I Heard IUD Insertion Can Be Torture, So I Filmed Mine And Put It On TikTok

When I asked about getting an IUD, a T-shaped intrauterine device inserted through the cervix to prevent pregnancy, during a visit to my doctor in 2004, he responded by laughing and telling me there was no way. that they can get. one through my cervix until after I gave birth. I was 20 at the time and childbirth was something I was actively trying to avoid.

Although IUDs are now inserted whether you’ve had your cervix come first or not, I’m glad she turned it down. Since then, I have learned that often the procedure, as well as many other gynecological procedures, is performed without pain management.

A quick scroll through the #iudinsertion hashtag on TikTok will offer videos featuring women screaming in pain and then apologizing for expressing their discomfort. (The anger I felt watching these poor women apologize for reacting to the level of pain, which was not only caused by the doctor but could have been prevented by the doctor, is an entirely different essay.) There are also video about a cervical biopsy that is done with what I can best describe as a hole punch for your cervix and is painless. Unfortunately, this type of treatment is neither rare nor new. The pain of people with a uterus has historically been ignored, deprioritized and, I would say, sometimes even evangelized. medical professionals and medical schools.

In 2013, after trying several forms of contraception all with various unpleasant side effects, I learned that IUDs were now approved for people who had never given birth and made an appointment to have one inserted. I thought it was odd that there was a doctor and two nurses present for a procedure that was described to me as “a little pressure, followed by a pinch, and then maybe a few days of cramping.”

The doctor told me he had to move my cervix into place, and I felt a sudden, sharp pain. I reacted well, and luckily for me, so did the doctor. He gave me a numbing injection and the rest of the procedure was completely mundane. Then, my periods stopped, my emotions became more predictable, and I became a passionate IUD advocate who recommended IUDs to all my menstruating friends.

I remained unaware of what many people experience when they have an IUD inserted until one of my friends took my advice and had one inserted.

I was at work when I heard his call. She was sobbing in the parking lot of her doctor’s office just minutes after her procedure. He told me that he couldn’t move and the pain was so bad that he threw up. He was crying hysterically. I am beyond confused. This nightmare she is experiencing because her pain is uncontrolled is unlike anything I have ever experienced. He went back to his doctor’s office and asked for help.

Here are some of our texts from that day:

Luckily, his pain eventually subsided to a slightly tolerable level and he was finally able to drive home (cursing me as he did it, I’m sure).

These days, thanks to TikTok, people considering an IUD are learning more about the procedure, including what actually takes place and the tools used. Which brings us to the tenaculum, a sharp, metallic (medieval torture?) device that is often left out of patient counseling conversations, and therefore largely unknown to the average person, but has now become a breakout star on video-sharing sites.

The tool, which is essentially a pair of forceps with stabby ends bent toward each other, is used to center and hold the cervix in place for several different gynecological procedures. Its sharp points are placed on either side of the cervix, pricking it, and then the doctor moves it into position (with the cervix moving with it, of course). Why the tenaculum is always used without anesthesia, especially without explaining its use to the patient beforehand, is confusing to me. And even if you do your own research on online medical sites, you get information like this:

Expect your doctor to take the following steps to insert your IUD:

1. A speculum will be inserted into the penis to hold it open for the procedure.

2. The area will be cleaned.

3. Your cervix will be firm. (This process can cause a painful pinch.)

4. The uterus will be measured.

5. The IUD is inserted into the uterus through the cervix.

The third step is when the tenaculum is used and after seeing videos of the procedure, I think it’s safe to say that the description doesn’t adequately explain what actually happens. Injection of lidocaine as a local anesthetic can reduce discomfort, but it is not a standard part of most IUD insertions. Instead, doctors often opt for something referred to as “verbocaine,” which, in other words, talks the patient through the entire procedure to distract them from their pain.

I wonder if doctors use “verbocaine” during vasectomies? Spoiler alert: They don’t ― they use actual pain management medications.

So why not for gynecological procedures? As one famous TikTok OB-GYN says, “you don’t get anesthetic for a piercing.”

:: insert eyeroll and sarcastic shrug emoji here ::

That doctor has since deleted that video because of the backlash it received, but it should give you some insight into how many doctors understand (or, more appropriately, don’t understand) what people go through in during these procedures.

Four years ago, when my IUD was about to be replaced, I asked my new doctor if he used anesthesia during insertion.

“No, the pain you feel from the IUD insertion is from uterine cramping, and the cervical injection won’t do anything for that pain,” she told me. She finally agreed to use anesthesia after I told her I wouldn’t have the procedure any other way, but I didn’t feel comfortable negotiating with my health care, so I decided to find a new gynecologist to insert my IUD when i’m ready

After a year, I decided to remove my IUD, but I didn’t replace it because my husband and I decided to start trying to expand our family. It didn’t go according to plan.

Shortly after that, we decided another pregnancy wasn’t right for us and I wanted a new IUD. The doctor who placed my last device was hundreds of miles away, but luckily, I found an angel of an OB-GYN in my hometown, Dr. Kristin Markelland when I asked her if she could use a numbing injection to put my IUD in, she looked me in the eyes and had the assurance of Elyse Myers making a prayer hand camera bowtold me, “I can do that for you.”

He never tried to convince me that the pain wouldn’t be “that bad” or that my concerns were invalid. He has been by my side the whole time since I expressed my anxiety. I wish I could clone him and distribute him all over the world, because the world needs more doctors like him right now. Unfortunately, the best I can do is reassure you that there are other doctors out there who will listen to you and want you to be involved in your own health care decisions.

On the morning of the procedure, I was not nervous.

I chose a cute outfit and made a “get ready with me (GRWM)” video. My husband came to the office with me to hold my hand and I filmed my reaction to the procedure with my other hand. Here’s how it went:

The whole process took eight minutes. The pain was comparable to a Pap smear and only lasted a few seconds — and then I was out the door. I had some nausea and fatigue while adjusting to the new constant supply of progesterone from the IUD, but the discomfort paled in comparison to a pregnancy scare in this new world.

I wrote this piece and share the video above with the hope that women and people with a uterus can feel confident to take control of their reproductive options without fear of unnecessary pain. IUDs are safe and effective birth control that can be used for up to 12 years, and inserting one doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience. The Affordable Care Act made IUDs free (if you have insurance), but with the fall of Roe v. Wade, things are getting darker every day. Some states are already planning to ban them along with emergency contraception and abortion.

But we should have control over our bodies and if and when we want to get pregnant. And we shouldn’t let anything stand in our way of accessing reproductive health care ― especially not the fear of being tortured by unnecessarily painful procedures.

Not everyone will need to manage their pain during IUD insertion and studies have found that people respond to different pain management methods in different ways (and some methods don’t seem to work for some people). It is not a one size fits all type of situation. But there are some things that are always true and if you take anything from this piece i want it to be:

You should decide what happens to and in your body, and you should have access to health care that is as positive and pain-free as possible. If your doctor tries to minimize the pain or pushes back when you ask for pain management, find a different doctor.

It’s 2022, and there’s so much suffering ― from forced childbirth to violence against trans people to weekly mass shootings to over a million dead from a pandemic that’s still out of control. Don’t let pain be the reason you don’t do something you want to do ― especially pain that can (and must be) reduced or alleviated.

We have all had enough of suffering.

Kelly Perry is a person who believes that all people deserve equal rights. He plans to continue doing everything he can to promote the rights of all people, no matter how weak he is. He continues and will continue.

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