On Christmas Eve in 2012, I went to the emergency room with violent pseudo seizures. It had been two years of constant ailments, coordination difficulties, disorientation and deteriorating health. As I lay there helpless and crying to my husband, an emergency room nurse asked me a question that I know now saved my life. “Has anyone ever told you that this might be caused by your IUD?” Immediately after I was discharged from the hospital I searched the internet to investigate my illnesses. Fortunately, I discovered a video of a women describing her symptoms. Those symptoms could have been read in my own diary. I was overwhelmed with feelings of both horror and relief. These symptoms were real. I was not alone. My health problems and the connection to my IUD side effects had gone unrecognized. My husband and I cried as we stared in disbelief at the computer in front of us.
I have since dedicated the past 2 years to learn more about the side effects of the IUD. I have found 18 women who want to share their experiences and stories with the world. These women are from Australia, Canada, the United States and Europe. Many have had their symptoms go unrecognized and have suffered needlessly. This film will spread awareness about some of the unknown side effects and change the way women are informed in the future. I have also found doctors and nurses that are willing to share their expertise and what they and their patients have experienced. We will dispel some of the myths on social media and through continued research, provide accurate information about the health risks of the device.
For years, the medical community has recommended the IUD as a safe and effective form of birth control. Yet, women across the globe continue to make claims of misdiagnosed side effects and deteriorating health. The filmmakers investigate if there are, in fact, critical connections between side effect and IUD that go unrecognized. Is there a general complacency when informing women of possible health risks associated with the device or has social media created a frenzy of unwarranted accusations? Our goal in making this film is to examine the correlation between side effect and IUD. As a result, unknown side effects are recognized and detected before more severe health issues arise.