I just wanted to post a word of warning to everyone. You hear a lot of online posts saying “pain after your iud is normal” “cramps last for about 3-6 months”. And even other people talking about how “hey it’s uncomfortable but i managed.”

So my experience is not by any means what you will have. But be aware.

You know your body. You know how you feel and you know what feels right for you.

I had the copper iud placed about 3 weeks ago. I had constant pain. The worst pain I’ve ever had in my life. I thought something had gone terribly wrong. I called the office and was told cramps were normal. I called again and begged to be seen because I felt like I was bleeding too much and the cramps were too bad. They agreed to see me and ultrasound me. The iud was in the correct place, so the nurse said I didn’t need to see the doctor. They didn’t take my vital signs. They just told me I was okay. I called them again a week later and said I was STILL cramping (on pain meds a lot) and they said I could get it out but that this was likely normal still. That evening I took my temperature and realized I’d had a fever with this. Which was why I’d been feeling so hot and sick. I called them AGAIN two days later. This time I asked to speak to my doctor.

One day later and an emergency procedure, I’m faced with the possibility I could maybe never have kids. The iud inflamed my uterus severely. She said it looked like PID, just not sexually transmitted (I’m a virgin). Inflammation caused by the extremely difficult insertion I had. If she’d known I was in pain 3 weeks later, she’d have pulled it weeks ago. I’m on two very strong antibiotics for a few weeks and enduring a variety of tests. We won’t know how much this affected me until I want to have kids in the future.

You all know your bodies. If something doesn’t feel right — say something. You do not need to be told “this is normal”. If you do not feel normal... please tell your provider. Only you know how you are supposed to feel.