Saturday, June 16, 2007

Oh, the Joys of Female Fighting

In addition to having class knock the crap out of every muscle in my body on Tuesday, I also had a sparring partner knee me just below my bellybutton on my left hand side. This also happens to be the side where my IUD, when it does pinch, pinches.

If she'd kneed me full force, I'd probably have punctured something. As it was, there was no blood, and when I checked the string it was still in place, but the bump to my uterus got the thing all worked up again, and I've been having those occasional jittery sorts of cramps that I was still getting a couple months after it got put in. Once again, starts pinching at me when I sit for long periods (again, a common symptom during the first three months), and it's annoying enough that I'm considering going out and buying some Motrin.

I love my IUD cause there's no weight gain, no diminished sex drive, and no depression (all symptoms I experienced while on various Pills). But once a month there's seven days of blood and pain that used to just be five days of non-painful inconvienence.

What pisses me off is that when it comes to contraception, women get it coming and going. I've found that my contraceptive choices tend to be based on "which does me the least amount of pain, damage, and discomfort?" The IUD won.

One of the first things I looked into was, "What happens if I get hit during class?"
The answer really depends on how you get hit, best I've figured. Most women who end up with perforated uteruses have it happen on insertion, so if you can get through that OK, you'll be all right.

Still, as I continue with class, it's something I'll have to keep an eye on. As a woman who hasn't had a kid (and therefore has a smaller uterus), I'm not the ideal candidate for an IUD, and the problem of the tight fit has been an issue from the start.

But oh man does it beat depression and non-interest in sex.

7 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

Jackie M. said...

cervical cap? diaphragm?

(are you considering pregnancy at some point? because if you're not, there's a fairly straightforward solution...)

Kameron Hurley said...

Diaphragms don't work for the women in my family (that's how my mom ended up having my brother!). It has to do with the way our uterus is tilted, or something like that. My gyno tells me mine is "high" (or something like that), and my sister had to have a cesarean because of some issue with the shape of her vaginal canal or cervix or *something.*

Not sure about the cervical cap - might have a similiar issue, but mainly, when it comes to barrier methods, I have a complete lack of trust in them. The only thing that's worked for all the women in my family (after much trial and error for my mother, grandmother, and sister), was the pill (which, as noted, I hate), and yes, the other option, which is to just get my tubes tied.

I'm considering it. I figured that if, by the time I was 35, I wasn't with a great partner or in a great place to have kids by then (or just plain still had no desire to have children), well, I'd just get my tubes tied (this is also, convienently, the same year the IUD will have "expired" and will need to be taken out).

(and yeah, once I was diagnosed with diabetes, the "I really need to have a partner if I want to have kids someday" thing actually became important. Having a kid on your own is tough enough, but going through a pregnancy as a diabetic would be twice as much hell, and I've learned a lot the last year about just how much I can bust around on my own)

I am still, overall, wishy-washy about the kid issue, which is why I figure I'll give myself until 35.

Jackie M. said...

I just can't stand the idea of more pain--I'm already spending three days a month muttering about how "I'm going to die. I am GOING to DIE." Plus migraines, plus backaches... I am just so sick of pain.

But yeah. I know all about wishy-washy.

(gosh, you really do get the absolute best comment spam.)

The Stealth Geek said...

Or, ya know, just make him wear a friggin' condom.

I'm just sayin'. Why do YOU have to do all the work?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that comment spam deserves its own little post!

Stealth Geek lots of things happen with condoms. I became pregnant after a condom break and an unsuccessful Plan B regimen, so, it's always good to have backup.

Kameron Hurley said...

Yeah, condom is just another barrier method; great for protecting against STDs, but not something I'd ever trust as a primary means of birth control.

Again: the women in my family haven't had much luck with that; I've learned much from their unplanned pregnancies... The IUD is the only method of contraception that's as effective as sterilization, which I think is lovely.

But yeah, Jackie, the pain is a fucking annoyance. Not bad enough for me to switch, but definately enough for me to occasionally bitch.

Anonymous said...

Is emergency contraception easily available where you live? Of course it's your preference but as a testimonial in favour of the humble franger, I've been using condoms as the only form of birth control with no trouble at all for 2 years of my relationship - much less stressful than the pill (I am somewhat absent minded). Of course, the backup behind this is that I can get the Morning After pill with no trouble at all from the pharmacist near university, I would definitely be making other plans if this situation changed. As a side note, all of the women in my family managed to get pregnant either pre-invention-of-the-pill, or being on the pill and getting a stomach upset/forgetting, or having a hormone shot (depo-provera??) expire. ;) anyway that's just my experience, I hope you find something that works with minimal fuss :)