I am actually healthier (per all of the blood tests) than I have been in a long time. So why can't I lose weight - yep I bet its the iud. But now I want it out and I can't get it out. Why do insurance companies do this? Does anyone know of anyway around this?
Thanks for telling your stories so that we can know we aren't alone.
Kathi

The fact that you need surgery to remove it should make it covered ! Thats crazy !

Here's my story...

I had my Mirena Iud inserted after my daughter, second child. Well she will be turning nine shortly. So I am a little late (about 3-4 yrs late) .
At this point I planned on having it replaced with the same, Mirena. The only problem I had was fainting about 1-3 hrs after having it inserted. Also, the actual inserting was not a problem, but something the doc removed after the insertion was probably the most shocking pain I have experienced in that region. Till this day I have no idea what happened.
Well I have never checked for the strings and my dh has never felt them either. I rarely menstruate. I rarely have cramps. I do have other similiar problems as the ladies on here, but until today's searching I would have never considered them a result or side affect of the IUD. I have a super oily face and scalp along with seborrheic dermatitis. I do have acne, but I'm pretty sure I had that before hand. When I became pregnant with my daughter, I weighed 119 lbs. I am now 139 lbs. and I have been on a new diet and exercise to loose the weight. I always figured my weight gain was due to the trial of prozac. My memory each day seems to be getting worse. Mind you I am 27 yrs old and I am worried that I may forget something really important.
So I am going on 8-9 yrs with this thing and finally got my insurance squared away so I make an appt for a pap and replacement. My first appt the doc checked and could not feel the strings or see them. So I was scheduled for a sonogram to ensure it's placement. Okay, so they take their pics and it is in fact still there so I was scheduled to have it removed Tuesday.
I go in for the appt and they tell me they don't have one of the mirena's there that day but that she will try and remove it and have me come back in to replace it. Here comes the fishing expedition. NOTHING! NO STRINGS! The doc was very gentle and she tried and tried. Mild pressure. So she tells me I will have to come back to see the MD to have it removed and replaced. Which I hate because I prefer to see a woman gyno. So now i have to meet this other doc and pray he is as gentle as the lady.
I went online today looking as to how they remove it and I have read all these forums of things I hadn't even thought of. I don't know what to do now? I can't take Bc pills. These stories have got me worked up now. Now I don't know if my other ailments are a result of this IUD. What would I give to have nice skin, loose weight, and get my memory back. What other choices do I have? I am married and we don't plan on having any more kids, atleast not now. I thought the IUD was awesome. Maybe I just didn't realize. God I hope they are able to get it out. I hate this kind of scary .
God Bless to all of us.