Woman Live Tweets Getting An IUD Implanted

When it comes to birth control, there are a lot of myths and misinformation floating around, including a lot of misconceptions about IUDs or Intrauterine Devices. To counter that, one woman live tweeted having her IUD implanted to show that it isn't actually that scary. Which is important, because IUDs are one of the most effective forms of birth control, so no one should be turned off of them because of misinformation.

Hayley MacMillen, an editor at Refinery29, recently wrote a "break up letter" to her previous IUD, explaining her reasons for switching to a different type. And when she went in to have the procedure done, she decided to live-tweet the experience so that people who might be wary could get a sense of what having an IUD implanted was like. Although, like any medical procedure, there can be complications when implanting an IUD, the procedure is actually incredibly safe and, contrary to some myths, is usually not overly painful.

IUDs have gotten much more popular in recent years as awareness about them has grown — as well it should. They're an incredibly effective form of birth control that is also very safe. And having them implanted isn't as scary as it sounds. (Though, of course, IUDs are not right for everyone.)

So, although the procedure is different for everyone, if you're considering getting an IUD, MacMillen's tweets can give you some idea of what to expect.

You can check out the full live tweet by clicking here and scrolling up to the beginning.

Plenty of people have expressed their appreciation of MacMillen's decision to share her experiences so publicly, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards.

MacMillen is also not the first person to publicly share her reproductive healthcare experiences. She in fact got the idea from Alison Turkos who tweeted her own IUD procedure in January.

In the U.K., actress and comedian Nadia Kamil live tweeted her pap smear — and then used it as the basis for a rap video.

Even more impressive was the woman who filmed herself while she had an abortion in order to educate people about what it was like to actually go through the procedure — and turns out, it isn't the graphic, bloody, violent ordeal that anti-choice activists try to make it out to be.

For whatever reasons, there's a lot of mystery and myth surrounding women's reproductive healthcare. Maybe it's because we live in a culture that doesn't like to talk openly and honestly about sex and sex-related things. Maybe it's because there are people out there who instinctively don't like the idea of women controlling their own bodies and their own reproductive lives, and thus have an impulse to demonize advancements in reproductive health. Maybe it's because sex ed is so inconsistent in this country

Whatever the reason, it's always encouraging to see people trying to share more about the reality of reproductive healthcare, because that's the only way to counteract the myths. And if sex ed isn't going to give us the right information as teenagers, I guess we'll just have to share it with each other.

Image: cat dennis/Instagram