Hormonal IUD and Fibroids (Episode 450)

Full Transcript: Episode 450

Lisa: Welcome to the Fertility Friday Podcast, your source for information about the Fertility Awareness Method and all things fertility. I’m your host, Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. I’m the author of The Fifth Vital Sign and the Fertility Awareness Mastery Charting Workbook. I’m a certified fertility awareness educator and holistic reproductive health practitioner with over 20 years of experience teaching women to connect to their fifth vital sign through menstrual cycle charting, balancing hormone health, and optimizing the menstrual cycle without hormones.

I’ve been consistently outspoken about hormonal birth control over the past two decades and its impact on fertility and overall health because you have the right to know how your body works and how artificial hormones disrupt that natural process.

This podcast is designed to empower you to take full control of your cycles, your fertility, and your overall health. I’m so excited that you’re here with me today.

Happy New Year and welcome to 2023. In today’s Pill Reality Series episode, I’m sharing my conversation with Augustina, who is opening up about her experience with the hormonal IUD and fibroids.

Augustina had a very intense and challenging experience, and I believe there are many important lessons to take from her story, particularly around advocating for care, seeking second opinions, and understanding how the menstrual cycle functions as a vital sign.

I’m excited to be here today with Augustina. She’s a member of the Fertility Friday community and reached out to share her story. She also happens to live fairly close to me here in the Ontario GTA region.

Augustina: Thank you so much for having me. I’m happy to be here.

Lisa: I really love these episodes because sharing real experiences matters. These are stories many women go through, even if they’re not always shared in full.

Let’s start at the beginning. How old were you when you got your first period, and what was that experience like?

Augustina: I got my first period in grade seven. I was about twelve. I didn’t know what was happening at first and thought something was wrong. When I told my mom, she explained that it was my period.

From the beginning, my periods were very painful. I had severe cramps, vomiting, headaches, body aches, and very heavy bleeding. I was told by doctors that it was normal.

By 2017, my periods became even heavier. I went to my family doctor, had an ultrasound, and was told I had small fibroids, around two centimeters, and not to worry.

Later that year, my bleeding worsened. I saw an OB-GYN, had another ultrasound, and was told the fibroids were growing but still small. I was prescribed tranexamic acid, which didn’t help.

The next suggestion was an IUD, even though I didn’t need birth control. I agreed to try it.

The IUD insertion in January 2020 was the most painful experience of my life. I was screaming, shaking, and the doctor said he’d never seen pain like that before.

After the insertion, I had nonstop bleeding. By July, I started experiencing stabbing pain. In late August, the IUD expelled on its own during a massive clot.

I went to the emergency room the next day. Blood work showed I needed an immediate blood transfusion. My hemoglobin was dangerously low.

Lisa: Thank you for walking us through that. Your experience highlights how common it is for heavy bleeding to be dismissed, even when it’s severe.

Fibroids are linked to heavier bleeding, and estrogen dominance can contribute to this. But when bleeding is this heavy, it requires further investigation.

Augustina: Before the IUD, I was soaking through an ultra tampon and an overnight pad every 20 to 30 minutes. I couldn’t commute to work without bleeding through my clothes.

Lisa: That amount of bleeding is far outside what’s considered normal. Many women don’t realize how little blood a healthy period can involve because we’re never taught what normal actually looks like.

Augustina: After the IUD expelled, I bled every single day until my surgery in March 2021. I needed multiple blood transfusions and iron infusions. Nothing stopped the bleeding.

Eventually, imaging showed my fibroids had grown to ten centimeters, and there were five of them.

Lisa: That growth happened within months of IUD placement. The prescribing information for the hormonal IUD states it should not be used in cases of fibroids or abnormal uterine growth.

Augustina: Yes, I found that information afterward. I wish I had known earlier.

Because of COVID delays, surgery was postponed. I was in constant pain. The fibroids began degenerating, and I was hospitalized repeatedly.

By the time I had my abdominal myomectomy, I had been bleeding daily for months and was severely depressed. No one asked about my mental health.

The surgery itself was traumatic. Recovery was difficult, complicated by infection and wound issues. Even now, I still experience some pain.

Lisa: That level of trauma, compounded by isolation during COVID, is devastating. Healing takes time, especially after abdominal surgery.

Augustina: My periods eventually returned and were very painful at first. Over time, they’ve improved significantly. I now bleed for three to four days, which feels manageable compared to before.

I found the Fertility Friday Podcast through my sister-in-law and started learning more about my body. That education has been empowering.

Lisa: Looking back, what would you tell someone who’s being advised to get an IUD for heavy bleeding?

Augustina: I would tell them to research everything, read the prescribing information, get second opinions, and advocate for themselves. If a doctor doesn’t listen, find another one.

I also believe in documenting everything. Tracking symptoms helped me understand the severity of what was happening.

Lisa: That’s incredibly important. No one knows your body better than you do.

Augustina: Especially as a Black woman, it can be harder to be taken seriously. There are many layers to advocating for care.

Lisa: Thank you so much for sharing your story. Your experience matters, and it will help others recognize when something isn’t right.

Augustina: Thank you for giving me the space to share.