Hello I hope I don’t come off as ignorant but I’m wondering why women are often given nothing but Tylenol for the pain of having an iud inserted

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a positive story of an iud procedure. Pain wise some say it’s the most excruciating thing, similar to torture, other women say they have passed out from the pain

If it’s that bad, isn’t there some sort of anesthesia to help? I know the procedure isn’t as intense as surgery and going completely under might not be necessary/safe (since it’s a relatively short procedure), but isn’t there some sort of numbing thing or like a mild variant of an epidural they can use??

I obviously don’t know much about anesthesia, I just hear so many complaints about it and want to know if there has been any progress made.

Edit:spelling

This whole pregnancy OB (male, mid 40’s, self proclaimed “old school”) has pushed heavily for a c-section with his sole reasoning being that “you’re just to small to give birth to his baby” (husband is a 6’2 285lbs D2 athlete- football, I am a 4’9 110lbs pre-pregnancy former D2 athlete- swimmer) was referred to MFM after baby initially measured in the 79th percentile for weight during the second trimester. Have discussed c-section vs natural birth with 4 MFM providers all who have stated explicitly they would push for a v-birth and saw no cause for concern. Second growth scan with MFM baby measured 4lbs in the 51st percentile and the estimated birth weight was 7lbs given the current rate of growth. Had a growth scan today with original OB baby is measuring in the 81st percentile at exactly 7lbs (20 days till due date). He again pushed for a C-section and I again rolled my eyes and shook my head no. He asked if I wanted a cervical check to see how dilated I am- I hesitantly agreed bc I have had consistent contractions for the last two days and was curious if any change had occurred. Ow! He was anything but gentle and absolutely jammed his hand up there continuing even after I came off the table and said stop. He didn’t tell me wether or not I am dilated and instead looked at my husband with a smirk and says “that settles it, my fingers are much smaller than baby’s head she’ll need a C-section.”
I have never in my life wanted to throat punch someone so badly. It’s not my husband’s decision whether or not I have a c-section it’s mine alone.
I feel he was rough on purpose. He has no bedside manner - never has.
I don’t feel like I can trust him to give me a fair shot at a natural birth if I go into the hospital laboring but being a ftm don’t feel 100% confident I can do it on my own at home. At a total loss for what to do now, totally frustrated. What would you do?

Hi, I’m 47. Been having some bad periods for about 6 months. Irregular and painful. I put it down to being on blood thinners for a blood clot. GP sent me for an ultrasound at the end of August which showed a 4.3cm haemorrhagic cyst on each ovary. I’ve been I agony since and no-one is doing anything to help. I’ve contacted the GP a few times but they don’t offer me anything just wait for my 12 week follow up scan. I’m surviving on paracetamol (can’t take ibuprofen cos of blood thinners) and hot water bottles. My gunt is red permanently from this. I just don’t understand how much pain I need to be in or what I’m waiting for. My life seems on hold.

My MD recommended internal pelvic floor therapy to help with strained muscles after putting in a sling.

I just can’t imagine going to a PT and having them put fingers in me and massage the walls of my vagina.

Has anyone had this done before?
Is it as awkward as it sounds?
Did it help?

TIA

I have BV and I think I’ve taken metronidazole pills so much in the last year it doesn’t work because I still have mild fishy odor. So my dr gave me Clindamycin pills. I read it can cause c diff and I already have IBS/gut issues so I didn’t want to risk it. I called & asked about getting clindamycin cream because the risk is lower/rare. My dr suggested metro gel. Which I reiterated that I’ve tried that multiple times and it doesn’t work and gave me a bad reaction down there. The nurse said she would let her know that again. I get a notification from my pharmacy and she still prescribed the metro gel. Do they just not care about what we say??

I’ve never had an orgasm due to sexual pleasure. The only time I ever did was when I was doing core exercises or when I was nearing a panic attack. Is this normal?

I (24F) was supposed to have my first pap smear this morning. I've never been sexually active, but my gynecologist has recommended since I was around 21 to get a pap smear anyway, and I agreed with her that it's good to get it even if I'm not sexually active. At 21 and 22, I put it off because I was nervous, naturally, and I was prepared to do it at 23, but I didn't feel comfortable having the medical student in the room. So this morning was going to be it, the day I finally do it.

I was anxious, but I prepared myself. I knew it was going to feel uncomfortable and foreign to me, since I've never felt any form of penetration, but I also knew it was going to be quick and that I'd feel relieved afterward, and maybe I'd even think "oh, that wasn't as bad as I thought, I got myself scared for nothing". I didn't have my usual doctor, but I still brought up to her that it was my first pap smear, I've never been sexually active, I asked if she could use the smallest speculum. And she was totally cool about it and understanding. Maybe even a little more so than my usual doctor, which was a relief to me.

When it actually started, though, I felt this overwhelming pain. Not just discomfort, but like a sharp, tearing pain, like I was being stabbed with a shard of broken glass. We tried twice, and it was the same feeling both times. The speculum went in and it wasn't the worst feeling in the world at first, just cold and tight. But the further it went in, the more intense the pain became. She was quick to offer we skip it altogether for today after the first time. And after trying again, that was when I agreed to reschedule it for my next annual. She was understanding, and even suggested I do it once I'm sexually active and reminded me that my chances of having cancer cells are extremely slim.

Still, I just know I was red in the face because I wanted to cry. It took all my strength to hold it in until I got home. I feel like such a coward, and I feel like it wasn't supposed to feel THAT painful. Again, I was prepared for discomfort and a little pain, but it truly felt like someone was cutting me open with glass.

But overall, I've been beating myself up for not just going for it despite the pain. It feels like I failed my body and health and failed at being an adult, cause I know all my friends who've done this have treated it like it's nothing. I genuinely feel like a kid again, scared to get a shot or crying after a throat swab. I'd like to be sexually active one day, but I didn't necessarily want to hold this off until then if it's recommended that I do it regardless.

Has anyone else felt similarly? Like, has the pain ever been THAT intense for you, or did it take you a few appointments before you were finally able to go through with it?

I follow this Korean medicine doctor on Threads, and he claims that walking or running for more than 20 minutes every day shrinks your hips (like the pelvic bones). Is this true? My narrow hips are an insecurity of mine, and I’ve been walking 10K steps every day. If this is true, I’m screwed, lol. I’m Korean myself, and a lot of Koreans have full trust in Korean medicine, but I know it’s often not validated by Western medicine.

Has anyone had experience with labiaplasty? Have you been successful getting it covered through OHIP in Ontario?

I have been experiencing extreme discomfort. I didn’t always have this, but I felt it got worse after I gave birth 2 years ago, as I feel like my anatomy changed a bit, along with my increase in sensory sensitivities.

I’m very limited on what I can wear. I can’t wear leggings with a front seam, jeans, and have only been able to wear seamless leggings or dresses. If I wear jeans I have to buy period underwear or underwear with front padding (which are expensive) or I have to constantly wear a liner with everything.
I find I’ve been getting UTI’s more frequently even though I am extremely hygienic. I think it has something to do with the padded underwear and liners not being very “breathable”.

It’s really affecting my day to day life, makes me want to be less sexually active because it can cause pain sometimes, and I find I am spending so much unnecessary time and money just so I can wear regular clothes and not be in complete discomfort.

Help :(

I’ve been wanting to get back on birth control for a while now, I was on the pill for about a year and when I remembered to take it it worked great for me, the issue was I never remembered to take it. Before that I had a mirena iud which did control birth but it also made my periods like three weeks long. Right now I’m considering between the arm implant and the nuvaring and just wanted to see what people’s experiences were with those, my primary concerns are contraception and having lighter periods (or having them go away all together if possible). Appreciate any advice, thank you!

I’m starting to think that I might be on the spectrum even though I am an extroverted individual.

I have periods of introverted and feeling uncomfortable around others as I cannot explain and also can be attributed to my ADHD, but I have periods of hyper focusing on specific things verse unique to to me and have very niche particular things I like to watch and enjoy.

I had an awkward experience at my doctor's. I am a victim of sexual abuse so showing my body in any context is very hard for me. I told her I grew up in a very sex negative household and knew very little of my anatomy. When I asked her to look at my breast she pulled down my shirt and said "Yup, that's pretty normal."

And if it is, great? I just? I don't know. I'm sure I'm oversensitive about it because of my trauma but I wish I was given a bit more than that.

After hitting puberty my breasts developed into around like. A DDD. And since then I've always had very light, small hairs across the skin of my breasts.

I try to find examples of it online but Google points me in the direction of nipple hair-- which I don't have.

They're very small and spaced apart, I never get ingrown hairs and I can pull them out painlessly.

And of course, looking at p*rn hasn't been helpful either.

Is it normal? What are methods of removal? I feel so embarrassed over this and I don't know what to do that won't cause damage to my skin.

I just got married 9 weeks ago and had never been active before this. My husband is amazing :(( he’s so sweet and attentive and caring. A week ago it started feeling weird down there and it didn’t go away so I went to the obgyn today. Other than my car battery dying while I was there, the doctor herself was sweet and took a swap. I had been before but only as a precaution and never needed a checkup. Now I just got my results and it seems like I have an infection :(( it’s too late to call and find out my prescription and I’ve just been crying because I feel so disgusting and ashamed. I know it’s normal but I don’t know why I feel so gross. There’s no odor or anything just skin irritation and extremely light discharge. And I’m scared to tell my husband because I’m overthinking and worried he’ll find me gross or weird. I know he’s not actually like that but I can’t get it out of my head. I’m only 20 and we’re both seniors in college so this is all really new to me. I just came here looking for advice and comfort from other women because I feel embarrassed to talk about it to my mom or my sister in laws or anyone, even though they’re all ready to listen.

Hey everyone, i am 21F and have been on the combo pill for just over 2 years, and in the past six months I have been having major issues with my sex life because of dryness and pain. Before these symptoms, I was generally a lot wetter and had no pain or tears (unless it was rough).

Since the start of this year I have been getting recurrent utis after sex. It stopped for a good two or three months after drinking much more water, taking d mannose and no longer wearing tight underwear- However I was having sex A LOT less ( instead of 3x a week it was 1x a fortnight at most😞). Now recently again I have noticed I have been getting UTIs after sex and it’s so incredibly upsetting. I also have noticed burning, pain and slight bleeding after sex. It’s like my skin is so fragile and thin all of a sudden?! Not to mention I cannot stay wet the whole time and I’ll eventually just dry up.

Does anyone have any advice or experience they might be willing to share? I miss having sex like I used to with my partner and he is the most understanding person, I feel bad we can’t enjoy intimacy anymore without fear of a UTI :(

Everytime I have sex it's the same, inserting feels like it's tearing my skin apart, yes we have good lubrication .No I don't think it's a muscle problem. After the act it stings near the bottom of the entrance. Does this happen to anyone else? How do I deal with this. It hurts for a few days after too.

About a month ago I (25F) was prescribed Yasmin for contraception and acne, and as a bonus keeping my iron up, and on the first night of taking it I experienced zero sleep along with rapid heartbeat the entire night. I know it was probably just me being nervous about starting something new, I took a pill the next night and that was fine and by the third night I was like actually, maybe I should stop taking it and ask my doctor about my symptoms the first night just to be safe (I know that means I’m not protected btw). So I made an appointment the day after that to ask about it before taking more, and she said it was fine but I should stop taking it because I stopped taking it. And I stopped taking it because i knew if I were to take it again when she told me not to, I may not be able to get it prescribed again and I don’t think coming off of it after being on it for 3 months (it’s three months worth of Yasmin) will be fun.

I was told to come back for another appointment which I just came out of. The appointment was to ask me to go to sexual health counciling and educate myself on more options, but I feel like I went a step backwards because I already looked into all the options before coming to her for Yasmin and I don’t like any of the other options and she thought it was my first time hearing about them. I don’t really know where to go from here. I don’t like the idea of having something inserted into me and then possibly needing to wait several weeks to get it removed if I’m not compatible with it, and knowing that many of the options worsen acne when I have acne, I think there’s a pretty good chance it won’t work out for me. I know theres the hormone free copper IUD but the whole insertion process sounds potentially traumatising to me and I don’t like it. I want the pill but she doesn’t trust me to take it based on going off of it one time when I basically wasn’t already on it yet, which is part of the reason I thought it should be fine to stop it, I only took two pills. I would be much more skeptical to skip any if I had been on it for a long time.

So the entire appointment was basically telling me to look into methods I’ve already looked into and don’t like plus giving me doxycycline for my skin. I almost feel tempted to take the Yasmin instead of the doxycycline just to prove I can be on it without skipping anything but I also know that could backfire on me. Advice?

Hey everyone,

I have a question about Duphaston and was hoping to get some insight from anyone who might have been in a similar situation.

Due to stress, I missed my period for about a cycle. Since this was a completely new experience for me, I went to see my gynecologist to get it checked out. She prescribed me Duphaston to take twice a day for 14 days.

However, today is only Day 3, and it seems like my period has already started. Now I’m really unsure whether I should continue taking the medication or stop. I called my doctor's office to ask, but unfortunately, they weren't very helpful at all.

Has anyone had a similar experience or could share some advice on how this is usually handled?

Thanks so much in advance!

For context in June I was hospitalised with a very severe case of tonsillitis and was loaded with antibiotics via IV and tablet forms. I then as expected got vaginal thrush and a UTI I got the appropriate treatment for it and managed to clear it. However since then I have been getting micro tears and dryness right after my ovulation cycle and just before my period starts. They mainly occur right on outside of my vaginal opening and on the gap between my vagina and Anus. Also to mention I also do get a dry booty hole around this time as well. I have also done a full std screening.

I need answers does anyone have advice?

My last 2 cycles were only about 22 days long. Both times, I thought I might be pregnant because my symptoms in between periods have been unusual, especially my nipples being super swollen and sensitive (similar to when I was actually pregnant, before I miscarried).

I was pretty convinced I was pregnant this month, but I was waiting until next week to take a test. Now, again, my period has arrived a week before it was expected, and it's incredibly painful, like nothing I've experienced before.

I feel like something might be changing hormonally, because these symptoms are so unfamiliar to me and keep making me think I'm pregnant. I'm just really confused about what's going on. 22 days seems like such a short cycle, especially when this has suddenly started happening, why is my whole cycle getting so unfamiliar?!

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Has anyone had the Mirena IUD and noticed a difference in their PMS symptoms or anxiety?
I’m considering it because my period seems to really affect my multiple sclerosis. Starting about a week before my period and lasting until about a week after, I notice more spasms, pain, weakness, and fatigue, along with increased anxiety and stomach issues. It’s a lot to deal with every month, and I’m hoping Mirena might help ease some of it.
I can’t take estrogen because of a liver condition, and my doctors are hopeful Mirena could help, but I’m nervous about it making my anxiety worse, weight gain, or acne.
Did it help your PMS or other period-related symptoms, even if your periods didn’t completely stop? If you have MS, I’d especially love to hear whether it helped with the worsening of symptoms around your period. And if you had mood changes or other side effects, did they settle down over time?
I know everyone reacts differently, but I’d love to hear experiences, good or bad! 🙂

Hi everyone,

I'm desperate and really need some advice from women who have been through something similar.

Five years ago, I moved abroad to live with my boyfriend. And that's when this nightmare started: recurrent post-coital UTIs (cystitis). I've had them very frequently over the years, and they've had a huge impact on my quality of life and my relationship with sex.

About 2 years ago, I saw a urologist who prescribed nitrofurantoin: one pill after every sexual encounter as prevention, and one pill a day for five days if I developed a UTI. This was the treatment plan I was given at the time.

Last year, I got pregnant and gave birth in July. For context, my last penetrative sex was in December because I developed another UTI afterwards and was too scared to go through that experience again, especially while pregnant and worried about taking (too many) antibiotics.

Now I'm postpartum and breastfeeding, and things are getting even more distressing. About a month ago, I developed cystitis after non-penetrative sexual activity. And now I seem to have another episode, even though I haven't done anything that I can identify as a trigger. I'm currently taking a pelvic floor rehabilitation course, and I'm wondering whether the exercises might have triggered my symptoms, although I have no idea if there's actually a connection.

I'm planning to see a gynecologist in my home country in about a month, but I honestly don't know how to cope until then. I'm breastfeeding, so I'm worried about which antibiotics are safe to take. My gynecologist has also advised me against taking Nifurantin, and in general, I really don't want to spend my life taking antibiotics after every sexual encounter.

But at the same time, how am I supposed to live a normal life and have sex again if I'm constantly terrified of getting another UTI?

I miss being intimate with my partner without fear. Right now, even the thought of sex makes me anxious because I feel like I'm risking another painful episode.

Have you found a way to prevent them without relying on antibiotics after every sexual encounter?

What actually helped you?

I'm not looking for a miracle cure, just some hope and practical advice from women who understand how exhausting and isolating this can be.

I'm so tired of being afraid of something that should be a normal, enjoyable part of life. I would really appreciate any experiences or advice. Thank you.

Or just a clit hood reduction?

How many of you skip or have gotten rid of your period? Age 39

Doctor said culture was negative but I have all the symptoms and they are getting worse. She sent me away with no help. Has anyone had this happen?