I got on birth control when I graduated from university. There was no way I had toiled so hard to graduate with honours only for me to end up pregnant right after graduation.
I wanted an IUD since they were more convenient but when I visited a gynecologist, she recommended that I start with pills and then switch to an IUD when I was more comfortable. I took her advice and started taking morning pills, but I would forget to take them some days and would be stressed for the rest of the month since I didn’t know whether I was pregnant. So, after a few months, I switched to IUD.
Things went wrong right from the moment I went to get the IUD. I was told by a friend that it wasn’t painful to insert it and that she had done it without a sedative so I also chose to do it without a sedative. I instantly regretted it. It was so painful that I was screaming the whole time. I’m sure the doctors thought I was out of my mind. I had to sit on the table for a few minutes after the procedure to compose myself.
Apart from the excruciating pain, everything else went okay. The nurse gave me instructions on how to check for the strings and I was good to go.
“How did it go?” My friend asked excitedly.
“It was so painful. How did you not feel that pain?”
“I think my adrenaline kicked in because I didn’t even feel the pinch that people talk about.”
“Anyway, the process was successful. No more pregnancy scares.”
“Congrats.”
I was happy with my decision because I thought that I was finally worry-free. I could enjoy my life without constantly thinking about pregnancy. However, I knew that it wasn’t impossible to get pregnant with an IUD. It was just rare and I thought that it could never happen to me.
The first six months were amazing. I enjoyed the perks of getting an IUD that many had told me about including clear skin and stable hormones. Then I started to experience nausea and fatigue which would not go away no matter how much I tried to rest.
“Babe, did you ever feel fatigue or nausea when you got your IUD?” I asked my friend.
“No, I never had any discomfort the whole time.”
“I’ve been feeling so tired this week.”
“You should probably go to the hospital.”
“I will.”
I went to the hospital the following day and explained that I got an IUD a few months ago that was making me sick. The doctor immediately knew what was wrong with me and gave me a pregnancy test. To my surprise, it came back positive.
“How is that possible?” I asked the doctor.
“It happens. The IUD probably moved. Have you experienced severe cramps or fever recently?” He asked.
Then, I remembered a particular day when I felt so sick I had to take a day off from work. That must have been when the IUD moved.
“Yes, there’s a day I didn’t go to work because I was extremely sick but I felt better the following day.”
“Those are symptoms that the IUD has moved. Getting pregnant when you have an IUD is extremely dangerous. It could result in ectopic pregnancy so I would advise you to get an ultrasound as soon as possible to ensure that you and your baby are safe.” He said.
At that point, I was so worried that all I wanted to do was go home and cry, which is exactly what I did. I didn’t know where to start. I could barely take care of myself. How was I supposed to take care of a baby? However, I kept the news to myself until I could confirm with my regular doctor.
A few days later, I went to see him and told him that I had taken a pregnancy test which came back positive.
“Really? That’s very rare.”
I took another test which also came back positive. Following the other doctor’s advice, I asked for an ultrasound. However, when the doctor checked the screen, he couldn’t see anything.
It was strange because I was definitely experiencing pregnancy symptoms and both results came back positive yet there was no pregnancy. However, my doctor suspected that nothing was showing since it was a bit too early in the pregnancy.
“Come back after two weeks and we’ll check again.” He said.
That was the longest two weeks of my life. I considered everything from having an abortion to giving the child up for adoption. Still, I hadn’t told anyone about what I was going through. I wanted to wait until I was completely sure.
I went to my doctor’s appointment and got the best news I had been hoping for.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re pregnant.” My doctor said happily.
I couldn’t contain my happiness. I jumped up and down and hugged my doctor. After clearing my bill, I went back home expecting to resume life as usual.
Barely a day after the doctor’s visit, I started experiencing the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life and started bleeding. I went back to my doctor who simply gave me painkillers for the pain and told me to wait it out.
Since I wasn’t getting any better, I googled what the problem could be and the first result was an ectopic pregnancy. I had never heard of the word but the more I read into it the more I suspected that it was the cause of my distress. Additionally, I found out that it was a common issue when you get pregnant with an IUD.
Once again, I went to the doctor’s office but that time, I asked him to do a vaginal ultrasound.
“That’s not necessary.” He said.
“I read that an ectopic pregnancy could cause similar symptoms and it’s common when someone gets pregnant with an IUD.”
“Where did you read that?”
“Google.”
He laughed and then said, “I’m a trained doctor and I’m telling g you that you’re fine. You’re just having heavy periods. It will go away.”
5 days after my doctor’s visit, I felt a pain that paralyzed me. I was dizzy and my heart was beating unusually. I had a gut feeling that something was horribly wrong. So, I left work and went to a different doctor. I had to wait for 4 hours since I didn’t have an appointment but I finally got to see the doctor who recommended the vaginal ultrasound.
I went to another room where I found the tech waiting for me.
“Please lie down and put your legs up.” He said.
I did as instructed without saying anything since I was in so much pain. At first, she looked confused and kept squinting at the screen. Then, she called in another specialist to give their opinion.
They discussed in murmurs and seemed to reach an agreement but didn’t inform me of anything since they were not supposed to. I waited for another 30 minutes before getting my results.
“The doctor is ready to see you.” The receptionist alerted me and I dragged my nearly lifeless body to his office.
“I’ll get straight to the point since we don’t have much time to lose. You had an ectopic pregnancy because of your IUD and it ruptured. You have been bleeding internally for 5 days. You’re lucky to be alive and we need to perform surgery right away or you will not survive.” He explained calmly.
I don’t know if I said anything after that. The only thing I remember is being wheeled into the operating room and waking up feeling a thousand times better.
However, I was so traumatized by the experience that I was never the same person again. My hormones are all over the place and every now and then, I relive the excruciating pain that I felt and my body completely shuts down.
I’ve opened up about it to my family and friends which has helped with the anxiety but I still experience those scary episodes at random.
However, the worst part is that all of it could have been prevented had my doctor listened to me and explored all possibilities. He would have noticed the ectopic pregnancy and terminated it before it ruptured. Yet, he still insisted that I was fine when I was bleeding internally. My experience goes to show how negligent some doctors can be and how such negligence can cost lives.