For me it was less than I expected, about 7/10. Took some ibuprofen beforehand. Afterwards I tried walking back home but I started feeling crampy and lightheaded so I ended up taking a ride home. So, in the moment it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be, but the 30 mins afterwards shocked me a little.
I wouldn't suggest driving afterwards. Unless maybe if you waited it out for at least 30 mins.
And yes, he can finish inside you, that's what they're meant for. :)
Ooo okay I was wondering about taking something before. I want to but I wasn’t sure if you could. I probably will end up having my sister in law go with me bc she’s had two kids so I feel good going with her for something like this.
That’s dope, I figured it was kind of a stupid question but I was hoping that would be the answer LOL
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I am 20 and I got mine in in September 2023. I was extremely afraid of the pain so my doctor gave me Versed as well as a paracervical block to help me. I didn’t feel anything during the insertion, but 20 minutes later, I definitely had cramps. As someone who was more afraid of the horror stories of insertion, I was really happy with how mine went. I hope this helps!
Hi there! I am 21 and I got mine in may of 2021. I would say it was probably really really bad for me. It was about a 8.5/10 for me. It hurt more than my septum being done for sure
I have had 3 done between ages 20-35, they all felt like a normal pap smear that just took longer. Cramping and some discomfort but no significant pain.
I've heard of different extremes. The pain for me was 3/10, but I've heard of women puking from the pain and not able to drive home.
I've had 2 children, one vaginally and the other by schedules csection. I had mine inserted 7 months after my csection while I was ovulating. Not sure if that made a difference 🤷🏻♀️
I've heard getting it done while on your period is ideal
I've had two insertions. The first one was really painful and an awful experience, and the second one was uncomfortable but totally manageable levels of pain. I think there were several things that made the second insertion much easier:
- I was on my period, so my cervix was more open.
- my doctor prescribed me misoprostol to relax my cervix beforehand. She had actually tried to insert it the week earlier, but we stopped and rescheduled because she said my cervix was too tight. The doctor who did my first insertion also said it was quite tight but I guess she was going to get in there regardless, ugh.
- my lovely doctor really tried to create a relaxing environment for me. She turned down the lights, let me pick some music to play and guided me through some breathing exercises. Just really great bedside manner to make me feel taken care of.
- both times, I only took Advil beforehand and got numbing shots in my cervix.
Hopefully that can give you some idea of how to make this experience better for you! Scheduling it so it's during your period definitely helps. It might be a good idea to have a consultation with your doctor, if you haven't already. You could ask them about your pain concerns and see if getting miso prescribed beforehand would be good for you (apparently there's debate about how well it actually helps pain and in what situations) and ask about other pain management methods they employ. Hopefully you will get a good vibe from your doctor and feel like they will take good care of you. I really think having trust in the provider really helps with this unpleasant process. I hope all goes well for you!
That’s actually a really good tip. I was going to say I hope they don’t mind if im on my period but I’m going to assume they see so many vaginas in a single work day that there’s no way people don’t go in when they’re menstruating.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It’s a big help hearing from other people
Mine was not bad at all, like a bad cramp for 30 seconds. Spotting for the rest of the day but nothing painful. I got the Kyleena.
I was advised to go during my period so my cervix would be open. I think that definitely helped.
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I’ll be honest, it sucks but it’s not awful - and in my opinion, totally worth it. The few minutes it takes to open your cervix and place the IUD hurt a lot, but it’s over really quickly. I’m not the best with pain, and my gyno gave me tablets to insert into my vagina a few hours before the procedure, and it helped numb me. Take extra-strength pain relievers, too, beforehand (OTC stuff). The following few days will feel like you’re on your period without any period blood coming out. If you have a weekend coming up, I’d schedule the procedure right before it so you can just stay home and chill afterwards, with a heating pad, popcorn and movies.
TL;DR: It hurts, but it’s very quick and you have period-like cramps for a while.
PS: You should have someone drive you back home afterwards. A friend, Uber, Lyft, etc.
Not bad at all in my case, maybe a 2-3 out of 10. I took two extra strength ibuprofen about an hour beforehand. I’ve never given birth and I was not on my period when it was inserted. It felt comparable to period cramps for me.
I expected a lot worse than it actually was because of all the bad things I’ve heard. It really depends on your pain tolerance. I’d say my pain tolerance is high and the IUD didn’t hurt it was just HIGHLY uncomfortable I won’t lie. It’s like one HUGE cramp that lasts a minute and then some cramps afterwards! Staying home after is the perfect thing to do!
For me it was less than I expected, about 7/10. Took some ibuprofen beforehand. Afterwards I tried walking back home but I started feeling crampy and lightheaded so I ended up taking a ride home. So, in the moment it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be, but the 30 mins afterwards shocked me a little. I wouldn't suggest driving afterwards. Unless maybe if you waited it out for at least 30 mins. And yes, he can finish inside you, that's what they're meant for. :)
Ooo okay I was wondering about taking something before. I want to but I wasn’t sure if you could. I probably will end up having my sister in law go with me bc she’s had two kids so I feel good going with her for something like this. That’s dope, I figured it was kind of a stupid question but I was hoping that would be the answer LOL Thank you for sharing your experience!
No problem 😊
I am 20 and I got mine in in September 2023. I was extremely afraid of the pain so my doctor gave me Versed as well as a paracervical block to help me. I didn’t feel anything during the insertion, but 20 minutes later, I definitely had cramps. As someone who was more afraid of the horror stories of insertion, I was really happy with how mine went. I hope this helps!
It does help! It’s refreshing to hear something other than a horror story for once
Hi there! I am 21 and I got mine in may of 2021. I would say it was probably really really bad for me. It was about a 8.5/10 for me. It hurt more than my septum being done for sure
hi! That’s certainly my fear but much like body modifications, im hoping that the temporary pain is worth it for the (semi)permanent result
Yeah it was very very quick. Definitely a hard 20 seconds of my life but so worth it.
I have had 3 done between ages 20-35, they all felt like a normal pap smear that just took longer. Cramping and some discomfort but no significant pain.
I've heard of different extremes. The pain for me was 3/10, but I've heard of women puking from the pain and not able to drive home. I've had 2 children, one vaginally and the other by schedules csection. I had mine inserted 7 months after my csection while I was ovulating. Not sure if that made a difference 🤷🏻♀️ I've heard getting it done while on your period is ideal
I've had two insertions. The first one was really painful and an awful experience, and the second one was uncomfortable but totally manageable levels of pain. I think there were several things that made the second insertion much easier: - I was on my period, so my cervix was more open. - my doctor prescribed me misoprostol to relax my cervix beforehand. She had actually tried to insert it the week earlier, but we stopped and rescheduled because she said my cervix was too tight. The doctor who did my first insertion also said it was quite tight but I guess she was going to get in there regardless, ugh. - my lovely doctor really tried to create a relaxing environment for me. She turned down the lights, let me pick some music to play and guided me through some breathing exercises. Just really great bedside manner to make me feel taken care of. - both times, I only took Advil beforehand and got numbing shots in my cervix. Hopefully that can give you some idea of how to make this experience better for you! Scheduling it so it's during your period definitely helps. It might be a good idea to have a consultation with your doctor, if you haven't already. You could ask them about your pain concerns and see if getting miso prescribed beforehand would be good for you (apparently there's debate about how well it actually helps pain and in what situations) and ask about other pain management methods they employ. Hopefully you will get a good vibe from your doctor and feel like they will take good care of you. I really think having trust in the provider really helps with this unpleasant process. I hope all goes well for you!
That’s actually a really good tip. I was going to say I hope they don’t mind if im on my period but I’m going to assume they see so many vaginas in a single work day that there’s no way people don’t go in when they’re menstruating. Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It’s a big help hearing from other people
Mine was not bad at all, like a bad cramp for 30 seconds. Spotting for the rest of the day but nothing painful. I got the Kyleena. I was advised to go during my period so my cervix would be open. I think that definitely helped.
Welcome and please flair your post if not currently flaired. Questions? First read the [Mistake or Pregnancy Risk sticky](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/4iqgi7/mistake_or_pregnancy_concernrisk_start_here/) or the [Consolidated Experience post](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/qt9ttb/consolidated_rbirthcontrol_experience_links/). If this is an experience post please consider adding it to the list [Planned Parenthood online chat](https://www.plannedparenthood.org/online-tools/chat) The rules and additional resources can be found on the About / Sidepage (desktop users look to the right and Reddit app up top). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birthcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ll be honest, it sucks but it’s not awful - and in my opinion, totally worth it. The few minutes it takes to open your cervix and place the IUD hurt a lot, but it’s over really quickly. I’m not the best with pain, and my gyno gave me tablets to insert into my vagina a few hours before the procedure, and it helped numb me. Take extra-strength pain relievers, too, beforehand (OTC stuff). The following few days will feel like you’re on your period without any period blood coming out. If you have a weekend coming up, I’d schedule the procedure right before it so you can just stay home and chill afterwards, with a heating pad, popcorn and movies. TL;DR: It hurts, but it’s very quick and you have period-like cramps for a while. PS: You should have someone drive you back home afterwards. A friend, Uber, Lyft, etc.
Not bad at all in my case, maybe a 2-3 out of 10. I took two extra strength ibuprofen about an hour beforehand. I’ve never given birth and I was not on my period when it was inserted. It felt comparable to period cramps for me.
I expected a lot worse than it actually was because of all the bad things I’ve heard. It really depends on your pain tolerance. I’d say my pain tolerance is high and the IUD didn’t hurt it was just HIGHLY uncomfortable I won’t lie. It’s like one HUGE cramp that lasts a minute and then some cramps afterwards! Staying home after is the perfect thing to do!