Lock my uterus down
June 26, 2022 11:44 AM Subscribe
I'm way overdue for a pelvic exam, almost due for a new IUD, and looking for recommendations for FANTASTIC doctors in Atlanta or Athens, GA.
I've had two Mirena IUDs over the last 10 years. I'm due for a new one this fall, and I want to find a doctor as great as the last one I saw. I'm not interested in other birth control options - the hormones in the Mirena are working excellently for me.
Background
My first IUD was inserted by my hometown gynecologist when I was in my early 20s, and it was...not a great experience. I think most of her patients were much older, IUDs weren't a major part of her practice, and she was reluctant and more than a little patronizing/judgmental ("But don't you want to give your mother grandkids?") about my choice to get one at all. The insertion was incredibly painful (almost passed out, had to take two days off work), and the device itself was placed wrong - it did its job, but I could feel it in there for the five years I had it. Like, not by feeling around for the strings - I could feel it in my abdomen if I moved the wrong way. It's uh, not supposed to be like that, and I wish I could tell my younger self they didn't have to suffer with it for so long!
Five years later, I had my next IUD inserted by a gynecologist in the new state I was living in. This experience made me realize how lousy the first one had been! This doctor was no-nonsense, non-judgmental, and a total pro at IUD insertions. I know the initial insertion is often more painful than subsequent ones, and that was the case here, but the difference was completely night and day, because of the doctor's manner and probably because it was actually placed correctly. I walked home after and had a normal day, and I can't feel it in my guts at all. Imagine that!
I loved doctor #2 and would go back to her in a heartbeat, but I moved out of state a few years ago. I haven't actually been to a gynecologist since I saw her five years ago. I'm in my early 30s with normal pap smears, so I'm on an "every 3 years" schedule for pelvics, and then with the pandemic, I kicked that can a little further down the road. Now it's almost time for an IUD, past time for a pelvic, and I don't know who to go. I'm afraid of ending up with a doctor who isn't like, an IUD expert specialist basically.
I've asked around but haven't gotten any good recommendations from friends. I'm looking for "I LOVE this doctor," not, "I saw this doctor and they were fine/meh/basically just didn't murder me." I also think I have a lower tolerance for woo in my healthcare than the people in my circles - "she's like a crunchy granola aunt" is a minus for me in this context.
Request
The ideal doctor will be
- located in or within a reasonable (let's say under 2-hour drive) distance from Athens or Atlanta, GA
- LGBTQIA+ welcoming
- an absolutely expert, encouraging, and skillful pro at IUD insertions
- un-woo
- not imminently retiring (so I can continue to see them in the future!)
- able to work with BCBS insurance
Your enthusiastic recommendations appreciated so I can lock this sucker down before birth control becomes illegal (jk/or am I?/ugh!).
I've had two Mirena IUDs over the last 10 years. I'm due for a new one this fall, and I want to find a doctor as great as the last one I saw. I'm not interested in other birth control options - the hormones in the Mirena are working excellently for me.
Background
My first IUD was inserted by my hometown gynecologist when I was in my early 20s, and it was...not a great experience. I think most of her patients were much older, IUDs weren't a major part of her practice, and she was reluctant and more than a little patronizing/judgmental ("But don't you want to give your mother grandkids?") about my choice to get one at all. The insertion was incredibly painful (almost passed out, had to take two days off work), and the device itself was placed wrong - it did its job, but I could feel it in there for the five years I had it. Like, not by feeling around for the strings - I could feel it in my abdomen if I moved the wrong way. It's uh, not supposed to be like that, and I wish I could tell my younger self they didn't have to suffer with it for so long!
Five years later, I had my next IUD inserted by a gynecologist in the new state I was living in. This experience made me realize how lousy the first one had been! This doctor was no-nonsense, non-judgmental, and a total pro at IUD insertions. I know the initial insertion is often more painful than subsequent ones, and that was the case here, but the difference was completely night and day, because of the doctor's manner and probably because it was actually placed correctly. I walked home after and had a normal day, and I can't feel it in my guts at all. Imagine that!
I loved doctor #2 and would go back to her in a heartbeat, but I moved out of state a few years ago. I haven't actually been to a gynecologist since I saw her five years ago. I'm in my early 30s with normal pap smears, so I'm on an "every 3 years" schedule for pelvics, and then with the pandemic, I kicked that can a little further down the road. Now it's almost time for an IUD, past time for a pelvic, and I don't know who to go. I'm afraid of ending up with a doctor who isn't like, an IUD expert specialist basically.
I've asked around but haven't gotten any good recommendations from friends. I'm looking for "I LOVE this doctor," not, "I saw this doctor and they were fine/meh/basically just didn't murder me." I also think I have a lower tolerance for woo in my healthcare than the people in my circles - "she's like a crunchy granola aunt" is a minus for me in this context.
Request
The ideal doctor will be
- located in or within a reasonable (let's say under 2-hour drive) distance from Athens or Atlanta, GA
- LGBTQIA+ welcoming
- an absolutely expert, encouraging, and skillful pro at IUD insertions
- un-woo
- not imminently retiring (so I can continue to see them in the future!)
- able to work with BCBS insurance
Your enthusiastic recommendations appreciated so I can lock this sucker down before birth control becomes illegal (jk/or am I?/ugh!).
I enthusiastically recommend Dr. Betsy Collins.
posted by southern_sky at 3:37 PM on June 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by southern_sky at 3:37 PM on June 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Good news: Mirena lasts 7 years now.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 7:08 PM on June 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 7:08 PM on June 26, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just a not-recommendation - avoid Atlanta Gynecology and Obstetrics in Decatur. Literally the worst IUD insertion experience of my life and I've had 3 of them.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:20 AM on June 27, 2022
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:20 AM on June 27, 2022
Pelvic exams actually aren't recommended at all anymore. There's no reason to get them unless you're investigating symptoms.
posted by Violet Hour at 10:12 PM on July 15, 2022
posted by Violet Hour at 10:12 PM on July 15, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mareli at 12:24 PM on June 26, 2022