I've been waiting to write this post to see how the media coverage develops and what other experiences women have had before I tell what happened to me. But I've been gratified that I'm not alone and more should have been done. This will make men uncomfortable, but please be sure it's important and it will affect every woman in your life in one way or another at some point. It's about gynaecological procedures, particularly having a coil fitted, but it can also be attributed to the use of a speculum, which is needed for many procedures including the smear test, which every woman should have.
If you haven't seen the news items, here's the latest from the BBC, thank you Naga: Having coil fitted should not hurt, say experts.
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| Naga Munchetty talking about her experience |
The reason why I was trying to have a coil fitted was because I'd been diagnosed with endometriosis, which I've written about before, and adenomyosis. The difference between those two conditions is cells grow outside the uterus with endometriosis and the cells grow within the walls of the uterus with adenomyosis, both where they shouldn't be, causing all sorts of problems, usually around menstruation and periods. The doctors said the best treatment would be having a coil fitted and I trusted them. I've reason not to as I've had a checkered history with diagnosis in the past, which I've also written about before. They diagnosed me with an MRI scan, after not picking it up years before with an ultrasound that I've since learned is an unreliable diagnostic tool for endometriosis.
I went to a local clinic to have the coil fitted. Like most women I've read about, the only pain advice was to take ibuprofen and paracetamol beforehand, nothing else was mentioned. I almost passed out with the pain so they referred me to the hospital. I almost passed out with the pain again, but I felt it was a failure on my part so I said they should keep trying. This is common as the failure to have the coil fitted makes you feel like a wimp who can't handle the pain, because for women, pain in that area is part of life, from period cramps to cystitis, from tampons to sex, from birth to the menopause. I told them to keep putting me through it as I felt like less than a woman. They stopped when they said they didn't want to traumatise me. They reassured me that women who had given birth sometimes can't have a coil fitted as it's so painful for them. I must say everyone was lovely, it was no fault of theirs, just of perhaps their training, knowledge and what they were allowed to do.
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| Representation of the pain |
That's when they told me the scan picked up a kink in my anatomy that would make the procedure difficult and painful, but it was worth a try. Why didn't they tell me this beforehand? Was it really worth a try? A local anaesthetic, anaesthetic gel or an anaesthetic spray were never discussed as possibilities, which doctors have been saying they offer in the media coverage about this issue. It was never even mentioned to me. The only alternative offered was having it done under general anaesthetic, which they don't do unless it's absolutely necessary due to the risks.
When I had an endoscopy during the time they were trying to to diagnose what was wrong with me, they used an anaesthetic spray and a sedative and I felt nothing. Why can't they do the same for women who find the use of the speculum and having a coil fitted extremely painful? If there are women who are passing out and throwing up with the pain, doesn't that signify there's a problem that should be addressed?
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| Blood oranges |
The upshot is I went back to the clinic, who put me on the pill. It was horrendous at first, with heavy bleeding and more symptoms than I get with the endometriosis, but it was good when it settled down after a few months. Until it stopped working after a year or so; I was basically bleeding for months and had to be put on iron tablets due to the blood loss causing anaemia. That's when I had a contraceptive implant put in my arm and everything has improved, for now.
All this unnecessary pain reminds me of the epic speech Kristin Scott Thomas delivers in Fleabag: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/women-are-born-with-pain-built-in-kristin-scott-thomass-epic-speech-on-fleabag/
About the speculum, an instrument of discomfort for most women and an instrument of torture for me, the inventor is a controversial figure who hated the procedure he invented a device for, which tells you everything: "if there was anything I hated, it was investigating the organs of the female pelvis". Here's more about the history of the device: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/why-no-one-can-design-a-better-speculum/382534/
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| Speculaas, delicious biscuit |
I've mentioned nothing about men as I'm sure having your prostate checked and any procedures on your reproductive organs are painful, but they are not described as routine and women have to regularly undergo these kind of procedures. But if men had to experience such pain, I think something would have been done about it years ago. I hope with all this coverage and calls to redesign the speculum, change is on its way.
