A Cautionary Tale 🚧

IUDs - excellent and safe form of birth control?

I still don’t disagree. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

My OB/GYN who removed my first IUD before expiry let me know it had “scarred in a bit”. It felt strange that this meant rolling up our sleeves and giving it a go anyways. I wanted to ask for meds. I wanted to ask to come back another time. I told her I was too uncomfortable to continue. She brought two nurses in to hold my hands as she quite literally ripped it out. It was excruciating.

It was my first IUD. I was alone at my appointment. I was a young woman, in her early twenties, no pregnancies, unmarried, and getting another IUD in to replace it. I was in pain for days and the achey feeling in my belly would occasionally come back with intercourse, but only in certain positions so I thought nothing of it.

Fast forward to my late twenties. I’m married, we’re ready for little minis to fill our home.

The second device came out easily.

Fast forward through BFNs, “you’re stressing too much”s, “it’ll happen when you stop thinking about it”s, and all the rest that comes with TTC to finally, fertility testing.

My hysteroscopy reveals very significant scarring in my cervix. My doctor is shocked as all my other tests were perfectly normal. She’s certain it was caused by improper IUD removal. I am blessed beyond belief that this is my only issue. My doctor is very confident the scarring was broken up by the scope and will come away when I shed next cycle and with antibiotics.

LADIES! No one is going to advocate for you. Know your bodies, know your limits, and know that even though a doctor may mean you no intentional harm, they do not always know what’s best. They’re human.

To anyone with an IUD that wants to conceive eventually or again - if you hear the word “scarred” or “impacted” or if you feel that one easy tug and it doesn’t come clean out - stop 👏🏽 that 👏🏽 doctor 👏🏽

Ask them to make a new plan to safely remove that sucker.

I’m incredibly grateful to finally have a “why” that many don’t receive, and I hope this means a BFP in our future. I also had to share my “why” somewhere in the hopes that others can learn from my journey.