Original link: https://www.after27.me/blog/iud
Three months and three days after I had my IUD (intrauterine device) in place, Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Originally, I thought it would be over to record it on Mammoth’s thread, but out of concern for the legality of contraceptive methods for unmarried women living in the United States in the future, I urgently felt that it was also important to leave some easy-to-retrieve Chinese information. Most of the content was actually mentioned in the sharing of her hometown voice .
Before IUD, my partner and I’d primary birth control was the male condom. During college, I briefly took short-acting birth control pills for three months to treat hormonal acne. But at that time, I didn’t feel that there was a great improvement in acne, and when I was studying, my life was not as regular as it is now. It was difficult to take it regularly every day, and sometimes I even forgot. It is also very troublesome to consider the jet lag when I return to China. So soon gave up. In addition to short-acting and condoms, I have also taken emergency contraceptive Plan B twice because of condom accidents.
My understanding of contraceptive methods started from the comparison table of the effectiveness of various contraceptive methods in the university medical office. In fact, most of the contraceptive methods on the table at that time were very novel to me, and I was particularly impressed by the fact that IUD was the most effective contraceptive method. First gear, so I have a preliminary impression.
When I had a routine gynecological examination in 2018, I told the doctor that I would not plan to have children in the next few years. The doctor mentioned that if I have a stable partner, I can learn about IUD. Then I took a booklet of IUD and started. Search for information online. By the way, bedsider.org , a website that compares various contraceptive methods, has a page like buying a mobile phone and comparing the configuration to help you choose the most suitable contraceptive method according to your needs.
After the governor signed the Heartbeat Bill in 2019, the idea of changing to a more efficient contraceptive method became stronger and stronger. After marriage, some external fertility pressures were inevitable, and I also began to consider controlling the self-determination of fertility through IUD. Right (at the same time, it can be regarded as adding a buffer zone to fertility, after all, you have to make a special appointment for a doctor to take it out). At that time, I was not sure and definitely ruled out the possibility of childbirth in the future (but it seems to be more and more certain after the release), so IUD is more suitable for my situation. But after doing a lot of research in 2020 (especially listening to too many women telling horror stories of unbearable pain and taking it out), I am especially afraid of the pain during insertion, and I am also worried that my hormonal acne will get worse. The Nth time is over. It was not until the end of 2020 that I heard a podcast episode of No Loss . Since there was really too little Chinese-related content about IUD at that time, hearing her personal experience gave me some confidence (or a fluke to believe that I would be more fortunate). psychology).
After the booster shot at the end of 2021, like many women, I experienced delayed menstruation. I tend to think too much, and I often worry about whether condoms are 100% correct in every link, so the procrastination has moved again and put IUD. mind. Lesson learned this time, instead of googling, I made a direct appointment with the gynecologist and consulted her with all my questions and concerns.
My biggest concern is that I have never given birth, will it cause pain during the placement process, and trouble with hormonal acne. My gynecologist first ruled out a copper IUD because copper tends to aggravate menstruation and pain. Then she also told me the data and past research results of patients who have put IUDs in her practice because of pain or other reasons (such as long-term headaches). Because of my concerns about hormonal acne, she suggested Kyleena with a moderate dose of progesterone. Also the model I finally decided to put.
The placement process after a few months was a lot smoother than I expected. Because I was infertile, the doctor specially asked me to place it during my menstrual period. I did not take the medicine to soften the cervix in advance, or even took ibuprofen. The whole process is like a pap smear that takes a little longer than usual, about 10 minutes. The doctor also gave me a small card, which will be marked when I take out the IUD after 5 years (I have already taken pictures and uploaded them to the cloud for fear of losing things). But when I got home that day, I felt swelling like dysmenorrhea, and I took 4 200mg ibuprofen all day. Take one ibuprofen in the morning and one in the evening. On the third day, I felt nothing. Until the first menstrual period after the placement, it was the most painful experience I experienced after IUD was inserted. It was much more severe than my usual dysmenorrhea (people are good at forgetting that negative experiences are real, I want to describe in more detail at this time, But the pain method has been completely forgotten), I took painkillers and lied down before I got through it. If women with negative experiences are often in pain of this magnitude, I can really understand why they would have their IUD removed. But I haven’t experienced any pain since then. Although I haven’t experienced a lot of menstrual periods since I put in the IUD, I now feel that the slight dysmenorrhea in the past period has completely disappeared.
Here are some pros and cons and side effects that I have personally summarized:
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Advantage
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The biggest advantage may be that the 99% contraceptive effectiveness makes me feel more at ease
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Five years at a time (Kyleena) is more worry-free
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Mirena, which is higher in progesterone, stops menstruating in 20% of women, which should be an attractive plus for women who don’t want to have a period at all. I put Kyleena, which is relatively low in progesterone, it may also reduce menstrual flow and reduce menstrual pain
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May reduce the risk of endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and polycystic
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disadvantage
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For women whose intimacy is not exclusive, IUD does not protect against HIV and STDs
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Side effects (for the complete side effects, I hope you consult a gynecologist and see the introduction on the official website. These are a few side effects that I personally paid more attention to before placing IUD)
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There will be irregular bleeding for 3 to 6 months after placement. After 3 months, I have basically no troubles in this area, but I often need to wear menstrual underwear in the early stage (the amount of irregular bleeding is similar to the amount on the first and second days of menstruation)
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Personally, I haven’t experienced much pain, but of course it’s probably just me being lucky, there are many women who have pain that lasts for a long time. But there are also many women who put IUDs to relieve their usual dysmenorrhea symptoms. You can refer to En-J’s sharing.
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Even though contraceptives are 99% effective, IUDs can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb) if you accidentally get pregnant
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The side effect that affects me the most is acne. Because I am prone to hormonal acne due to high androgen in my body, and for this reason, I have been taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor for the past year or two. The progesterone released by the IUD stimulates the activity of androgens, so it may make acne worse. At the end of 2021, because of the severe omicron epidemic, I had to wear a mask when I went out, and I didn’t care much about acne under the mask, so I stopped the medicine. But about a week after the IUD was put on, the chin and front chest began to have cysts and acne that hurt to the touch. I asked the gynecologist this question during the consultation before putting on the IUD, so I resumed taking the prescription acne medication as she suggested. After taking the medication, the cysts and acne disappeared within a few days, and there is not much trouble at present. But I think that if you are a woman who is very prone to hormonal acne, you must discuss the response plan with your doctor in advance. Otherwise, serious skin problems will still cause some psychological stress.
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The more personal impact is not being able to continue to use the menstrual cup . Because a vacuum environment will be formed after the menstrual cup is placed, every time the menstrual cup is taken out and the vacuum is released, the suction generated may cause the IUD to move, and in severe cases, the IUD may even fall off. Because I have been using a menstrual cup for 7 years before I put on the IUD, I am still very satisfied with this menstrual product, so I feel a little pity. In fact, many menstrual cup merchants will claim on the website that IUD and menstrual cup can be used at the same time, but I still trust my gynecologist and the latest research results. But the menstrual dish* still works because it doesn’t create a vacuum, so I bought one to try
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In terms of cost, my medical insurance fully covers the IUD itself and the placement process, except for the pre-specialized consultation and review with a doctor. If medical insurance does not cover it at all, the retail price of an IUD is in the early $1,000s (American medical care really dares to ask for the price = =).
Although IUD is not perfect, I really feel that I have more autonomy over my body – only myself (with my gynecologist) can let me choose whether to have children or not, this empowerment is I have not experienced the past ten years of entrusting the responsibility of contraception to others, and I hope this record can help you.
This article is reprinted from: https://www.after27.me/blog/iud
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