Sometimes, when you first get an IUD, cramping may occur during and after sex. This is because the uterus tightens and contracts as it adjusts to the foreign object inside.
It’s also possible for your partner to feel the IUD strings during penetrative sex, but it shouldn’t be intense or painful.
Bleeding
While spotting after sex is normal and not uncommon for people who have an IUD, it is important to pay attention to the amount of blood and how often you bleed. If the bleeding is light and does not occur regularly, it may not be a problem. However, if it is heavy and frequent, make sure to speak to your doctor about the issue as soon as possible.
Spotting after sex with an IUD is usually caused by friction on the cervix, which can be aggravated during sexual activity. A lubricant can help reduce this issue, as can changing positions during penetration. Penetrative sex can also cause a decrease in estrogen levels, making the vagina more prone to irritation and spotting.
An IUD can sometimes cause spotting after sex, especially during the first six months after insertion. This is because copper IUDs and hormonal IUDs work to prevent pregnancy by blocking sperm from reaching the egg and fertilizing it.
If the spotting is occurring after you have your period, it is likely that the IUD is not in the correct position and has moved. A doctor can check the IUD and, if necessary, will be able to replace it. Bleeding after sex with an IUD can also be a sign of uterine fibroids or endometriosis, which can be diagnosed through a pelvic exam in a gynecologist’s office.
Cramps
Cramping that comes with orgasm is common, especially for women who are ovulating. It may feel a little like your period pain, but is usually minor and should disappear with or without treatment. Cramping that persists or gets worse is not normal, however, and could be a sign of something serious.
For example, if the cramps are on your uterus, it may be a sign of fibroids. These are benign growths in the uterus that can be triggered by a number of things, including sex, and cause pain and pressure in the pelvis. Risk factors include obesity, eating a lot of red meat and having a family history of fibroids.
Another reason you might experience sex cramping is because of the physical strain involved in orgasm. Sex can put a lot of pressure on the pelvic area and can cause or worsen existing muscle strains, such as from back problems or childbirth.
A final possibility for your sex cramping is that your IUD is not in the right place. If you can feel the strings during sex or they become irritated, you should let your doctor know. They can shorten the strings for you, which should help with your discomfort. They can also check to see if your IUD has been displaced. If it has, they will likely need to insert a new one.
Irritation
Sometimes, a woman who has an IUD experiences pain during or after sex. This usually occurs because of orgasms that cause contractions in the uterus. This can irritate nerves and ligaments, causing pain. This type of pain usually lasts from a few hours to several days, and it is normal. However, if the pain is more severe, it could be a sign of a problem with the uterus or pelvic organs. It might be due to a medical condition such as fibroids, endometriosis, or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
A doctor may recommend different methods for easing the pain after sex. For example, they might suggest using lubricants when having sex. They might also suggest doing regular Pap smears to check for abnormalities in the vagina and cervix.
If a woman who has an IUD experiences bleeding after sex, they should make an appointment with their doctor. This will ensure that the IUD is in place and that there is no lingering infection in the cervical area.
Some women experience spotting after sex for months after their IUD is inserted. This is not a common occurrence, but it can happen. It’s important to keep in mind that the spotting is not caused by the IUD itself, but it can be due to a cervical infection or a dislodged IUD.
Pain
The pain that women sometimes feel after sex may be caused by contractions of the uterus, and a woman’s uterus can become inflamed during orgasms. Taking acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen can help reduce the inflammation.
Another cause of cramping after sex is the prostaglandins that are produced in the body as part of a woman’s menstrual cycle. These cause pain and can also lead to an abnormally heavy period. This type of pain is called dysmenorrhea.
A patient recently came into Zoom and told the team she had been experiencing pain during sex since getting her IUD inserted a few months before. That’s not normal and should be addressed by a doctor.
It’s possible that the pain Dan was feeling was from her IUD strings, but that’s not common and shouldn’t be a concern. If the strings are causing pain, the gynecologist can usually trim them shorter to be almost flush with the cervix.
It’s also possible that the IUD became partially or fully displaced during sex, which could cause pain and bleeding. If this is the case, a vaginal exam or ultrasound should be performed to check on the placement of the IUD. This is particularly important if the IUD is accompanied by light bleeding after sex. This could be a sign of an infection or an ectopic pregnancy (when the fertilized egg gets trapped in a fallopian tube outside the uterus).
