LOL Is this normal for an OB/GYN?

[Skeen]

This is not a complaint, just a question.

I was recently at my yearly checkup and my doctor asked if I wanted to stay on the same birth control pills. I said sure, but made the comment I hate taking them (can't reliably remember to do it, and hate taking pills in general). She flipped through my chart to see what else I had been on, and then said, "Would you like an IUD? I have time before my next appointment."

I declined, but I lol'd all the way to the car. Is it normal to just offer like that? Isn't inserting one of those things a fairly involved process?

For the record, I love my doctor, she is awesome.

[Sparky]

Not really. It takes five minutes, tops.

It does seem like she should have encouraged you to weigh the pros and cons more, though.

[KiaKat]

Only things I can think of -
1. you're at the right point in your cycle (and life). IUD's can only be inserted during the first week of the cycle (while you're on your period) and are usually recommended for women who have had at least one term pregnancy.
2. she may have been planning on recommending non-hormonal BC for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Though I'm not entirely sure why she wouldn't expound upon her recommendation.

[Sparky]

Only things I can think of -
1. you're at the right point in your cycle (and life). IUD's can only be inserted during the first week of the cycle (while you're on your period)

This is not true, though that's the best time.

I had mine inserted several months after giving birth. I was nursing and not having periods (for over a year).

[Skeen]

Huh. Actually, I don't ever want kids, and she knows that. Maybe it was just as an alternative to the pills, since if I can't remember to take them they're not really helpful.

I'm sure if I'd been receptive she would have talked to me about it. She always has in the past. I think this was just more of a "throwing it out there" thing. It just took me by surprise.

[KiaKat]

This is not true, though that's the best time.

I had mine inserted several months after giving birth. I was nursing and not having periods (for over a year).

I forgot about the post-birth thing. Takes time for the cervix to close up again. Thank you for the addendum!

[RedRoseSpiral]

I had mine put in about a year and a half ago, and I would suggest being ready for it ad not getting on on the fly. It's not an involved process (5 minutes tops like Sparky said), but it's fucking hurts especially if you haven't given birth previously. I'd suggest taking painkillers for a full 24 hours to dull it and spending the next two days in bed with some rum (I only did the latter part; wish I had been better prepared).

[Sparky]

I had mine put in about a year and a half ago, and I would suggest being ready for it ad not getting on on the fly. It's not an involved process (5 minutes tops like Sparky said), but it's fucking hurts especially if you haven't given birth previously. I'd suggest taking painkillers for a full 24 hours to dull it and spending the next two days in bed with some rum (I only did the latter part; wish I had been better prepared).

Not arguing, but, well, your mileage may vary. I used IUDs for several years, and while I had them initially inserted after childbirth, I had to have at least one replaced. Wow, yes, one giant CRAMP! But that only lasted a couple of minutes. I was fine afterward.

Sorry you had such a rough time, Rose.

[ArcticChicken]

but it fucking hurts

QFT. I was in lots of pain for a couple days, and cramping for like a week. No regrets, though. Love not having to remember to take the damn pill every day.

OP - my guess would be she didn't mean she could put it in right there, but rather that she had time to talk about it. At least when I got mine the office had to contact my insurance to be certain they'd pay for it. OTOH, I wasn't there so...

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm surprised she offered, Skeen, if you haven't had kids yet. They usually won't put one in until you've had a couple of kids unless you're an older woman and getting pregnant later in life isn't necessarily all that safe anyway.

IUD's can sometimes lead to pelvic inflammatory disease or a ruptured uterus and result in infertility. This is a risk that must be clearly explained to any patient considering one.

[sevendaysky]

While it's true that they used to only be indicated for those who have not given birth, but in later years I think some doctors are beginning to put that aside. I was... 21 when I got my first one put in. It helped that I had spent the last... oh, four or five years insisting that I Did Not Want Children, Ever. It also helps that the IUD is removable and fertility does return once it's removed, so it's not as serious as tubal ligation or a hysterectomy is.

About 3 1/2 years later my Mirena began to fail in that I was suddenly getting cramping and spotting when I hadn't been before. The doctor at the time pulled it and replaced with another in case the dispensing part of it had failed. I was under anesthesia when the first one was put in (I was having surgery for a bartholin's gland cyst at the time so they just did it at the same time) - but I will tell you that the INSERTION hurts less than the REMOVAL. The first time wasn't as bad because I knew it was coming and had pre-medicated. The second time, the doc didn't warn me he was going to remove it, just YOINK. It does feel like you're going to die at first, but after that I really didn't have any problems. After years of heavy cramping, bleeding, mood swings, etc, the Mirena was a sanity-restoring thing. No bleeding, no cramps, none of it. Now I'm stuck on the Depo shot til we find something else that will work.

I would look it over and figure out what you want to do. The copper one is best if you don't want a lot of drugs running around in your system, but it won't stop your periods. For me, the Mirena did stop it, but it doesn't do that for everyone. I would definitely follow up and discuss things with her, since you know she's going to be receptive to at least talking about it.

ETA to add something else: the risk to fertility is not so big of a deal for ME since I don't want kids. I knew that going in. The rupture/implantation was an issue, but after speaking to the doctor, she said that generally speaking, the risk of those things happening is very low, and generally only occurs if there is some other underlying issue, such as a turned/tilted uterus or infection, and there was a rumor there was an implantation incident with my cousin's IUD. She told people that she had felt "bad" for a while, cramping and so forth, but for some reason didn't actually go in until it required surgical intervention to remove it. I asked her why she didn't go in, and she just looked at me blankly. If she'd gone in at the end of the first week, it might not have been as bad as it was -- which still wasn't life threatening, but of course nobody wants an IUD glued to the inner wall of their uterus... (I told her that if that had happened to me, I'd have told them to yank the entire uterus and be done with it. She looked horrified, while her 4 unruly boys shrieked and threw toys behind her.)

[kpzra]

I decided to not get one after my sister had one it is...fell out is the best way to put it. She had to have it removed a month after it was put in because of that happening. Implanon is what I went with, but I'm ready to cut it out myself after a little over a year. Make sure you research different methods, there is also the Nuva ring that is monthly.

[Sapphire Silk]

I decided to not get one after my sister had one it is...fell out is the best way to put it. She had to have it removed a month after it was put in because of that happening. Implanon is what I went with, but I'm ready to cut it out myself after a little over a year. Make sure you research different methods, there is also the Nuva ring that is monthly.

IUD's do fall out sometimes And different products work better for different people.

I'd do some research on contraception options before getting an IUD. I've heard that they are wonderful for some people, but they do have risks. Everyone should consider all options before going with the IUD, and THEN, if you think the iUD is for you, go for it!

[dragon_wings]

I use Nuva ring myself. No real complaints.

[ShadowBall]

Wow, a lot of women often have to fight tooth and nail for sterilization - temporary or permanent - because so many doctors are misogynist assholes who feel no woman knows exactly what she wants reproductively unless she wants or has children.

I've heard the risks and all that for IUDs too...the bleeding, the cramping, the higher rate of expulsion if you've never given birth and either falling out or coming loose and floating freely in your uterus. I don't know if I'd personally entrust my fertility to something that could fall out of me, but I also know no method of contraception is 100 percent guaranteed to work. I guess you could give it a try and see if it would be a good fit for you.

Also, from what I know, it's done in-office and it's not invasive in the sense of cutting open and stitches and all that. Also, as far as the PID risk, I think that's only if you sleep around a lot - as in if you get a lot of action from a lot of people, you run a higher risk of an STD and if you get one with an IUD inserted, this can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and possible infertility.

Is it normal for the doc to ask about this so suddenly? Probably not, but you're so lucky to have a doctor who isn't a fuckwit. I'd say consider at least getting a consult about it - IUDs are good for 5-10 years depending on what kind you get and I think it'd be cheaper in the long run than shelling out for pills each month.