I was so sick of being in agony while on the coil so pulled it out myself, I couldn’t wait til my doctor’s appointment
A WOMAN who was in agony due to having the Mirena coil ended up pulling it out herself because it hurt so much.
The Australian woman explained that she’d had the IUD inserted during surgery for endometriosis two months ago.
But since then, she’s been struggling with “intense fatigue, brain fog, back pain, uterus pain, headaches and acne”.
So, she emailed her gynaecologist and arranged an appointment for Tuesday.
However, after being up for two hours “weeping” because of the pain, she decided to try and get it out herself.
“So I did and it didn’t hurt,” she said in her TikTok video.
“I went into the bathroom and I washed my hands, and I found the strings and just pulled gently.
“And I didn’t even feel it come out.
“But as soon as I was out, my uterus didn’t hurt anymore.
“Yeah I’m elated that it’s gone and I’m going to have to explain this to my gynae when I see her on Tuesday.”
“This is the face of someone totally done with their IUD. Disclaimer: i am not a medical professional and don’t recommend this for others,” she added in the caption.
She updated her page with another video after seeing her gynaecologist, as she said the doctor was “totally cool” about why she’d taken the IUD out herself.
“She said that the fact I was able to reach the strings so easily, that I didn’t feel any resistance and I didn’t feel it come out means that it was already in the arms up position,” she said.
“So it was on its way out anyway and I just birthed my Mirena.”
“I tried it twice. Also removed it myself twice – chose hysterectomy instead,” one person commented on the video.
Is it safe to take out your own IUD?
THERE'S been much debate as to whether or not it's safe to take out your own IUD yourself, at home. Here, we look at two sides of the debate.
YES –
Diane Greene Foster, PhD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco, said there’s a quick way to tell if you’ll be able to remove a IUD yourself.
“If you can grab the string, you can remove it yourself,” she said. “But, if you don’t get traction, you can’t do it. If you can’t feel the string, your chance of removing it yourself is zero.”
She added that the risks involved with IUD removal is the same whether a doctor does it or a woman does it at home.
Risks include a drop in blood pressure, which can lead to fainting, but the same thing can happen during intercourse or a pelvic exam – basically any point the cervix is touched.
“It’s rare and doesn’t change whether the woman is doing it or a clinician,” she added.
“And women who experience this may know they are at risk because they have fainted during smear tests, for example.”
NO –
On the other side of the debate is gynaecologist and Sanctum Med Wellness founder Dr Jessica Shepherd.
“Taking out your own IUD is not safe,” she said. “The IUD will hopefully come out completely intact, but there are cases where it can break off and you still have pieces in there.”
As well as that, you could end up with bleeding that may require immediate attention.
“It can be painful if not done correctly,” she added.
Another possibility is that you could end up breaking the string and getting the IUD lodged in your cervix.
Not only is that incredibly painful, it sometimes requires an operation to remove.
Our advice is always to speak to a doctor or medical professional before trying to do anything yourself.
As another added: “Mine caused nothing but issues. I had a permanent migraine the whole time and ended up in hospital.”
But others insisted it had worked for them, with one writing: “I couldn’t recommend it more after having it for myself for the 2nd time.
“But not everything works for everyone.”
“It’s was the best thing for me! I am on my third!” another added.