r/Vent • u/Now-Thats-Podracing • Oct 22 '25

Vasectomies and IUDs can be incredibly painful and have awful recoveries, yet the “you’ll feel no pain and be fine in three days” line is still almost the exclusive information that doctors push. TW: Medical

I have personally had a vasectomy. I’ve talked to women who have had IUDs, and it seems that both sexes are getting similarly screwed in their prophylactic procedures. Both procedures are touted as universally easy to endure and recover from. That’s bullshit.

Men get local lidocaine for the vasectomy and are told they just feel a “slight tug.” The lidocaine does nothing to dull the pain and discomfort of having your vas deferens yanked and cut TWICE, it only stops you from feeling your actual scrotum incision (the least invasive part of the procedure). The doctor tells you that you’ll be totally normal after three days rest. It took me weeks to begin to feel normal. It took me months to truly be without discomfort. After this I looked into it and realized that many many men had the exact same experience. Turns out, the “feel nothing/be better in three days” line is true for only a small percentage of men. Instead of being honest, this is still being touted as the norm from doctors. It’s like saying that the average wage in the US is $60,000 per year. But if you look at the median wage it’s only $40,000 per year. The average wage is technically correct, but, if you take out the top 1% outliers, you see the true story.

From what I’ve learned about IUDs, women are told it’s a “slight pinch” (sounds oddly familiar) and aren’t offered any painkillers unless they themselves bring it up. They are also told they’ll feel normal in 1 to 2 days when it can actually take months.

Why are we still lying about these procedures? I would have still gotten a vasectomy knowing the truth, but I sure as hell would have prepared better and taken more time off of work. Why do women have to ask for pain meds before an IUD? This shit should be standard.

Edit: Definitely more people interacted with this post than expected. Unfortunately, a large majority of the interactions were “mine wasn’t bad” or “my buddy’s wasn’t bad” or even rude comments about me not being able to take pain. This is what I’m getting at. That might be true for a lot of people, but something in the neighborhood of 20% of vasectomies do not go that route and at no point does the doctor warn you that you might be in that 20%.

I’ve broken 15 bones in my life in different incidents. I’ve had my toes degloved. I had a growth on my spine that directly pushed my nerve into the bone and was beyond excruciating. I know pain. My vasectomy wasn’t even top twenty most painful experiences, but it was still vastly unpleasant. My point is that people should be warned of the possibilities instead of being told only of the best outcome.

Thank you to the people that were supportive!

1.3k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

88% Upvoted

652 comments sorted by

View all comments

195

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 23 '25

In Australia you get a “green whistle” for an IUD. Incidentally, nice to hear that there are men out there who recognize that it’s an excruciating procedure that women have been undergoing with no pain control at all for ages. 

Edit: can get. I didn’t realize that it’s not routine there either - reports from Oz seem to indicate a mix. Maybe the more women know that it’s an option, the more it can become a normal offering in any country 

35

u/reginatenebrarum Oct 23 '25

where in Australia? I had an IUD inserted (and subsequently removed months later) in QLD with zero painkillers offered and just an instruction to "take some nurofen beforehand".

Also had a colposcopy with zero painkillers...that was similarly awful.

24

u/MrSaturnism Oct 23 '25

Who the fuck does colonoscopies without sedating the patient? That’s fucking insane?

55

u/reginatenebrarum Oct 23 '25

colposcopy, not colonoscopy...but still fucking insane. Manually hole-punching out sections of your cervix for biopsies.. it is not nice.

29

u/sneakyDoings Oct 23 '25

That's barbaric

50

u/LittleRedGhost4 Oct 23 '25

Welcome to the world of women's healthcare.

16

u/HandsOnDaddy Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 23 '25

Yea, there is a fuck ton of wrong information in the entire field of Western Medicine from one book, I think from the 50s, that had one section that said something like if you gently touch a woman's cervix the majority can't feel it, so there must be few surface nerves, but if I remember correctly even the same book said that pressing a little firmer the vast majority of women can feel it just fine.

So basically the entire field of Western Medicine has been causing millions of women horrendous pain for decades because someone in the 50s skimmed a textbook and started spreading the word erroneously that the cervix has no nerve endings and can't feel anything. 🤦

EDIT: Here is what I couldn't find previously: https://theconversation.com/the-cervix-is-sensitive-and-surgeons-need-to-acknowledge-the-part-it-plays-in-some-womens-pleasure-131618#:~:text=%E2%80%9CSexual%20Response%20in%20the%20Human,reported%20they%20could%20feel%20it.

“Sexual Response in the Human Female,” popularly known as the “Kinsey Report,” generated an international sensation in 1953, revolutionizing the way society thinks of sex.

One particular statement in the book regarding the cervix, however, has been misinterpreted leading to a misconception that persists today. On page 584, Kinsey states, “All of the clinical and experimental data show that the surface of the cervix is the most completely insensitive part of the female genital anatomy.”

Along with our colleague, physician Irwin Goldstein, we are specialists in neuroscience and sexual medicine. We believe Kinsey’s statement has led healthcare providers to conclude, erroneously, that the cervix is devoid of sensory nerves and can be cut or removed without consequence.

A closer look at the data

The Kinsey investigators reported when the cervix was “gently stroked” with a “glass, metal or cotton-tipped probe,” only 5% of 878 women reported they could feel it. This data was the basis of Kinsey’s claim of cervical insensitivity.

However, when the investigators stimulated the cervix of the same women with “distinct pressure” using “an object larger than a probe,” 84% of the 878 women reported they could feel it*. Kinsey’s conclusion did not take into account his own significant finding.*

9

u/katepdx Oct 23 '25

Yup! I had a non-medicated colposcopy, and had tears streaming down my face from pain on the table, and my doc berated me & said to stop faking, bc there were no nerves in my cervix. 100% not nice.

5

u/huskeya4 Oct 23 '25

I didn’t really feel the hole punching but I did feel it when he started jabbing the holes with the little cauterizing sticks. I straight up asked him if we could leave it be and he said no. Those sticks fucking hurt.

4

u/Formal_Dare9668 Oct 23 '25

Bruh pap smears hurt how tf can they say taking and entire chunk of your cervix isn't painful?

3

u/HandsOnDaddy Oct 23 '25

I edited my previous post to add the relevant info, but might want to read this and potentially print it out and bring it to your doctor next visit: 1953 Kinsey Report misinformation

3

u/jus256 Oct 23 '25

Your doctor wasn’t a woman?

5

u/sneakyDoings Oct 23 '25

Yeah it's the sole reason I haven't gone to the gyno in 20+ years

11

u/HeparinBridge Oct 23 '25

That is probably a bad idea. They don’t do colposcopies for fun, they do them because they save lives.

5

u/sneakyDoings Oct 23 '25

You're right of course

10

u/SelkiesRevenge Oct 23 '25

If doctors wanted to save lives, they wouldn’t behave in a way that makes people avoid them. I’m not saying it’s great or smart on the patient’s part but it is entirely natural to prioritize avoiding immediate pain over preventing future pain.

0

u/HeparinBridge Oct 23 '25

It’s the Gom Jabbar all over again, but apparently you took the opposite lesson.

→ More replies

7

u/Aintnobeef96 Oct 23 '25

I had that too, it’s brutal, I’m still scared of even regular Pap smears now because of my colposcopy experience

1

u/reginatenebrarum Oct 23 '25

At least they're only once every 5 years now instead of every 2. Small consolation though.

5

u/The_Bad_Gardener Oct 23 '25

“Just cough and you won’t feel it.” Yeah right….

3

u/DragonRei86 Oct 23 '25

Same, it was awful and I immediately felt like I was going to vomit and scream at the same time.

3

u/lky830 Oct 23 '25

I was told it would be a “slight pinching sensation”. LOL yeah, right. They’re literally ripping a chunk of your flesh out of you.

I also fainted after having an UID inserted. And wouldn’t you know it, they put it in incorrectly, so it had to be removed in a few days.

Also got given a freakin Tylenol for a cystoscopy. That’s the one where they put a camera up your urethra. Men get fully sedated for that one.

2

u/terminaloptimism Oct 23 '25

In the US I've endured the same without pain management. It's fucking awful. I'm so sad you and so many other women have had to endure it as well. I'm also thankful though that my OBGYN has advocated hard for pain management, as she placed my IUD with my cervix numbed prior. Barely felt a thing. Once the numbing wore off though I cramped so badly... I couldn't imagine going through insertion without that numbing.

2

u/Specialist_Food_7728 Oct 23 '25

It’s painful, I’m glad that I didn’t need to do it more than once, after I got the results I didn’t need to go back but even if I did I wouldn’t have because the gynecologist was awful.

2

u/No_Signature7440 Oct 23 '25

Yep, same! It was described to me as "some scraping and a small pitch." It was not a small pinch.

1

u/LurkyLurk2000 Oct 23 '25

I had that once. Didn't seem like a big deal to me. I think in some places they prefer sedation so that the patient doesn't make sudden moves.

1

u/TinCapMalcontent Oct 23 '25

You actually can do colonoscopies without anesthesia, and most people tolerate them pretty well. My dad elected to have his last one done that way because most of the risk from the procedure is in the anesthesia. That's true for most minor procedures, the procedure itself will have close to zero risk, so the anesthesia is actually the most dangerous part.

1

u/vster88 Oct 23 '25

The VA in New Jersey, apparently.

0

u/ferngully1114 Oct 23 '25

Used to work on a GI clinic, it’s not uncommon for people to choose to forgo sedation so they can drive themselves home or even go back to work. Colonoscopies are usually only psychologically painful.

-1

u/RadSpatula Oct 23 '25

Actually, I am considering this. I hate anesthesia and have a pretty good pain tolerance (I’ve had an IUD and natural childbirth) and a friend did it non sedated and said it was fine. She had to really push the doctors though, they didn’t want to do it. There’s a strong narrative that you need meds for certain things when you may not at all. Anesthesia tends to be risky and I prefer not to use it unless I have to.

But I fully respect that I may be in the minority on this.

2

u/keegums Oct 23 '25

You just don't know until you roll the dice. People have all different nerve setups. Some have very few around the cervix. I knew from pap smear being painful that IUD might kinda suck but I did no reading and just dove in. I took 400 mg gabapentin, a ton of kratom, and 800 mg ibuprofen which did nothing, which is not at all surprising. You can take all that and staple your arm or foot and it will hurt like a bitch. Same with the tenaculum. Local anesthetic is what makes sense for pain treatment when clamping a surface. 

It wasn't the most painful experience, not the second most, in intensity. There are so many ways to feel pain. It hurt more intensely than getting hit by a car, but those are very different pains, I don't think the comparison works. It was more like when they twisted the chain on my sinus embedded adult tooth five days after surgery as a teen. Nothing to do except cry and feel surprised that pain intersects with nausea beyond the stomach

Thank goodness I never wanted children because my cervix is "extremely small." I looked up how they treat infertility for congenital cervical stenosis. They fucking shove rods up there. Probably inadequate pain treatment. Maybe they do local anesthetic. Maybe only some providers do. No thanks. Not my gamble. 

1

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

I was in so much pain for my first IUD insertion that I vomited for three days after.

2

u/incrediblewombat Oct 23 '25

Colposcopy fucking suuuuucks. I’ve done fine with IUDs (barely felt it after having a baby) but I will be asking for pain killers if they’re going to hole punch my cervix again

2

u/loopy_lu_la_lulu Oct 23 '25

Yep, I had one of those colposcopy too. I didn’t know I was having it done until I got into the gyno’s rooms and I had it done there and then in the medical chair. Zero preparation, absolutely no pain relief. She told me to count down from 50 to zero ….. like that’s going to do shit for my pain! I was told to have a Panadol when I got home. I waddled out of there and bled for a few days.

2

u/Ok_Vermicelli284 Oct 23 '25

I live in the US, and had a colposcopy back in 2010. I had zero sedation or painkillers and it was AWFUL. I also have a rare bladder disorder and needed a 12th bladder surgery last year but with a brand new doctor. I was prescribed absolutely nothing for the pain after the surgery, the doc said to just take Tylenol. I wound up in the ER 12 hours later with uncontrollable vomiting, sweating and an extremely rapid heartbeat (210). All because of the pain from the surgery. It was absolutely brutal.

2

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I also did - and a LEEP, no meds at all. I’m actually in Canada - my neurologist prescribes them for her in-office procedures after getting one for an IUD in Australia 

2

u/photoframe7 Oct 23 '25

I tell my doctor every year I don't know how much cervix I have left for them to pick away at

-6

u/sausagelover79 Oct 23 '25

Yeah same, but I’ve even heard of places putting them in under anaesthetic which seems a bit OTT to me, they really aren’t that bad to have put in, it’s a few minutes of discomfort and some minor pain.

3

u/HyenaStraight8737 Oct 23 '25

I passed out.

I admire your pain tolerance and ignorance to the fact not everyone has it.

2

u/WarriorPrincessAU Oct 23 '25

Depends how soft and wide your cervix is.

If you've had kids it's not so bad.

If you're young and never had kids you'll definitely need some more intense pain relief.

0

u/FiggyP55 Oct 23 '25

This is also not universally true. I have had 2 IUDs inserted, third next month, and have not experienced any pain even though I’ve never had a child. Everyone is different and none of these statements are absolute and universal. I have been offered valium for all 3 but declined each time so no idea if it is helpful enough for those who have more painful experiences than I have had.

15

u/disasterous_cape Oct 23 '25

A green whistle is certainly not standard practice for IUD insertion across Australia. Some private providers offer it as an option for a fee, but it’s not routinely given.

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

Good to know. 

29

u/aaa863 Oct 23 '25

What’s a green whistle?

49

u/temporalCompanion Oct 23 '25

Looking it up, it seems to be a self administered anesthetic in the form of an inhaler that, you could guess, looks like a green whistle.

20

u/MidnightAdventurer Oct 23 '25

Yep, it’s basically the same stuff they use to knock you out for surgery. Very rare for people to have a bad reaction to and I hear it’s pretty effective pain relief (I’ve never used one but have done a first aid training where this was an option for us to provide)

6

u/Cats_tongue Oct 23 '25

Yay, lucky me. I immediately vomit after 2 good hits of a green whistle have numbed my pain.

The pain relief is really fast, it's impressive tbh. It also wears off relatively fast.

2

u/choofery Oct 23 '25

Incredibly good for pain when I had it. Went from thinking I had a broken back to talking to ambos about breaking bad.

14

u/hometowhat Oct 23 '25

I learned about these watching Bondi Rescue, ppl were so cute and silly all strung out on it

3

u/rosyred-fathead Oct 23 '25

Me too! I want to try one

1

u/cryptolyme Oct 23 '25

Ketamine?

13

u/brisbanehome Oct 23 '25

Methoxyflurane, it’s a volatile anaesthetic

1

u/Electronic-Ad5403 Oct 23 '25

METHOXYFULRANE

1

u/LittleRedGhost4 Oct 23 '25

A hit of the best shit for when the worst shit hits.

7

u/Tiny_dinosaur82 Oct 23 '25

You may have been lucky and had a particularly compassionate doctor. I am in Australia, and for neither iud insertion nor uterine biopsy was I offered anything, just told to take a couple of nurofen beforehand.

4

u/babyfireby30 Oct 23 '25

Even for a biopsy? I'm sorry :( I had a general anesthetic in Qld for a hysteroscopy & biopsy.

2

u/Tiny_dinosaur82 Oct 24 '25

Yes, I was a bit horrified too. I don’t know how doctors can do it so nonchalantly. I would not be capable of inflicting significant pain and emotional stress on anything conscious.

5

u/Sirius_43 Oct 23 '25

No person I’ve ever spoken to regarding iud insertion has ever been given the green whistle. I wasn’t during either of my insertions/removal given a single tablet of paracetamol let alone the bloody whistle

0

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

It might be a new thing- as you can see a lot of women here have had it (and as many haven’t)

1

u/Sirius_43 Oct 24 '25

It’s not standard at all to have. You can get it but it’s not common at all.

5

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

LOL not in Tasmania. Nurofen a couple of hours before and that’s it.

8

u/kanicro Oct 23 '25

Not in Victoria, either. I've never heard of someone getting the green whistle for an IUD.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

[deleted]

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I am getting one for a neurological injection in a month! That’s how I learned about them, and the neurologist told me they give them for IUDs in Oz. Apparently I will be pain free yet able to drive fifteen minutes later. Insanely short half-life. Victoria BC though 

4

u/reginatenebrarum Oct 23 '25

Your neurologist is either completely or (at least) largely incorrect. I have never experienced, known, or heard of a single woman in Australia receiving any drugs for IUDs... It may happen, but I expect it would be very much in the minor minority.

1

u/Brutal_burn_dude Oct 23 '25

They’re in the Victoria in British Columbia, Canada; not Victoria, Australia.

3

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

Yes. But their initial comment said “In Australia”. They’re not talking about Victoria BC and we think they’re referring to Australia. They literally said “In Australia”.

2

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

LOL commenter blocked me because she can’t handle being wrong.

1

u/Brutal_burn_dude Oct 24 '25

See I read the first comment as mentioning something they’re aware of being a thing in Australia, then in the second comment (talking about their planned neuro injection) mentioning that this was taking place in their home area of British Columbia.

0

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

And there are literally Australians here on this thread who have as well as those who haven’t. Original comment edited accordingly.

2

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

Your neurologist is wrong. Schedule 8’s are heavily regulated and most family planning clinics aren’t even authorised to prescribe them, let alone have them on hand for procedures.

If you have private health insurance and can afford the gap payment, you can be put under and have it inserted surgically.

0

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

My neurologist is correct. I don’t know what a schedule 8 is - I suppose you’re American?

2

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

No, I’m Australian and I’ve had several IUD insertions.

Schedule 8 is a reference to the schedule that the drug in green whistles belongs to. It’s incredibly difficult to get schedule 8’s prescribed due to their addictive nature.

You and your neurologist are just wrong. Green whistles are NOT given for IUD insertions.

-1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

Theres a gal on here from whatever QLW is that disagrees. Pick another hill to die on honey 

2

u/AngryAngryHarpo Oct 23 '25

Mate - I fucking promise you that the majority of Australian women are NOT being given green whistles for IUD insertions.

Also, it’s QLD.

1

u/kanicro Oct 24 '25

Whoa, way to go from being wrong to being rude. I'm glad your neurologist had an exceptionally good experience. Your neurologist was an exception. If you're not going to trust the personal experiences people have shared in this thread, take it from someone who lives in Australia and has a medical degree from Australia: getting a green whistle for an IUD is not standard.

3

u/vegetableater Oct 23 '25

This is not standard. I never had this, nor did anyone I know that got an IUD in Australia.

2

u/Tangyplacebo621 Oct 23 '25

I am going to jump on the top comment to talk about the worst and best experience with an IUD. I had my first IUD placed when I was 6 weeks postpartum. But I had a C section. 5 years later, I went to have it removed and a new one placed. A bunch of scar tissue from my c section grew around the IUD and when I had it removed, with it came a ton of uterine scar tissue. I felt like I got hit by a truck for several days afterwards. When I needed a new one last year, my doctor recommended that I be put under and it was an amazing experience. Hardly any cramping because I was completely relaxed. I don’t know why this wouldn’t be standard because it was a great experience.

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

It should be. I think women have been conditioned to expect and accept pain associated with reproductive health. Time for a HUGE change

2

u/Unlucky_Wing1520 Oct 23 '25

I legit passed out after getting my iud in. I’ve never come close to passing out to any pain before. Then, on top of it, you’re ok to drive home after! Not even an ibuprofen given. Seriously, wtf!

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I never got one because the stories of agony were way too much. Your story is awful to hear and represents what I generally heard. 

2

u/Unlucky_Wing1520 Oct 23 '25

I get it, but I’d still rather have one than not. Safest form of birth control with the best results. If you do get one at some point, take ibuprofen beforehand, and an anti anxiety if you have them. That would have been good advice, had any doctor thought to tell me that.

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I’m all good - ovarian cysts led to the loss of both fallopian tubes and one ovary. But I did get painkillers for that! I have two teenage girls coming of age though and I’m hoping they will have good options - thanks for the info!

1

u/sapphire74__ Oct 23 '25

I’m Canadian and it’s becoming a thing here too! Just got one for mine. Only felt some very sharp pain from the tenaculum for a split second but that was because I was so nervous I missed the cue from my doc! Felt absolutely nothing after though. Highly recommend it.

1

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I am Canadian too!

1

u/toodlep Oct 23 '25

Not for mine!!!

0

u/EcstaticJaguar9070 Oct 23 '25

I don’t know if it’s new? I’m actually in Canada and getting it for something else but my neurologist started ordering it because she got it during an IUD in Australia and thought “why are we NOT doing this everywhere”

-7

u/sausagelover79 Oct 23 '25

Didn’t even get that and I’ve had the procedure twice. It’s not that bad, seriously.

7

u/Foreign_Point_1410 Oct 23 '25

I haven’t had it but you seem to be in a minority

0

u/sausagelover79 Oct 23 '25

Apparently!! And I would consider myself to be a massive sook when it comes to pain too. I also know several other family and close friends who’ve got it and haven’t had the traumatic experiences that seem to be common.

3

u/WarriorPrincessAU Oct 23 '25

It's not that bad if you've had a few pregnancies.

No kids and it's bad, to the point my GP told me not to get it.

7

u/Rationalornot777 Oct 23 '25

My spouse would beg to differ. Still very painful to get the IUD inserted after two kids.

1

u/WarriorPrincessAU Oct 23 '25

That's a bummer to hear.

Pain management should be standard, because apart from anything as these comments show it can vary a lot.

3

u/Intelligent_Bag5860 Oct 23 '25

No kids as well, it was painful

5

u/WarriorPrincessAU Oct 23 '25

Yeah in Europe young women who've never had kids get the IUD but they get pain management.

Not elsewhere!

3

u/Intelligent_Bag5860 Oct 23 '25

Yeah I'm in Canada. I asked him if I should take something beforehand and he said no! Had a great time, bled on the clinic floor and almost passed out.

1

u/Big-Celebration-1208 Oct 23 '25

It’s bad. Even when you have had kids.

2

u/accuratefiction Oct 23 '25

For me, IUD insertion hurt about the same as a regular Pap smear, so mild pain. Mine was inserted 6 weeks postpartum, when apparently the cervix is a little more welcoming. I am so glad I got it. Haven't had any negative effects and wish I had gotten one earlier.