exercise after IUD placement?

ryantrimble12
ryantrimble12 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, maybe TMI, but I'm getting an IUD today and obviously I will be asking my doctor when it is safe to resume high impact exercise like running (I'm mainly worried about the iud expelling itself if its jostled around too much), but I'm looking for some personal anecdotes too. My plan is to stick to mostly swimming and other low impact stuff for the next week.

I'm wondering if anyone has any insight they can share about getting back to high impact exercise after getting an IUD. Did you jump right back in? Did you stick to low impact stuff for a little while? Was it uncomfortable at all, etc?

Thanks!

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Insertion sucked but I'd say you should be fine to resume activity right away. I mean, don't jump off the table and do squats in the exam room but you'll likely be fine later that day.
  • ashleyd1210
    ashleyd1210 Posts: 11 Member
    Like the other poster stated, don't be jumping up and down doing squats immediately after LOL. However, I will warn you that you will probably be in quite a bit of pain afterwards and most likely be bleeding a bit as well. Like period cramps only worse. At least it was for me. For me, it lasted a few days, so I wouldn't do anything too streneous and just listen to your body. About 2 days after I had mine inserted, I woke up feeling like someone was stabbing me in the side, thats how bad the pain was.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    Insertion sucked but I'd say you should be fine to resume activity right away. I mean, don't jump off the table and do squats in the exam room but you'll likely be fine later that day.

    That's the best visual ever.

    Insertion is uncomfortable, but deep breathing and relaxation exercises during can help. YMMV, but I had a little minor cramping for a few days after. Definitely ask your doctor but I don't think it's very common for the IUD to be spontaneously expelled. I bet he'll say you're good to jump right back into running, as long as you're feeling up to it.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Insertion made me very, very sick. I was down for a week with severe pain and nausea. It was so bad that they sent me for an emergency ultrasound because they were worried it ruptured the uterus wall.

    I don't think what I experienced was normal though. FWIW, I have not had kids, and they had a rough time getting it through my cervix. And apparently I don't pass out when I'm in pain, but I'll throw up haha.

    Also, try to ease back into your exercise routine. I can feel my IUD when I do intense exercise - I get period like cramps. I also cramp sometimes when I lay on my stomach. I've had it for a year now and it's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but trying to work out those first few months was a little rough. Again, the doc took it back to me never having kids and the IUD being a touch too big...apparently my uterus is kinda small.

    ETA: To clarify, I feel my IUD the most when I lift heavy, especially squats. Any exercise that compresses the pelvic floor makes that stupid thing poke me.
  • tolae2006
    tolae2006 Posts: 54 Member
    I was feeling sick and cramps for a couple of days after the insertion but it not as bad
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Insertion made me very, very sick. I was down for a week with severe pain and nausea. It was so bad that they sent me for an emergency ultrasound because they were worried it ruptured the uterus wall.

    I don't think what I experienced was normal though. FWIW, I have not had kids, and they had a rough time getting it through my cervix. And apparently I don't pass out when I'm in pain, but I'll throw up haha.

    Also, try to ease back into your exercise routine. I can feel my IUD when I do intense exercise - I get period like cramps. I also cramp sometimes when I lay on my stomach. I've had it for a year now and it's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but trying to work out those first few months was a little rough. Again, the doc took it back to me never having kids and the IUD being a touch too big...apparently my uterus is kinda small.

    ETA: To clarify, I feel my IUD the most when I lift heavy, especially squats. Any exercise that compresses the pelvic floor makes that stupid thing poke me.

    Yikes. I feel bad for you :(

    I have a bad vasovagal response with this kind of thing but I knew that ahead of time. With that, your blood pressure goes really low and you pass out or nearly pass out so the key is actually not to relax too much because you want your BP kind of high going in. I have recommended that my OB keep a room full of three year olds on hand in order to help raise patients' BPs but he hasn't gone for that...yet.

    On the plus side, I haven't had any problems since insertion.
  • ashleyd1210
    ashleyd1210 Posts: 11 Member
    Do you ever get pain so bad that it feels like contractions? You mentioned you haven't had any kids but Im sure you can imagine what pain childbirth is. Every few months, I wake up in the middle of the night with a sharp stabbing pain and then it is full blown pain. Lasts for a few minutes, goes away for a few and this continues for about an hour. After that, I have dull pain the rest of the day and pretty bloated. Never had this problem until I got my IUD.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Do you ever get pain so bad that it feels like contractions? You mentioned you haven't had any kids but Im sure you can imagine what pain childbirth is. Every few months, I wake up in the middle of the night with a sharp stabbing pain and then it is full blown pain. Lasts for a few minutes, goes away for a few and this continues for about an hour. After that, I have dull pain the rest of the day and pretty bloated. Never had this problem until I got my IUD.

    If you're asking me, I haven't had anything that bad. The first week I'd throw up every time I stood up and couldn't stand up straight because I was cramping so bad. After that though, I get like these really stabbing pains across my ovaries. They last just a moment, and then go away. Sometimes I'll get a few in a row, and sometimes just one. When I work out, it kinda burns in the area if that makes sense.
  • mjrkearney
    mjrkearney Posts: 408 Member
    Had some nasty cramps for about a week after insertion, but since then the only one who can feel it is my husband. If you're really worried about it, keep it low impact for a week or so, or at least until painkillers are no longer being added to your morning coffee.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Insertion made me very, very sick. I was down for a week with severe pain and nausea. It was so bad that they sent me for an emergency ultrasound because they were worried it ruptured the uterus wall.

    I don't think what I experienced was normal though. FWIW, I have not had kids, and they had a rough time getting it through my cervix. And apparently I don't pass out when I'm in pain, but I'll throw up haha.

    Also, try to ease back into your exercise routine. I can feel my IUD when I do intense exercise - I get period like cramps. I also cramp sometimes when I lay on my stomach. I've had it for a year now and it's not nearly as bad as it used to be, but trying to work out those first few months was a little rough. Again, the doc took it back to me never having kids and the IUD being a touch too big...apparently my uterus is kinda small.

    ETA: To clarify, I feel my IUD the most when I lift heavy, especially squats. Any exercise that compresses the pelvic floor makes that stupid thing poke me.

    Yikes. I feel bad for you :(

    I have a bad vasovagal response with this kind of thing but I knew that ahead of time. With that, your blood pressure goes really low and you pass out or nearly pass out so the key is actually not to relax too much because you want your BP kind of high going in. I have recommended that my OB keep a room full of three year olds on hand in order to help raise patients' BPs but he hasn't gone for that...yet.

    On the plus side, I haven't had any problems since insertion.

    For a while I thought they were gonna have to take it back out. What REALLY sucks is I don't even need it for birth control - I'm not sexually active. I was having severe, non stop periods though. This was a last ditch effort before resorting to a hysterectomy, so I really needed to hang in there and deal with the pain. Thanks goodness it finally let up, and fixed my period issues.
  • ka97
    ka97 Posts: 1,984 Member
    Yep, like others have said the insertion really sucks and there was a moment of excruciating pain. I too have that vasovagal thing, but fortunately did not pass out, probably because I was laying down. I don't honestly remember changing anything about my usual exercise routine. I believe I was half marathon training at the time, and pretty sure I just went ahead with my scheduled workouts. I had a few days of cramping and spotting afterwards, but the cramping was nothing even close to as bad as what I used to have during my periods.
  • bamagrits15
    bamagrits15 Posts: 131 Member
    Everyone is different obviously. For me the pain just made me not want to do anything but rest for the day. But the next day I was fine. However I had a friend who couldn't tolerate it and was in pain until it was removed 3 days later.
  • Melissa_mojo
    Melissa_mojo Posts: 156 Member
    I just got mine put in last week and everything is good to go my dr said i can resume normal activity the min she put it in
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  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Plan on resting for most of the day. The insertion itself didn't seem so rough for me (it was over quickly, anyway) ... but somehow I missed the message to take 800 mg of ibuprofen before and to rest for 10-15 minutes after, and I passed out in the waiting room when checking out :blushing: :grumble:

    I also didn't feel like doing much else that day. It wasn't that I was in pain (I wasn't), but I guess it's kind of a shock to the body to have a foreign object inserted. I would say, ask your doctor, but plan on taking a day off exercising. It won't slow your progress that significantly.
  • bamagrits15
    bamagrits15 Posts: 131 Member
    The greatest risk of it just falling out come with women who have recently given birth and the cervix isn't completely back to normal. My 1st one I had put in about 7 weeks after giving birth. It feel out 2 months later. I had big babies. But my 2nd one has been no problem.
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    I had an IUD placed in April 2011. For the first 1-2 days, I had this weird fear that it would fall out while I was going for a walk or going to the bathroom..... but this obviously did not happen and it's happily been in place ever since. I resumed working out on the 3rd day if I remember correctly.
  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    I mean, don't jump off the table and do squats in the exam room but you'll likely be fine later that day.

    My favorite post of the day.
  • ryantrimble12
    ryantrimble12 Posts: 49 Member
    thanks everyone! definitely helping ease some of my anxiety.
    My doctor is wonderful and she gave me a couple percocet and lorazepam so I can take them before and after the insertion--off to my appointment now!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I'm so happy I found this thread! Mine hurt like a b*tch when I had it put in and I always figured there was something wrong with me. This is the reason I no longer go to that doctor: he told me I would maybe feel a little pinch, yelled at me to relax, then gave me a "what did you just say, young lady??" disapproving grandpa look (I may or may not have said "holy f*cking *kitten*!" during the actual insertion).

    The next day, though, I was fine.

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