Thursday was a hectic day because not only did the doctor have us do all the physical exams on prenatal checkups, but we also saw 3 pap smears and an IUD insertion. As I mentioned before, there was definitely a difference in hygienic standards. When she first inserted the IUD, she used a long metal rod that is usually only used to measure the length to the uterus for the IUD to also open up the cervix more because it was very tight. Then, she placed the instrument into a bucket with water (or some other solution?) that would eventually be washed and sterilized and used again. However, the IUD opened too early while she was inserting it, so she had to get a new IUD and repeat the procedure. To insert it again, she took the instrument out of the bucket, sprayed some alcohol on it to disinfect it, and inserted it back into the woman. It all looked very painful but the woman did not wince even once.
IUD’s are pretty popular here as a method of contraception, probably because of its efficacy and low maintenance. I wonder how often pelvic infections occur though. I guess it’s better than no contraception at all. A lot of the women here are distrustful of hormone contraceptive methods because they believe its carcinogenic or cause awful unknown side effects. It’s hard to persuade a woman that these methods are safe, especially when their family (most importantly mothers) say the opposite. Many women choose to listen to their mothers instead of the doctors and when the opinions oppose each other, it’s difficult to decide what is best for the woman.
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