Getting an IUD is one of those things where you hear a lot of horror stories. Some women have it super easy (like me), while others claim it caused them pain for days. So which is it? One woman decided to live-tweet her IUD insertion to get to the bottom of it.
Refinery29 editor Hayley MacMillen was getting a Mirena IUD inserted. This has a small amount of hormones and is inserted directly through the vagina into the uterus. They last five years and many women swear by them.
According to MacMillen:
https://twitter.com/hlmacmillen/status/643852949484105729
And:
https://twitter.com/hlmacmillen/status/643853357828972544
And:
https://twitter.com/hlmacmillen/status/643853535432581120
It goes on until the end. We learn about her cervix and all the ins and outs of insertion and many on social media are claiming TMI. But I say no way. In many other countries, IUD’s are the number one choice for birth control. Here in the US, they are incredibly rare. Why is that?
I have had two IUD’s. One I got after the birth of my second child. I chose the paraguard because it lacked hormones and I wanted a hormone-free option. I had it for five years until I decided to pull it to go for a baby. I was pregnant shortly thereafter with no complications. Then after she was born, I got another one. 20 months later, I have spontaneous sex without fear of an accidental pregnancy and with no hormonal side effects. If I could sing its praises from mountaintops, I would do so.
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Unfortunately, the controversies surrounding the bad IUD’s of the 1970’s (the Dalkon Shield) have made a generation of women shy away from the IUD. And it’s a real shame. Because it is the one birth control that offers a non-hormonal option while also lasting for up to 10 years. They are popular in China largely because they are so effective.
More: New documentary explores scary side of hormonal birth control
So was live tweeting it TMI? Heck no. We need to talk about birth control more. We need to shout about it from the sky. If women have better options, then there will be less horrible things happening to children in the world. We all would do well to get the best birth control for our bodies. Kudos to MacMillen for taking this on for all women.
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