STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Ouchy!

AllieGurl · Marc Jacobs

Oh gosh that sounds bad :( I hope you feel better. And booo to the doctor for not being more informed !

Suasoria · Chanel

What?? You got LOUSY information, girl. What are they thinking? I would totally write an angry letter and maybe post comments online (my health insurance company lets people rate their doctors, maybe yours does too).

Didn't they tell you to at least take a painkiller before? I wish you'd come here for advice first!

I got an IUD two years ago* and it's the equivalent of minor surgery IMO. I took off the day of the procedure and the next day. Pain, cramping, bleeding, etc.** I didn't drive myself home and I can't imagine that I could have, even if I'd wanted to.

((hugs)) and DO keep taking it easy. Got minipads? You might be spotting for a while - a week or so.

* Best. birth control. decision. ever (but difficult to get if you're not a mom...long story).

** Totally worth the pain and discomfort. Plus, I've had only one or two periods in two years. I've almost forgotten what it's like to have one.

Alegria · Kate Spade

You poor thing. Hope you feel better soon.

nightshade · Nine West

I think it's ridiculous what the doctors don't bother to tell you. Years ago, I had my tubes tied, and I was sitting in the hospital room waiting to go for the procedure (had already had the first sedative needle), and some orderlies wheeled a woman into the room -- she was unconscious, her skin was gray and she had thrown up on herself. Poor thing, I said, what happened? Oh, they replied, she just had her tubes tied. God!!!

I hope you're feeling better today...

BellinaJessica · Kenneth Cole

If you haven't had kids I've heard it can be that bad. That sucks that they didn't tell you. It should get better soon though but be prepared for some pretty rough periods for a while.

I got mine back in June and I seriously love it. I'm still waiting for my period to lighten up and go back to normal though, each month gets a little better.

This may sound odd but I swear the thing that helped me most was just visualizing that the IUD was happily nestled in my uterus. I think it really helped with the whole body trying to reject it thing and the cramping and bleeding that occurs as a result.

Hope you feel better soon!

Elle · Hermes

Fucking doctors - what is the matter with them?!?!

I agree with Suasoria, and would be writing/posting/phoning my complaint anywhere and everywhere - this sort of shit shouldn't be tolerated, and both those that work with the doc and his other/potential patients should be able to access that sort of information.

FWIW, I don't think your physical experience is anything other than normal, especially for a woman who hasn't previously had her cervix dilated for any reason. There are nerves in the cervix and when they're stimulated they can cause nausea, back pain, light headedness, and cramping among other things. Dose it up on ibuprofen if you can take that and lay down with a heating pad, poor thing!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

Thanks everyone. I'm feeling better everyday. I called off of work on Fri and got to rest.

Suasoria - he did tell me to take ibuprofin before, and I did. Who knows what it would've felt like if I hadn't. I remember seeing your story about finding a doctor who would agree to place an IUD. Any doctor in his or her right mind should offer the IUD as a BC method, and kick to the curb this mystical identity it has. It is very inexpensive in the long term, my insurance covered all of it, it's immediately effective, and fertility reverses as soon as it's removed. What else can you ask for?

I guess, until my doc has had his "cervix dilated," he'll never be able to grasp fully how it feels!

Good idea- Bellina- cuz I'm kinda feeling a little freaked about this apparatus inside me. I'll try that too.

Thanks again, ladies!

Sandy · Kate Spade

I'm sorry you had to deal with that, and I'm glad you're feeling better. What an awful experience! I hope you complain about it.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

pollyjean23 wrote:

Any doctor in his or her right mind should offer the IUD as a BC method, and kick to the curb this mystical identity it has. It is very inexpensive in the long term, my insurance covered all of it, it's immediately effective, and fertility reverses as soon as it's removed. What else can you ask for?

Dude!?!? Your insurance covered it? I could have sworn you didn't have any kids but yet you still got it covered? Who's your insurance, if you don't mind me asking? I've tried twice now (with old job and with new job) and neither insurance company would cover either type of IUD (hormone/copper) because I haven't ever had kids. I've switched my GYN recently (not necessarily my choice, my CRNP stopped seeing patients on a regular basis because she got her PhD so she could teach...and she was amazingly wonderful) and both tried to get me an IUD covered. It just won't happen, unfortunately. Yeah, I could cough up the couple thousand for the procedure and the device, but really, that just won't happen anytime soon.

Anyway, I'm sorry that your doctor didn't warn you of the crazy cramping and pain involved. But it will get better!

pollyjean23 · Marc Jacobs

relrel wrote:

pollyjean23 wrote:

Any doctor in his or her right mind should offer the IUD as a BC method, and kick to the curb this mystical identity it has. It is very inexpensive in the long term, my insurance covered all of it, it's immediately effective, and fertility reverses as soon as it's removed. What else can you ask for?

Dude!?!? Your insurance covered it? I could have sworn you didn't have any kids but yet you still got it covered? Who's your insurance, if you don't mind me asking? I've tried twice now (with old job and with new job) and neither insurance company would cover either type of IUD (hormone/copper) because I haven't ever had kids. I've switched my GYN recently (not necessarily my choice, my CRNP stopped seeing patients on a regular basis because she got her PhD so she could teach...and she was amazingly wonderful) and both tried to get me an IUD covered. It just won't happen, unfortunately. Yeah, I could cough up the couple thousand for the procedure and the device, but really, that just won't happen anytime soon.
Anyway, I'm sorry that your doctor didn't warn you of the crazy cramping and pain involved. But it will get better!

Hmm...maybe I'm taking for granted that it was covered. The rep from the doctor's office sounded a bit excited when she called to give me the news. I am a state employee, and my insurance is provided through bluecrossblueshield. Maybe cuz of my age? I'm 33-going on 34. That shouldn't be the issue, but...

I hate how we have to make healthcare decisions based on what an insurance company will and won't do. Sorry!

-- Edited by pollyjean23 at 11:00, 2009-03-02

relrel · Marc Jacobs

pollyjean23 wrote:

relrel wrote:

pollyjean23 wrote:

Any doctor in his or her right mind should offer the IUD as a BC method, and kick to the curb this mystical identity it has. It is very inexpensive in the long term, my insurance covered all of it, it's immediately effective, and fertility reverses as soon as it's removed. What else can you ask for?

Dude!?!? Your insurance covered it? I could have sworn you didn't have any kids but yet you still got it covered? Who's your insurance, if you don't mind me asking? I've tried twice now (with old job and with new job) and neither insurance company would cover either type of IUD (hormone/copper) because I haven't ever had kids. I've switched my GYN recently (not necessarily my choice, my CRNP stopped seeing patients on a regular basis because she got her PhD so she could teach...and she was amazingly wonderful) and both tried to get me an IUD covered. It just won't happen, unfortunately. Yeah, I could cough up the couple thousand for the procedure and the device, but really, that just won't happen anytime soon.
Anyway, I'm sorry that your doctor didn't warn you of the crazy cramping and pain involved. But it will get better!

Hmm...maybe I'm taking for granted that it was covered. The rep from the doctor's office sounded a bit excited when she called to give me the news. I am a state employee, and my insurance is provided through bluecrossblueshield. Maybe cuz of my age? I'm 33-going on 34. That shouldn't be the issue, but...
I hate how we have to make healthcare decisions based on what an insurance company will and won't do. Sorry!

-- Edited by pollyjean23 at 11:00, 2009-03-02

Yeah, having insurance cover the IUD for nulliparous/nulligravid (never gave birth, never been pregnant) women is really uncommon. I am really curious if it's because you just have kick-ass insurance being a state employee or it's an age thing. I'm 29, but will be 30 this year. I wonder if it would be worth it to try again after my birthday.

I had that talk with my new doc about choosing health-care based on insurance recently. We were talking specifically about my BC options and they just totally sucked. I've was on the pill for over 10 years, have been on the ring for over a year now and I just plain don't want to be on hormones for the rest of my life just because I don't want kids. The longer I've been on some form of hormonal BC, the more worried I get about what it's doing to my body, ya know?

Elle · Hermes

I've also tried to get one before and it wasn't covered by my insurance, so they wanted something like $350 for the actual IUD itself and another $350 for insertion. The kicker was if they couldn't get it inserted (more common for nulliparous women) or I expelled it I would be shit out of luck on the moolah.

We wer just talking about this in class last week though (ah, the things you share with your fellow A&P classmates!) and Planned Parenthood offers IUDs on a sliding scale. Might be worth a call to see if that's cheaper than going through your regular CNP, relrel!

gossipgirl · Dooney & Bourke

Ow!

Kelly · Hermes

Does anyone know why they won't cover it if you haven't ever had a baby? I thought about going on it for a while (suggested by my Dr when I was 17 because he didn't want me on hormones at that time, I hadn't even thought about it because at that age I didn't know anyone with one) and while I ended up not getting it, I still think about it sometimes. When my Dr mentioned it he said that it's usually used by women who have already had kids, just because it's a more long-term solution and younger women might want it taken out sooner, making it not worth the money and hassle. But he said there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with getting it if you haven't had kids?

Elle · Hermes

Technically, using in women who haven't ever been pregnant/given birth is an 'off label' use for an IUD. More and more providers are getting on board with the idea and offering them as more studies are completed and published about their use, but some still refuse because it's more difficult to insert and has a higher expulsion rate, and I think that's where the insurance has their heads too (besides up their asses).

They're supposed to be developing an IUD specifically for women who've never given birth, but I don't know how far along they are on it yet. Not really sure how it would be different ... more flexible maybe?

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Kelly wrote:

Does anyone know why they won't cover it if you haven't ever had a baby? I thought about going on it for a while (suggested by my Dr when I was 17 because he didn't want me on hormones at that time, I hadn't even thought about it because at that age I didn't know anyone with one) and while I ended up not getting it, I still think about it sometimes. When my Dr mentioned it he said that it's usually used by women who have already had kids, just because it's a more long-term solution and younger women might want it taken out sooner, making it not worth the money and hassle. But he said there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with getting it if you haven't had kids?

It's a two-fold issue why IUDs aren't currently recommended for women who haven't ever been pregnant.

1. If a woman hasn't ever given birth, it's a harder to get her cervix to dilate to be able to insert the IUD. This means more pain during insertion. It's also going to increase the risk of the IUD being expelled by the body.
2. If a woman hasn't ever been pregnant (different than giving birth!) her uterus just simply might be too tight, too small for the IUD. It will fit, certainly, but it increases the chance of (again) expulsion.

However, and here's the tricky part: both IUDs (hormonal and copper) weren't tested by the companies on nulliparous women so initially no doctor's wanted to use it. But some post-market studies have been done and the evidence is starting to point to the fact that the expulsion rates are actually really low and not that much different than for other women. It's really, I think, one of those things that doctors were originally scared to give to women because of the supposed expulsion rates but they are beginning to be more comfortable about it with the post-market studies. At this point, for most women, it's an insurance thing and nothing to do with the doctors.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Elle wrote:

Technically, using in women who haven't ever been pregnant/given birth is an 'off label' use for an IUD. More and more providers are getting on board with the idea and offering them as more studies are completed and published about their use, but some still refuse because it's more difficult to insert and has a higher expulsion rate, and I think that's where the insurance has their heads too (besides up their asses).

They're supposed to be developing an IUD specifically for women who've never given birth, but I don't know how far along they are on it yet. Not really sure how it would be different ... more flexible maybe?

Dude, I really should just check to see if you're already answered a health question before posting my answer.

Also, the talk that I've heard is that the IUD for nuliparous women isn't very different. The companies involved just want to be able to offer something to this class of women that has FDA approval so that the insurance companies will approve it. It's supposedly smaller, but otherwise exactly the same. This could mean serious money to the companies involved because the class of women who want longer-lasting BC is growing and this is a huge market and should be an easy approval since the essential R&D is already done. They basically have to just go through a few years of testing. And holy shit, the recruitment for these clinical trials should be a snap.

Which reminds me...I should really look at seeing if my hospital is doing any.....

-- Edited by relrel at 11:57, 2009-03-02

Suasoria · Chanel

Mine was not covered but the visit for the insertion was, since my doctor billed it as a regular visit. Sneaky.

My doctor had me order it from the company directly (Mirena, in the $500 range). I was TOLD it would be covered by my company's insurance rep, but then I got bad advice from the Aetna service rep on how to submit it for reimbursement. When months went by and I asked where my reimbursement was, they told me I had done it wrong, so they denied it. I appealed. Surprise, they denied it again. SOL.

My understanding is that despite the advances in IUDs from even a decade ago, there is still a risk of permanent infertility. Mainly the healthcare industry as a whole wants to limit their liability, so nulliparous women are not advised to consider IUDs. They don't consider it such a tragedy if a woman who already has children becomes infertile.

I had to sign a bazillion documents saying I knew the long-term risks and I wouldn't sue them. I know I don't want kids, but what's insulting is the belief that our little lady-brains aren't capable of making big decisions like this, and we'll all inevitably change our minds the second we see a really cute baby.

My doctor further told me that in olden times, a nulliparous woman would have needed the approval of her husband if married, and a consultation with a psychiatrist and a social worker to get an IUD. Because in this pronatalist culture, you have to be crazy not to want to be a mother.

nightshade · Nine West

I was in the same boat thirty years ago, if you can believe that doctors are still in the same dark ages. I was thirty, had been on the pill for twelve years, and knew for a fact that I never wanted to have kids. So I wanted my tubes tied. What a rigamarole that was. But I finally got them to do it. I doubt the IUD was readily available then -- in any case that was not an option that ever came up.