So, birth control is, both regrettably and thankfully, a thing, and many women will cycle through various forms of birth control through their lives trying to find the one that works for them. For me personally, I’ve tried:
– the pill (I’m a forgetful person who cannot remember to take a pill at the same time every day, as it turns out, so that was a bust)
– a different kind of pill (same problem, equally a bust)
– a contraceptive implant (low maintenance, so thank goodness, but didn’t solve my problems with periods, which was why I wanted it – helloooo epic nausea that leaves me curled up on my bathroom floor with a water bottle!)
And finally, I landed on a hormonal IUS, the Mirena coil in my case.
On the whole, I don’t have too many complaints! No periods, excellent, minimal depression side-effects, fabulous, no maintenance required – it’s wonderful. It varies from person to person, but for me, I’m pretty happy, and a huge shout out to Brook, which is a service that offers many sexual and reproductive health services and more to under-25-year-olds. Their services are free, confidential and easy to access. They have a clinic not far from UCL, by Euston on Chalton Street too and many others in London and around the UK. They made it as comfortable an experience as possible for me. However, since getting an IUS fitted is still a pain in the….vagina?…here are a couple things to bear in mind before you get yours:
1) Be prepared for cramping the rest of the day. I personally made sure my hot water bottle was to hand, cleared my afternoon just in case and made sure I had some ibuprofen on me. I’m glad I did, since I was out of commission for a few hours from some fairly intense cramps.
2) Wear appropriate clothing. I know it seems fairly obvious, but you will end up with both legs akimbo with everything exposed, so it’s worthwhile to ensure you’re wearing something comfortable, easy to either pull up or get on and off (like a skirt or dress).
3) Bring a buddy! If you can, having a friend there with you can be super reassuring. Make sure they’re a friend you’re comfortable with though (due to the aforementioned legs akimbo situation!) The process of getting a coil fitted is exceptionally weird, and if you, like me, are prone to anxiety or generally feel weird about getting a scary plastic speculum inside of you, it can be pretty panic-inducing. Equally, you can feel dizzy and faint, and it can be uncomfortable and painful (in the short-term). When I got mine, I started panicking and was struggling to stay still, at which point the lovely person inserting my IUS stopped to let me breathe and encouraged me to ask my friend to come in and keep me company. A little gossip and a very tight hand hold later, the whole process was complete, and my wonderful mate and I became a whole lot closer! It may also be handy to have a buddy at your side in case things go a bit wrong. For one of my friends, there was an issue with the fitting, and the doctor wouldn’t let her go home unaccompanied, leaving her in the unenviable position of hitting up friends last minute just to get home; having someone already there with you is super helpful in this case.
So, do some more research on whether an IUS might be good for you, and if you decide on it here’s hoping these tips are helpful for you!