I got an IUD. It was a nightmare

I got an IUD. It was a nightmare
By Melissa Petro - The Week
March 7, 2017

We need to stop glorifying this form of birth control and instead help women get better access to reproductive health care

“I was an ideal candidate for an IUD. At the start of a teaching career with no intention of getting pregnant anytime soon, it looked like the best option for me.

But as I soon learned, an IUD isn't right for everyone, and I worry that this point is getting lost in the current conversation. As someone who had an IUD complication, I find this concerning.

Had you asked me as recently as four months ago, I would have had nothing but good things to say about my IUD. In it went, and I forgot about it almost immediately. Even my implantation wasn't nearly as intense as some women experience. For some, an IUD is a horror story right from the start. All over the web, women testify they've experienced severe negative physical and mental side effects starting soon after implantation. Fatigue, headaches, spotting, cramping, bloating, gastrointestinal distress, acne, and cysts are just some of the more commonly reported symptoms. Others say their new device caused weird dreams and nightmares and led to other physiological issues such as mood swings, anxiety, and depression.

Doctors say side effects like these are rare — but they're common enough that sufferers have set up support groups. And, in some cases, complications can be serious. More serious complications relate to the device becoming displaced or expelled from the uterus. In worst-case scenarios, an IUD can perforate the uterine lining, and become lost in the body.

I was never made aware of such risks.”

“….Rather than glorify the IUD, we need to first work to protect women's access to information and doctors and resources. When it comes to women's reproductive health, there is no one size-fits-all solution, and we shouldn't pretend there is.”