In my quest for birth control that is not a pill (allergic) or a hassle (ugh) or a prescription (no insurance), I finally went to the Planned Parenthood to figure out options. I was told Implanon or an IUD would be great for me. Wait a minute…
The adorable, hassle-free IUD.
The Bullshit:
I have been told since I was 19 that a woman cannot have an IUD until she is over 35 years old and/or has at least one child. I relay this to the Planned Parenthood nurse, because I am only 28 and thankfully childfree. She says that’s a lie that doctors have been saying for too long now.
Sure, there’s a chance your uterus may be too small to have an IUD comfortably if you haven’t had a child and are young yet. But they measure the uterus before installing the IUD, so if it’s not going to work out, they don’t put it in.
The Truth:
Now I feel obliged to pass this message on to women who have been lied to, like I have. You can have an IUD before you have a child and/or are over 35!
Here is what it says on the Mirena (brand of IUD) website:
Mirena … is recommended for women who have had at least one child. This is because most of the medical research conducted on Mirena for FDA approval was among women who had at least one child.
There you have it. It isn’t that IUDs were found to be harmful for women who haven’t had a child, they simply did most of the research on women who had had a child.
If your doctor gives you that bullshit excuse, educate him/her on the facts. If it is still refused, go to Planned Parenthood. They will actually help you make solid choices about your own goddamn life.
Grrrr!
Do I seem peeved? Well I am. I have wanted an IUD since I was 19 and knew I did not want to have children (any time soon). I had asked multiple doctors over the years about the option, and all of them refused. And of course they’re doctors – I figure they know what they’re talking about! Bull-to-the-shit.
So here’s a testimonial from me, a woman who is 28 and has no children, and now has an IUD: it is going great. No pain. No problems. I feel confident that I get to decide when and if I have children in the future. No “oopsie kids”.
I have no desire to deal with this (any time soon):
I am going to have nightmares for a week.
Of course there could be other reasons you shouldn’t get an IUD, I’d recommend learning about them to see if an IUD is even right for you. If the only reasons you “can’t” have one are because you don’t have any kids and you’re young – you can!