How in gods green earth can I dilate my cervix for my Mirena

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm 20 and I attempted to get an IUD put in.
So, I was given the misoprostol, didn't dilate at all. She used several different sized scopes to try and get a measurement and none of them would go in. She sprayed lidocaine in my vagina and on my cervix, then injected it and asked me if I wanted her to continue because I was crying from the stinging/burning of the injection and the cramping of her trying to
enter my cervix. I opted to continue. After about an hour she gave up because she said if you force it, it can rupture the uturen wall and need to be removed surgically...so now I have to wait for my period.
I have had no children, I have schizoaffective disorder and oral contraceptives aren't an option for me because the hormones have led to serious emotional consequences, condoms give me UTI's like clock-work, and nuvaring has the same hormones as same hormones as most pills.
So...
I'm trying to trigger a period by taking birth control for a few days,(I'm sure that's stupid) norethindrone, and im trying to soften my cervix by listening to Dr. Google....(feel free to tell me I'm an idiot, I'm really unfamiliar with this territory....) I'm taking evening primrose oil, borage oil, flax oil, zinc, and b complex orally in the morning, and primrose and borage vaginally in the morning, then primrose, borage, and flax orally at night, along with primrose and borage vaginally at night. When my period starts I will call her and try again...Has anyone had my experience?

Has anyone just NOT been able to get an IUD in?
Is borage and primrose oil worthwhile?
I'm feeling very hopeless. If all else fails my fiance already has an appointment to consult with for a visectomy.



TLDR;
My IUD (mirena) implantation failed. I am 20, I have never had
children. The misoprostol didn't dilate my cervix. I'm now trying to
ripen my own cervix with evening primrose oil, borage oil, flax oil,
zinc, and B complex. Thoughts? Experiences? Successes? Failures?

Comments

[archangelbeth]

Mirena does have hormones in it -- though a low dose. Just double-checking that you've been informed about that.

For the cervix, I don't know; the evening primrose oil sounds like the most effective thing. (Borage oil may or may not have toxins in it. I wouldn't take it more than 2-3 days, personally.) Is the doctor experienced with IUD insertion?

It's not at all "stupid" to try to trigger a withdrawal bleed with the HBC. The rise-and-fall of hormones very well might convince your uterus that it's time to bleed; it will probably take 2-4 days for your uterus to get the message, if it's going to. If a few days of HBC won't mess with your emotional state too much, that's actually a pretty reasonable course of action.

Good luck! I hope someone else more informed will be able to give you better reassurance/advice.

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

The progestin in the IUD goes directly into your uterus, so it doesn't get to pass through the blood brain barrier according to my GYN.
Toxins? I'll have to look in to that...I have been having stomach cramps, dizziness, and loose bowels (tmi?)

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

It's pretty hard to TMI around here :-)

As for the hormones in the Mirena not affecting the brain... well, that's simply not true, I'm afraid: as pages 7-8 of the Patient Information Leaflet (http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/2796/PIL/mirena/) state, depression and nervousness are common side effects (up to 10% of patients) and increased anxiety is an uncommon side effect (up to 1% of patients) - which sadly I can attest to from personal experience. On the plus side, my symptoms cleared up in well under a week after I had it removed again.

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

Well fuck.

[archangelbeth]

I'd discontinue all the supplements that you're taking immediately if you're having dizziness and cramps. That, and the diarrhea, suggests that your body is significantly unhappy about something. Give yourself a few days and see if taking the HBC tricks your uterus into a bleed.

(If you continue to go the IUD route, then you may want a copper Paragard instead, as those have no hormones. They do tend to increase cramping and period heaviness, at least for a few years after insertion, so that may be an issue -- but it might be worth considering.)

[elialshadowpine.livejournal.com]

If the issue is the way the hormones are absorbed, is something like the Nuva Ring that is absorbed through the vagina an option? Not sure if that has been discussed or not. Adding since I read further and saw you mention PMDD in the comments -- that's why I'm on the Nuva Ring, because of the way it absorbs, and it has been the only thing to help with my PMDD.

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

And yes she does IUDs

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

Wiki says the borage flower has toxins but the -seed oil- has yet to be found with the "PA"s. And when you're poisoned by the toxin it's obvious because you become covered in lesions and it's easily reversed :] should you ever become preggers and want natural cervical dilation.

[archangelbeth]

I was finding various conflicting stuff about whether the toxins might get in the oil or not -- and your body is clearly unhappy about something.

(I wound up needing a quasi-emergency c-section at 7 months due to pre-eclampsia -- the pre-eclampsia probably due to undiagnosed, and therefore untreated, hypothyroidism. Blah! O:p )

another experience

[senarae.livejournal.com]

I had an attempt.. no drugs were used for dilation or numbing.. i'm 29, no children. She tried when I was 28, used different sized tools - scopes I guess?? Nothing worked. It hurt like hell. I was going for the paraguard. She stopped, essentially gave up. But she didn't offer any of the drug options to assist the process.

Sorry it didn't work.. I have not tried anything else at this point. - good luck!

[descent2madness.livejournal.com]

Question: was the misoprostal vaginally inserted or taken orally?

If it was vaginally inserted, there's a chance that the pill didn't dissolve fully. I had vaginally inserted miso 6 hours before my insertion (of a Flexi-T 300) which the doc pulled out, still fully formed, with the forceps before the insertion (luckily my cervix was cooperative even without the miso). So you could try again, taking it orally (but be forewarned, it can be unpleasant).

If it was oral, perhaps a stronger dose?

Do you chart your cycle or have any clue when you're ovulating? Ovulation is the best time for insertion (Google-fu fails me and I can't find a citation), followed by during a withdrawal bleed/period. If you can schedule an insertion attempt during ovulation (or, barring that, a withdrawal) that would be your next best option for cervix openness.

Good luck!

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

It was vaginally, I don't track my periods :[ cuz I have dysmenorrhea so I take bc consistently so I have no period so there's nothing to track. And yea, she pulled out the fully formed pills :/

[descent2madness.livejournal.com]

Ah okay well on a withdrawal bleed is definitely your better option then since your cervix will naturally be more open.

Since the pills were fully formed, you got zero effect from the miso (most people report cramps from hell when the miso works). I would recommend asking if you could take them orally since your vaginal pH (like mine) isn't cool with dissolving stuff (good thing maybe? lol)

[fallenfaun.livejournal.com]

Cervadil is used to help dilate your cervix in labour, I'm not sure that they'd work if you weren't actually in labour but it might be worth some googling/asking the doctor.

Was this just for the sounding or are they fairly sure that your uterus is big enough if they can get it through your cervix? It'd probably suck to go through this twice if they're not sure at all.

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

cervadil to the best of my knowledge isn't used in this because it causes uterin contractions. mirena is special in the way that it is retractable...if that's the word...i take topamax so word recall is ...im retarded >_> what I'm trying to say is, they measure your uterus with a device, then they adjust the size of the rod on the mirena, it retracts or extends, then they insert it.

(frozen) Maintainer Note

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Hi, 0928soubi. In the future, it's important to avoid making comments in VP that use the word "retarded" to mean "stupid." We ask that you refrain from using "retarded" in a negative context in VP since it promotes stereotypes and alienates many members of the community. We realize you can't edit comments, so we simply ask that you keep this note in mind for the future.

For more information, you can read our policy here (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#Why_can.27t_I_use_the_term_.22clean.22_to_mean_.22STI-free.22.3F).

Thanks,
Tori
For the VP Team (http://www.vaginapagina.com/contact.php)
contact_vp

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

that crossed my mind as I was typing it, sorry :/

[fallenfaun.livejournal.com]

I don't think it always causes contractions but I can see how that would be an issue. Didn't realize the Mirena was collapsible, I do know some people just don't have a big enough uterus for an IUD, but that's why they do the sounding.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

a few thoughts:

may be helpful to find another medical provider, if you're able. someone who is very experienced in inserting IUDs often has an easier time with particularly difficult insertions.

may be helpful to have insertion when you're bleeding (either during your normal period or having a bleed brought on by use of medication).

might consider asking for the misoprostol to dissolve orally (betw your cheek and gum) instead of vaginally.

implanon is a small device inserted into the upper inner arm that contains the same hormones as Mirena, and side effects are similar. in my anecdotal observation (from this community and IRL work in this field), mental health/emotional side effects are rare and minimal.

and should all else fail, it may well be worth considering insertion under anesthesia in an outpatient type surgery. often reducing the patient's discomfort (by putting them completely under) eases uterine and cervical tension and makes insertion easier.

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

What if I should say....take one of my mothers flexural prior to insurtion?(muscle relaxant)

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

Called, she refused to give it orally.

[eatswithfork.livejournal.com]

can you just do it anyway? If they prescribe it for pharmacy pick-up rather than administering it in the office, you could always decide to take it orally, I would think (but yes yes, it'd be against medical advise...)

[eatswithfork.livejournal.com]

Okay this sounds like a really silly question but do you know for sure that the practitioner used a tenaculum prior to trying to dilate/sound your cervix? It's a pinchy clamp they use to pull your uterus straight to allow for insertion to actually happen (because the sounds and plunger tubes aren't THAT flexible to follow to natural curve of your cervix). I only ask because at my first attempt at an IUD insertion the Dr. didn't use a tenaculum and chalked the failed attempt up to my cervix being too tight, but looking back after a successful insertion following the correct procedure, I really think she had an agenda against giving me an IUD so didn't even bother with the tenaculum and was just "trying" in order to humor me (she had been really pushing me away from the idea because I hadn't had kids and she was falsely convinced it would cause infertility and she would be to blame).
ANYWAY! that was really longwinded - sorry. Point is, without a tenaculum, it's pretty much impossible (eh let's say improbable) to insert a sound or plunger tube into a cervix so be on the lookout for that next time. On the off chance that your practitioner has the same mindset, it's another thing worth looking into for a successful insertion.
(PS I'm not trying to accuse your practitioner of being bad willed or untruthful - just a biiiiiig "what if" in hopes of a successful IUD placement)

[0928soubi.livejournal.com]

Hate my GYN. The entire building is full of bitches. I'll ask her to walk me through it step by step.

[also-warriors.livejournal.com]

I know you're understandably upset right now, but saying "the entire building is full of bitches" bums me out. "Bitch" is one of those words that I am trying to work out of my vocabulary because it is really knitted up in a sexist, woman-hating value, and it bothers me to see it in VP, and referring to a bunch of (I'm guessing) women. I guess I'm just asking that you consider another term in VP. (I'm often interested in the idea of "better insults"-- is there such a thing?)