How My Menstrual Cup Killed my IUD

Ever wonder if your IUD can come out on its own? Read how one woman's accidental IUD removal turned into her worst nightmare.

Originally published 9/22/19.

About three months ago, I started using a menstrual cup. I was kind of excited and also kind of mad. I’d gotten an IUD six months prior in the hopes that my period would stop completely. I’d opted for the Mirena because it was the only one suitable for woman who hadn’t pushed a baby out of her vagina who also wanted not to menstruate. The Mirena keeps 20% of women from menstruating after a year with the IUD in place.

Sadly, I never got that far with the Mirena. My periods did get lighter, but they also got longer. On the standard Tri-Sprintec (think Ortho Tri Cyclen, but generic for bitches who don’t pay for name brands), I had a period that lasted five days. On Mirena, it was up to eight.

The fuck was this? I was mad, but I decided to get a menstrual cup when I’d run out of pads and tampons because I wanted to be greener with my periods. It’s not that I actually hated having a period. When I got my first period, I had turned 15 a couple of weeks prior. That is seriously fucking old to start going on the rag, and when I discovered it in the powder room of my dad’s house, I said, “’Bout damn time,” and went on with my day.

I’d been wearing pantiliners (skinny pads) since I was 12 or 13 because there was no way in hell I was going to be caught with blood on my pants in public. I’d read Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret when I was twelve. I knew the shit that could go down. And this bitch is always prepared. So, as you can imagine, when I started trying to live a more zero waste life, I realized how many pads I’d wasted—perfectly unsoiled pads—and really wanted to make up for that nonsense. The Mirena seemed like the best bet, if I was one of the lucky 20%.

So, I started using a Bella Cup and was really lucky to find one for super fucking cheap on ebay. I got two for $12, which is a steal for menstrual cups. The fancy Diva Cup is $40 at my local grocery store. The Bella cup I got was just the right size. I had no trouble other than the typical difficulties in using a menstrual cup, which are mainly due to a lack of knowledge and discussion about them in the general public. There is lots online to help you with any brand you choose. My problem mostly resulted from not trimming the stem and not locating the cervix properly. Once I mastered that, it was smooth sailing.

Until the day my IUD came out.

I’d actually had a nightmare about this a few weeks prior. I’d read a story online about a woman who found her IUD on her toilet paper like it had just slipped out on its own, and she wasn’t able to get another inserted because she’d just had sex, and inserting one if you’re pregnant is dangerous for you. When I’d read that it came out on its own for this woman, my first thought was, “damn, woman, how big is your cervix?” It had to be enormous, right? She had to have ten kids.

I was on my period when I accidentally pulled my IUD out. It turns out that’s when the cervix is most relaxed, so you’re more likely to lose your IUD during this time. I remember that I was trying to remove my menstrual cup without peeing. And instead of pushing the cup out with my pee/poop muscles like you’re supposed to and then wiggling the stem and bottom of the cup slowly, I just reached inside and grabbed the bottom of the cup and pulled.

It felt like I’d removed a tampon.

It didn’t really hurt when I pulled it out. It fucking hurt when it was inserted. I’d expected a bit of resistance to remove it, but nope. Not a chance. There it was in my Bella Cup, my fingers gripping the IUD string that had been resting in the cup. I had fucking pulled it out.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

I repeated that to myself a few times as I stared at the only thing that was keeping me from getting knocked up. As a childfree woman who wants to remain childfree for life, seeing your IUD in your hands when it’s supposed to be in your uterus is a real nightmare.

It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.

I whispered that to myself as I cleaned my cup and reinserted it and then wrapped my IUD in a paper towel. I am so lucky we have single-occupant bathrooms at work! If someone had heard me, I’d have to explain everything, and I am definitely not that close to anyone at work. I was shaking, and I’m sure my face looked like I’d just witnessed a murder. I left the bathroom and called my husband.

I’d just been added to his health insurance plan at work, and I couldn’t see my old doctor anymore. I thought I’d have to get Plan B (we had just had sex the day before) and then get a new IUD inserted. But then I remembered that they wouldn’t insert it if there was a chance I was pregnant, and I couldn’t really guarantee I wasn’t pregnant since it was out.

We tried going to the urgent care location that takes our insurance, but they told me they don’t see patients for birth control issues and pointed me in the direction of the pharmacy for emergency contraception. I got My Way emergency contraception because it was all the pharmacy offered. That’s cool; I love generics! I paid $17 dollars for it (insurance doesn’t cover it because it’s not a prescription medication), but it is way cheaper on Amazon.

I also needed birth control and couldn’t get an IUD anytime soon. Thank God I’d saved some Tri-Sprintec from my last order with Nurx. (Not an affiliate link; they just fucking rock.) I started a pack of Tri-Sprintec and will switch to a once-a-quarter period type of pill soon. No more IUDs for a while.

Got any menstrual cup or IUD horror stories of your own? Please tell me all about it in the comments!