My advice for those of you going for Mirena IUD Insertion

Mirena IUD Insertion
I had the Mirena inserted today at an OB/GYN office. I have been on the combo pill for 4 years and it has worked well for me, but the greater effectiveness of the IUD appealed to me. I also am a migraine sufferer (no aura), and my migraines have been steadily getting worse so I wanted to try something else. Before I was on the pill, my cycle was very irregular so I chose the Mirena specifically since it has the biggest rate of amenorrhea. I scheduled my appointment during my period/withdrawal bleed.

I thought about getting an IUD for several months, but I finally decided to make the appointment during my last period due to severe menstrual migraines. During the weeks leading up to my appointment, I read a lot about the Mirena and the insertion process.

I have a low pain tolerance when it comes to pelvic pain— I find Pap smears pretty uncomfortable. Therefore, I got pretty freaked out reading about others’ experiences. However, I would say that I have a better tolerance for crampy pain vs. “stabby” pain like a shot.

I woke up this morning feeling very nervous and couldn’t eat very much at breakfast, though I wanted to have food in my stomach since I was taking ibuprofen. My boyfriend drove me to the doctor’s office and was with me for the whole thing. I took 800mg of ibuprofen as soon as I got in the car (8:20, before my 9:00 appointment).

At the doctor’s office, I filled out the paperwork, peed in a cup, and tried to not freak out too much. Once in the exam room, the nurse took my blood pressure. I had spiked up to 150/110, and she asked if I had a high blood pressure— nope, just super nervous. She used a different cuff, I took some deep breaths, and then it came out normally. The nurse reassured me and said that my doctor had done tons of IUD insertions.
The nurse asked me to strip from the waist down and sit on the pad on the exam table with the disposable sheet/gown over me. All of the insertion equipment was on the counter and looked very threatening. The doctor then came in and talked me through the procedure at a high level and answered my questions. I take the Viorele combo pill (withdrawal bleed week is not just a sugar pill, it has a super low dose of hormones in it) and only have 3 pills left in the pack. She said I could finish it but didn’t seem to have a strong opinion either way.

She then had me lie down she felt around my uterus, saying it was normal and facing forward as is typical. She then put in the clamps (same as what is used for a Pap smear) and cleaned off my cervix with iodine. She said she chooses to use lidocaine and thinks it helps with the pain, so that came next. At this point, I was looking at the ceiling/had my eyes closed so I don’t know what everything looked like. However, afterward, my boyfriend told me that they used a super long needle for the lidocaine so I am very glad I wasn’t looking! I hardly felt anything during this part, really just some mild cramping when they put the clamp in.

They then did the sounding procedure where they measure your uterus. This took a few seconds and I was wincing a bit, but it passed very quickly. I was trying to take deep breaths and stay relaxed during this whole time.

Then came the actual insertion— this felt very similar to the sounding but perhaps a bit longer, and I definitely had a sense of something going into my uterus. Again, it only lasted a few seconds. The doctor then trimmed the strings which I didn’t feel at all.

The whole thing lasted maybe 2 minutes, and there was never any “stabby” pain, just cramps. The pain severity was probably a 6/10 at its peak, but only for a few seconds. It was a slightly sharper cramp than what I normally have, and it felt sort of... dry? It was certainly far from the worst cramp I’ve ever had, and I’ve been lucky enough to never have truly severe/consistent cramps.

The doctor and nurse took the clamps out and let me chill for a minute and get dressed. I felt a little lightheaded since I was breathing so much and I was still feeling some cramps. I also started shaking/shivering a bunch even though I wasn’t cold— I think it was just a letdown reaction after being so nervous. I was able to get up with a little help from my boyfriend within a few minutes. At this point, I was so happy that everything was done and it went smoothly!

My boyfriend drove me home, though I definitely could have driven myself home. My cramps were still just at their normal levels. I worked from home today and had the option to take the day off, but I was able to work all day today as soon as I got home. When I got back, I got my heating pad ready and took 2 more ibuprofen.

For the rest of the day, I’ve just had continuous mild cramps, and I’ve been pooping a lot (I get this from anxiety also). I’ve been taking 2 ibuprofen every few hours (I know that’s a lot...) and the cramps are still a little sharper than usual but not at all severe. Now I just have to see how things play out over the next few weeks/months!

My advice for those of you going into an insertion: 1) don’t read too many stories, 2) take 800 mg of ibuprofen with food about 30-45 min before your appointment, and 3) bring something to squeeze, like a towel or your significant other’s/friend’s/mom’s hand.

Good luck!

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