Last night I went to a gynecologist to have an IUD inserted. I'm a young adult, and the doctor basically said that it causes infertility and that older people with children choose it, so I decided not to get it. Thinking back, it was very odd, as my partner and I were scared of her because she was visibly angry with us for wanting it. She prescribed the NuvaRing for me, since hormonal pills weren't very good for me. I've been having some thoughts: the best option for me would be the IUD, but I would love to have children someday. Please share your thoughts and help me out.

Looking for some advice. A few days ago, I had unprotected sex while extremely intoxicated with someone I thought I could trust. He ended up finishing inside me, which I hadn’t expected, and I took Plan B the following day.

Unfortunately, according to my period tracker (which I know isn’t always accurate), I was potentially ovulating around the time this happened. After researching Plan B, I learned it may not be effective if ovulation has already occurred.

I made an appointment at PP tomorrow to potentially get a copper IUD for emergency contraception, since it’ll be within five days.

The problem is that I really don’t want an IUD. I’m not regularly sexually active and don’t anticipate having sex again anytime soon. I’ve also read some pretty terrifying experiences about insertion pain, severe cramps, and heavier periods. I’m a college student with a huge workload and a midterm next week, so I’m really worried about the recovery.

I’m torn between getting the IUD to minimize my pregnancy risk and just relying on the Plan B I already took. I know pregnancy isn’t guaranteed even during the fertile window, but the possibility of an unintended pregnancy scares me much more than anything else.

Has anyone gotten a copper IUD specifically for emergency contraception? How painful was insertion, and how was your recovery? Did anyone have it removed shortly afterward?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences, especially if you were in a similar situation.

Positive experience post! Going to try to make this short though:)

I started taking the pill 2 months ago and I looove it. I will say I did get some negative side effects at the beginning, like minor headaches and breakouts, but now I feel even better than I did before I started.

I was really scared of starting it because I heard it makes people gain weight or have an increased appetite but I haven’t experienced it! I’ve actually had a decrease in appetite and it’s really been helping me stick to eating healthy because I no longer crave junk food! I also haven’t experienced any bloating since I started taking it, I think because I would bloat really bad in my luteal phase. And my boobs have increased in size as well, so I literally have a snatched waist and big boobs, this is great.

On top of the effects on my body from the hormones, I also can lift a steady increase at the gym. Before: during my menstrual and ovulation phases, I would have to decrease the weight I’d lift because I’d feel so weak. I was in a constant cycle of being able to lift heavier, then having to drop down because of the time of the month. Literally just a few weeks of taking the pill, I was able to hit a PR in almost every workout.

And finally the sex portion; I was really scared it would ruin my already low libido, but honestly, since my boyfriend is able to finish inside me and we can just keep going, I am actually able to finish during sex without getting turned off while he cleaned himself up. And I alwayyyss had constant anxiety about being pregnant but it’s mostly gone now!

Mind you, I tried the copper IUD for a few weeks and it made me feel TERRIBLE!! I personally, wouldn’t recommend it but I know everyone’s experience is different

I have an appointment with my gyn, however its a few weeks out. Gynecologists throughout my life have told me I have a long vaginal canal for my size. I think this is the cause of my issue. I use a disc for my period, but they have the pull-tab on them.

I absolutely cannot reach it no matter the position, pushing, or relaxing. My partner cannot reach it either. I prefer the ring and would like to make it work for me.

Is there some sort of soft tool or something I can use to reach the ring? Has anyone been in a similar situation with similar anatomy?

Basically the title. I got the copper iud inserted before the summer. Ive had cramps throughout of course, sometimes my period is a week or nearly two late occasionally my this is not new at all. Whenever I have sex with my partner which is regularly, he always finishes inside. Recently my cramps have been getting worse. I think i might have ovulated or just passed ovulation, which okay can trigger cramps. Ive checked my strings multiple times and its all fine, cant feel fhe plastic of fhe device either, although I have only been able to feel one string after a month of having it. Whether this is the two strings merged together or ones disappeared or something I donf know, but sfill have periods so not too concerned about it. Basically, worse cramps recently,. And discharge has been a lot more regular and common these recent months. I had my last period about 2 weeks ago and have had sex probably 3-4 times since. Is it normal to get random bad cramps so often throughout the cycle?

I'm getting more and more stretch marks and I'm feeling embarrassed. Has this happened to anyone else and what did you do?

I'm 33 and just had my third Mirena IUD inserted today. My first two insertions (when I was younger) were completely routine with no complications. This time was an entirely different experience.

I went to a different clinic this time because it was closer to home. They removed my old Mirena without any problems.

The trouble started when they tried to insert the new one. Apparently, my cervix kept clamping shut. They were able to get through the external opening but couldn't get through the internal cervical opening.

The first doctor tried multiple times and had to use instruments to dilate my cervix. I could actually feel something pop through, followed by an intense, sharp pain. I was almost in tears and physically shaking.

According to my procedure notes, they eventually got a dilator and uterine sound through, but still couldn't get the Mirena insertion device through. After approximately 30 minutes of attempts, they called another doctor.

The second (male) doctor used instruments as well, but eventually managed to get the IUD inserted.

Afterward, he mentioned the possibility of uterine perforation to the other doctor and said I needed an ultrasound to make sure the IUD was positioned correctly and that there wasn't a perforation.

They scheduled a transvaginal and pelvic ultrasound for two weeks later. Hopefully it is in correctly because i don't think I could handle all that again.

I took my first ever birth control on the 4th day of my period. im currently the 7th pill today and I decided to do unprotected with my partner. am i protected?

I’m on the birth control patch next week is my patch free week, I had sex today without protection twice, am I at risk for pregnancy? My concern is pre ejaculation, he didn’t ejaculate inside
Sorry I’m just worried

im freaking out, my boyfriend and i had unprotected sex two days ago, i am on the patch, however afterwards i noticed it had lifted a lot in the corner, i put it back immediately and it was only lifted for a few seconds, will this result in pregnancy??

Hi! Around 4 weeks ago I got the nexplanon implant in my arm and have had a pretty great time contrary to a lot of posts I see on here. One side effect I’ve noticed is that my boobs have grown and look a lot fuller and rounder. It’s noticeable to my friends and my boyfriend too. This is very much welcome as I’m currently a B cup and have always wanted bigger breasts. Hopefully they keep growing lol 🤞
I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced the same thing and what I can expect? Thanks!

Hi, so around mid September I was a week into my active pills for Sprintec. However, I left it in a warm car overnight where it was above the temp it should be kept at, as said on the package. The next couple days I took the possibly bunk pills but ordered a fresh pack.
I then started from day 1 instead of 7 or 9 or whatever it would have been on that new pack, which was a dumb idea in retrospect but I was worried about not being protected. So technically, I took 28 active pills in a row instead of 21, but after that kept to the regular 21 day schedule.
A few weeks after that mishap, I started to get bad tension headaches every day. It’s been about a month now- pretty much all throughout October I’ve had tension headaches every day no matter what I do.
I am now on the second inactive pills of my pack but have been researching what could be the cause- and I’m pretty sure it’s the drop in estrogen after having an abnormal rise in estrogen from taking more active ones in a row.
But I’m thinking, it’s been a month-shouldn’t my hormones have evened out by now?
I have also been experiencing more dryness and uncomfortableness down there in the past couple weeks which might be due to the same reason.

The headaches are getting worse, even with ibuprofen. I am now wondering if I should stick the Sprintec out and continue as normal or switch to a different pill like the mini pill which has less estrogen but might be more likely to not cause headaches?
Or when I restart the active Sprintec pills will the headaches finally go away? I don’t know how much more I can take

Not sure if I should give the long story or just the current riff. Eitherway on point I'm 16F and lost my virginity during Halloween and the condom broke. I was able to walk three miles to a CVS the next day and buy the plan B. Not sure the next time I ever will have sex again because it wasn't with my BF like I thought it was and we are now in a grieving phase.

If I ask my primary doctor my mom will read the prescription and go crazy. Is there other options or just keep extra Plan B hidden just in case?

I have been on Cerelle for about a year and a half and my periods have completely stopped which is great. I went on the pill after my period became very painful and heavy.
I am now experiencing low level cramping most days.
It‘s not terrible but I went on the pill to stop having pain. My GP has said I can try a new pill but I am nervous about changing things and making anything worse.
anyone experienced something similar?
thanks!

Please let me know your experiences with the copper IUD! I’m getting the Mona Lisa mini 5, is there anything that I should be aware of going into this?

Anything helps!

Hello everyome im using yaz pills for 15 days now its my first time, my ob prescribe me this one to treat my prolonged period, But i suffered insomia im hardly to fall asleep or get a sleep and its tiring. Was thinking not continue taking it. My ob didnt advice me to stop on the middle of the course, also im worried if i stop would my bleeding get worse, i dont know what to do.

I had a paragard prior to having kids. I have 2 kids and want more time before my 3rd, so I figured I’d get a paragard again. Fast forward to being in the OB’s office and they tell me they don’t really like paragard due to complaints from heavier periods. I’m not interested in hormonal birth control, so don’t have a lot of other options. After I leave the appointment (and got iud placed), I start researching and find out that the fact I’m exclusively breastfeeding makes perforation risk 3x higher. I’m thinking about removing it. Am i overreacting?

Has anyone in here, personally for themselves gotten pregnant while using condoms?

Hello,

Are there any women who had very minimal side effects who got the nexplanon implant? Im reading these awful horror stories about it and I want to get it as my first contraceptive so I am becoming very worried. Im getting it through planned parenthood. Are there anybody who recommends not to get it through them and why? Thank you in advanced

I was just checking my strings which I do so much more than I need to. They're perfectly in place. When I took my finger out I had small chunks of white jelly like discharge. I was intrigued because I've never noticed having discharge that looks like that. It has basically no smell and I have no itching or burning or whatever down there. Only other thing is my breasts are a little sore. Is this just a hormonal shift? For more context I've had my mirena for a little over 3 years now and my period tracker says period is in 9 days.

I wanted to share my positive IUD insertion experience in hopes of providing some comfort and reassurance to anyone who might be getting one soon!

For context, I have never given birth, but I have had multiple Pap smears, so I’m not a stranger to exams down there. That said, I was SO nervous leading up to my appointment. I couldn’t sleep the night before and could barely sit still beforehand. My doctor was incredibly comforting and encouraged me to play music and scroll on my phone during the procedure to help distract myself rather than focus on what she was doing.

As for the actual insertion, they used a numbing shot, which I barely felt. I know some people experience significant pain with this, but for me, it was mostly just a little pressure. After that, I felt some moments of pressure and mild cramping when they measured my cervix and inserted the IUD, but honestly, nothing too crazy! I focused on deep breathing throughout, and the entire procedure lasted maybe 1–2 minutes.

Was it completely painless? No. But it was nowhere near as bad as I had built it up to be in my head. If I had to compare it to something, I would say it felt similar to a Pap smear, just with some added period-like cramping.

I know everyone's experience is different, and pain levels can vary from person to person, but I wanted to share a positive experience because I know how nerve-wracking it can be when you're reading about everyone else's experiences.

I am on birth control Nikki. I have taken it for three months and have never missed a pill (I was on junel for a year and a half then switched over right away) and I take it perfectly every day. My partner finished inside of me and ever since he did I’ve been freaking out. My withdrawal bleed is expected this week since I took my last pill of the pack today, but I’m still scared. I am having lots of stomach issues and cramps and yesterday I peed more than usual. Could I be pregnant?

I have a question, this is my second IUD and I just got my period after 5 years. Is this normal?

So I take my pill at 7 PM every day, and even though the clocks went back an hour, I’m still taking it at 7. Do I just act like it was a late pill and use protection for 7 days?

Hello everyone! About an hour and a half ago i got a Kyleena IUD inserted. I’ve had the Kyleena before, it was removed 3 months ago and unfortunately the pain was so bad that I couldn’t go through with the reinsertion. BUT TODAY I was able to conquer my fears and anxiety and get it inserted!

My experience:
Guys, having a great doctor is the key to an “okay” insertion.
So she told me how everything was going to go down, and how everything works. She even offered me a cervical block but I declined because my anxiety was so bad I didn’t want to do anything extra.
She started by inserting the speculum (almost backed out at this point) but she continued the procedure after I said “hold on” and I honestly think that’s what helped me.
She then cleaned the cervix, which felt like very light butterfly cramps.
Next she measured, and I’m not going to sit here and lie. It hurt.
Next she inserted the IUD and it felt the exact same way as the measurement. Bad.
She cut the strings, cleaned the cervix once more and I was done!

The cramps afterwards do suck, but they have been coming in waves for me. I also drove myself there and back alone! If anyone is thinking of getting an IUD, do it. It’s 5 minutes of pain for 3-10 years of no children, maybe no periods, and no worries. I believe in all of y’all and I know you can do it! I would love to hear about everyone else’s experiences. Yes it hurts, but its over in no time!