My IUD Insertion Experience

So today I got the Mirena IUD. (18F, no kids, never been pregnant)

I got it for two reasons, one: I started my period at 13 and have had heavy, long periods ever since. I'm talking 15-30 days of heavy bleeding with a week or two off. (Mirena shortens and can even stop your periods all together). Reason two, obviously great pregnancy prevention. (I am in a long-term, committed relationship and I am not looking to have kids anytime soon.)

I came in on my period as instructed because your cervix is more dilated then, so insertion is more comfortable. I was taking the birth control pill Aviane before for a few months and I was on my "withdrawl bleed week." My appt. was at 9:45 am, I took 3 Aleve an hour before. After some nervous and excited waiting, I got my vitals done, BP was a higher than normal because of the nerves. Peed in a cup to make sure I wasn't pregnant, and then waited for the Nurse Practitioner. It was a little after 10 now and she comes in and tells me the basic info about the IUD and I told her I did a lot of research about it. She was really glad to hear that. She said she'd tell me step by step what she is doing and will stop at any moment if I tell her to. After that, we started. Another nurse came in to assist. The NP did a quick pelvic exam, then she got the speculum and "opened me up." There was no uncomfortable pressure for me at all. Next, she used two swabs coated in Betadine(Antiseptic) on my cervix to make sure it was a clean environment. They were removed a few seconds later and then the tenaculum was placed on my cervix. (This tool pinches your cervix to hold it in place for a better angle). I took a deep breath as this was done, and honestly an ear piercing hurts more than this. It was a pressured pinch for a few seconds and then it was fine. Not painful. After that, she put the sounding device in, and I took another deep breath.(This tool measures the depth of your uterus to make sure it long enough for the IUD). It was a little crampy for a few seconds, but pretty minor in my opinion. Nothing to complain about. One more deep breath as she put the device that contains the IUD in.(It's a tool with a handle, connected to a long tube with the IUD inside it) I felt slight cramping again for a second and then the wings opened in my uterus. I would say that was the part I liked the least, but again, it wasn't bad, it just felt like a minor cramp. This all happened with in about 3 minutes. She told me I did really well and then went on to say one reason that she thinks helped me out a lot was knowing all the information about it so I knew what to expect and wasn't as caught off guard. She told me to stay laying on the bed for a minute or two, then left and I got up and got dressed. I didn't feel crampy or light-headed/dizzy after, I felt pretty good. I scheduled a follow-up appt. and that was it. My mom drove me home and a couple hours later I started to get some light cramps but has been nothing bad.

Here are some tips:

Take Aleve because it is anti-inflammatory, Advil and Tylenol are not. Bring a water. Wear comfortable clothing. Try to pee/poop before you come just because you'll feel better. Bring a pantyliner/pad if you're on your period or in case you have any light spotting after. Try to have someone else take you in case you feel light-headed or crampy after.

I hope this will help ease some concerns or worries. It's really worth it and I would do it again.