"The nurse accompanying the doctor had tears"
Naga Munchetty has revealed that getting the coil fitted was “one of the most traumatic physical experiences” of her life.
The BBC Breakfast presenter spoke about the experience on BBC Radio 5 Live.
A form of contraception, an intrauterine device (IUD) or coil is inserted through the cervix and into the womb, with the procedure usually taking around five minutes.
Naga recalled: “I’d gone through what the procedure involved with my GP.
“She was clear, patient and informative, so I thought I was prepared for a routine procedure.
“A nurse accompanied the doctor in the room that the fitting was to take place in.
“I’d been told to take a couple of paracetamol and ibuprofen in the hours before my appointment and I’ve never been pregnant, therefore my cervix up until then had never been opened.”
However, what she thought would be a routine procedure turned out to be a traumatic experience for her.
Naga was “screaming in pain” and after hearing her “horror screams” from the waiting room, her husband tried to find what room she was in.
She said that she usually has a “high pain threshold” but was left in agony following the procedure.
On the experience, Naga recalled:
“I won’t go into all the details, but my screams were so loud that my husband tried to find out what room I was in to make it stop.
“He said that those in the waiting room hearing my screams looked horrified.
“The nurse accompanying the doctor had tears in her eyes.”
Naga said the doctor asked her if she would like to stop the procedure but she refused.
She explained: “I was asked by my doctor halfway through if I wanted to stop, but I was so determined that the pain I’d suffered so far wouldn’t be repeated, so I said, ‘we’ve got this far, let’s finish it’. I fainted twice.”
Naga Munchetty had the coil removed a year later and the pain was again “excruciating”.
She said:
“I fainted again and then I burst into tears of relief when I left the GP’s office.”
“I felt violated, weak and angry.”
Naga continued: “I have friends who have had very similar experiences and of course I have friends who had had no problem at all.
“What this is about is not the coil itself, we know it’s safe and effective.
“What this is about is how we look at all women’s health and pain.”
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