my Kyleena IUD experience

Insertion: 

I was so terrified for this. A girl I work with told me she laid on her couch for a week, curled up in the fetal position, with a heating pad after her mirena insertion. Ouch. I've always been good with pain, but I was still shaking as I was waiting in the room for the doctor. Thankfully, the insertion went completely fine! There was a lot of pressure and what felt like bad period cramps, but it lasted all of 10 minutes and she told me it was over, she just had to cut the strings. I drove myself home and felt normal after the procedure, with just a little cramping. It was Day 3 of my menstraul cycle, so I was still bleeding but it wasn't anything abnormal. 

That night:

The cramping started to get a little worse and I felt really bloated. I took a 800 mg ibuprofen and took a nap. I woke up feeling a lot better, just still really bloated with a lot of pressure on my left side. The pressure almost felt like something trying to poke through. I called my doctors office right away and the doctor on call told me everything was fine. Very typical of me to overreact. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The next 5 days:

I lumped these all together because everything was generally the same. I was spotting on and off. It ranged from light at some points to heavier at others. I bought lite tampons since a regular one wasn't necessary but panty liners probably would have been fine too. As a person with very regular periods, I kept telling myself that if it doesn't stop, I'm getting it removed at my next appointment. I was fearful that I would have non-stop bleeding for the next 6 months, like the pamphlet says some women experience. Again, a little overreaction on my part. 😉

Day 6:

Not even a week after insertion and I had 0 symptoms. No bleeding, no bloating, no acne, and I felt like my pre-iud self. I honestly will tell you over and over that in the end, this was an amazing experience. 

-Do your research. Every IUD has pros and cons and whether it's right for you depends on you and your body. 

-Come to your appointment with questions. If you're someone like me, I want to understand EVERYTHING, in depth, so I gathered some questions that I still had after research and talked to my doctor before the insertion. It helped ease my mind and feel more comfortable during the procedure. 

-Ask someone to take you/pick you up. I didn't need it, but I picked up my mother before the appointment in the event that I couldn't drive home. I didn't need her but it made me feel better that she was there. 

-Wait the 48 hours before having sex. PID is at an increased risk within the first couple weeks of insertion which is very serious. It's important to make sure that you're not doing any harm to yourself by introducing things too early. 

Well, there you have it! I hope this helps you and feel free to ask me any questions below. I'm going to update after I get my first period so that I can give you all a better idea. :)