IUD insertion - traumatic experience or am I being dramatic
need to vent and maybe get some perspective because I haven’t been able to stop crying since this morning.
I live in the Netherlands and went to my GP today for a Copper IUD (Flexi-T 300) insertion. I’m nulliparous (haven’t given birth). I was already nervous, but the experience was honestly a disaster from start to finish.
Red flags in my eyes:
Setup: There was no gynecologist chair with stirrups. Just a regular, flat examination bed.
🚩lack of preparation: The GP didn’t remember me. She spent forever reading the instruction manual for the IUD in front of me, then asked me if the box “contained a stick.” Then she realized she didn't have any lube, left the room to find some, and threw my "dirty" leather jacket over me while I was lying there naked and vulnerable to keep me covered.
🚩Barbaric tools: She tried to use the sound (to measure the cervix) but said it was "too soft," so she switched to a heavy metal tool to try and force it. She couldn't get it past 4cm.
🚩 interruption: Right in the middle of this, someone started heavily knocking on the locked door. It was so stressful.
The weirdest part wasn’t just the physical pain; it was the total body shutdown. I started sobbing uncontrollably. I wanted the IUD, but my body was screaming "no." I felt every muscle in my body tensing up and I couldn't release them.
She eventually stopped and said she didn’t want to "traumatize me," but I think it was already too late. She gave me a referral to a specialist, but honestly, I’m so shaken.
Has anyone else had a GP try to do this on a flat bed?
Is the "emotional overflow" afterwards normal?
Should i be a big girl and give it another shot at a proper gynaecologist?