[sweatersandsand]

So I just got home from my appointment. I’m not on my period and I was told that it would hurt less if I was on my period. I’m going to put a break so you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to haha.

I’m going to explain that e process and the level of pain each part caused.

First she inserted the speculum and opened it up. Uncomfortable but nothing major. If you’ve had a pap then you know that it’s not a big deal. She felt around inside and warned me that it probably wouldn’t work today and that I’d probably need to come back during my period. Then she tried to insert a q-tip like thing to see if it would be likely to work. She said it wasn’t going in but that there is a pinchy device that stretches the uterus and maybe it would help.

Pinchy thing was the worse part of the process. She told me to breathe in then cough. Coughing helped and I thought okay, that hurt, but it wasn’t too bad. Then it really started hurting. I was like “Oh wow that hurts really bad. I wish I had a book or a video game or something to do. You have to talk to me.” She was worried that I couldn’t handle it but I assured her that I’d make it. And we started talking about midwifery as she is a midwife. That was really helpful but it did hurt a good deal.

She then started inserting these rods to dilate me. That barely hurt. A tiny bit of cramping but I barely felt it. She said that the rods weren’t going in easily so she was going to try to loosen the pinchy thing and that it might work better. So she loosened it up which actually hurt pretty bad. Then she tried the rods again and they went in like it was nothing. Then she got what looked like a syringe but it was blunt and open and the IUD was inside it. She warned me that it was bigger than the rods and that it would hurt a bit more.

She told me to inhale and cough while she did that. I coughed a bit and then she kind of sat back. ”Is that it?” I asked and she said it was done. I am amazed at how little the dilation hurt. Stretching the uterus was the most painful part and that was totally easy to handle. She took everything out, gave me a pad, and left the room.

So now I’m sitting at home in jammies. I’m skipping my class today and hoping that I feel good enough to work later. Mainly right now I feel some nausea and a bit dizzy if I stand up. So far it’s completely worth it.

[AllyEChurch]

I had the Mirena IUD inserted earlier this month, however I was numbed by 3 needles for the whole insertion process. I didn't even feel the needles and the only uncomfortable (and cold!) part for me was the speculum. I didn't feel anything else. I got mine done on my period, and she said I'd continue to bleed for a couple of days and then they would get lighter and lighter and eventually stop. I've had a period already (they can become irregular) and it's light spotting - hardly anything! And sex is fine - me or my BF can't feel anything. Best decision! Seeing as you weren't numbed or sedated I'd say that feeling a bit sick and dizzy is normal. Once the numbness wore off I was a little tender for a few hours but the next day I felt really ill and was sent home from work to rest. After that I was perfectly fine.

[ajetski02]

I had my Paragard inserted on Monday (3 days ago) and I have to tell anyone thinking about getting an IUD my story....
The insertion part was just like having a cervical biopsy I had done years ago in college (I am now 31 and have NOT had children). It pinched and stung, but was manageable by chewing heavily on gum and holding the nurse's hand. It was a quick procedure and I thought the massive cramping would go away as soon as the Dr. took out the rods/clamps - nope! That heavy cramping continued and worsened quickly. I don't remember how I drove myself home and once I did arrive I thought I was going to pass out and my boyfriend would find me hours later once he got home from work. I can take pain. I can take a lot of pain, but this was a 9 or 10 out of 10 on the pain scale! I truly thought that I was going to die the night of the insertion. If there had been a bridge nearby, I would have jumped. I love life and I have gone through some intense things in my lifetime, but this has been the worst by far. Please note that I took plenty of Motrin before and immediately after the procedure. I was screaming into pillows, rocking on my knees, biting on my hands.... anything that would help me through the excruciating pain. I finally found some prescription pain killers that I had from a spinal procedure a few weeks before and took TWO! I put a heating pad and hot rice pack on my belly and on my lower back and tried to stay quiet. I finally passed out for about 15 minutes, then awoke to stabbing pains again. The thing is, the pain didn't come and go and give you a little break, it was constant. I took TWO MORE rx pain killers (I don't recommend this but I didn't have a choice) and finally fell asleep crying. My boyfriend really wanted me to go to the ER but I figured if I got through the night then it should get better. Again, pain is not new to me and I am extremely bull-headed. I got up and taught school on Tuesday while on lots of Motrin.
The last few days have been uncomfortable with light bleeding, stabbing pains and feeling like I have to urinate constantly, but nothing worse than a very painful period. Is there anyone else out there that has had a Paragard inserted that has NOT given birth?? I just want to know if this is something worth waiting through and how long the pain should last. If I'm going to bleed all the time, I certainly am not going to be needing the birth control! If you have any advice or stories that may help, please let me know. I am wondering if my body is rejecting the IUD because of the bleeding and cramps, or if this is just something that will go on for a while. I understand everyone is a bit different, but my doctor was quite old and he didn't have much to say during the procedure so I didn't get a lot of advice.

[KTahoe]

I am 28, never given birth and just had had an appointment on Monday to get my Mirena out and paragaurd in. I did not like the hormones in Mirena because I think it was affecting me negatively (no sex drive, and maybe some other things, but can't be positive it was due to the IUD), so after 2.5 years I wanted to try paragaurd. I was dreading this appointment because when I got the Mirena in, it was the most painful experience, oh my goodness I thought I was going to die too! I am not a complainer and have a pretty hig tolerance for pain. I took a cervix dilator (because I was 25 without ever giving birth) last time, but lost the instructions and did it incorrectly, so maybe that is why. Anyways, I took 3 asprin before the my appointment and it was barely uncomfortable! I was shocked when it was over. Maybe because it was the second time, but I have a tiny cervix (maybe yours was even smaller?) Now I never ever take any sort of pain medication, so maybe it had an intense effect on me, but since my appointment this Monday (12/10) I have not taken any more pills and have had no cramps at all. I have been lightly bleeding ever since, but I haven't had a period in like 5 years (depo and Mirena pretty much stopped them) so I am almost happy about it. Before other birth controls I did not really have cramps during my periods and I was a 2 or 3 day heavy bleeder. Maybe if you had intense periods before with cramps, that is why you are bleeding so much and having such intense cramps. All the people at Planned Parenthood I talked to warned me of possible intense bleeding and cramps so maybe you are one of those people? I think they were trying to talk me out of it. They said a lot of people do the opposite of what I did because they can't handle the bleeding. I know this a few weeks after your post, so hopefully you are feeling better! Hang in there, I think the Mirena has to many side effects for the convenience of no bleeding. It didn't make me feel very womanly, it also stopped me from producing eggs. Everyone is different though

[Atira]

I realize how delayed this answer is but I've not given birth and had my Paragard inserted today. I had some pretty intense pain when she was inserting it and I'm on my period. It seems like I was lucky, though, in the cramps department. I had some pains that felt like moderate menstrual cramps right afterwards that lasted a couple of hours, but they seem to have departed. I refrained from taking any painkillers because I wanted to know how bad the pain was going to get.

[kira]

The place I went to was cheap. I got no numbing, no dilation, no checking if it was in the right spot. They clamped my cervix open painfully and shoved it in there. Good thing I have high pain tolerance. I heard of women screaming or passing out from it.