A MUM-of-two decided to remove her own IUD rather than wait for an appointment to have it taken out, she has revealed.
Ashley Hartig, 27, and her husband Derek had previously been set on not having any more kids, which is why she initially had the device fitted.
But the couple from Florida, US, began feeling they were ready to try for a third baby.
Ashley took matters into her own hands, as she didn't want to have to wait for an appointment at her gynaecologist or at the family planning centre to have her intrauterine device (IUD) removed.
The social media creator said she's comfortable enough in her body to pull it out herself. She then gifted it to Derek in a box, to his complete surprise.
The couple, who've been together for 13 years and married for five, have kept it ever since.
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What is an IUD and how does the coil work?
I was told my coil had fallen out but it was left inside me for 29 years
An IUD – sometimes called a 'coil' or 'copper coil' -is a small T-shaped copper device that's placed into your womb (uterus) by a doctor or nurse.
By releasing copper into your womb, it makes it more difficult for sperm to reach an egg and survive, and stops a fertilised egg from being able to implant itself.
A a coil can protect you from getting pregnant for between five and 10 years.
It's different to an IUS (Intrauterine system) as this releases the hormone progestogen.
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The NHS says your IUD should only ever be removed by a trained doctor or nurse.
Ashley explained: "It took a lot of courage, but now I feel empowered and cleansed. I was scrolling TikTok for hours trying to find other women who had done it as well.
"They were saying how easy it was, so one day when my husband was at work, I just pulled it out.
"I felt the strings and just pulled it straight out of my cervix. It came out so easily and there was no blood either just a little scar tissue around it."
The mum-of-two said she hadn't spoken to a doctor about taking it out herself.
"I had an appointment scheduled for two weeks with my gynaecologist but that was just for an exam to check the IUD, and from there they would then book me in to take it out, so it would be around four weeks before it actually came out.
"It was on mind my every day about taking it out, I had seen videos of other women doing it as well.
"I just had to find some inner strength to do it, even though I had never felt the strings before. I just knew I needed to get a good grip on it."
Ashley said it took her a few attempts to get the coil out.
"I stopped trying and then after a few hours I decided to try again and it came out.
"It hurt a few times so I had left it and went to pick my son up from school, I called the planned parenthood trying to get an emergency appointment but they said they don't do them and that I needed to go to the hospital," she added.
Ashley recalled: "There was no way I was going to the hospital so I just started pulling with a bit more pressure and it literally slid out with no pain."
Once she had taken it out, Ashley knew she wanted to show her husband, so she decided to gift it to him in a box.
She added: "I handed it to him in a little box, telling him I had got him a gift."
Derek couldn't believe his wife had gone through with it.
Ashley recalled: "He couldn't believe I had pulled it out myself. He wasn't expecting it at all, the first thing he asked me was if I'm okay.
"He kept saying how he just didn't expect it.
"My kids kept asking me what it was that I had given to Derek, so I had to just explain it made me not able to have babies."
Ashley said she felt fine after tugging out her own coil.
"I don't know if it's a placebo but I feel like I can move better and I feel better," she said.
If you need to get your coil out, it's important you make an appointment with a trained professional.
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Guidance states: "If you're not having another IUD put in and do not want to get pregnant, use additional contraception, such as condoms, for 7 days before you have it removed.
"It's possible to get pregnant as soon as the IUD has been taken out."
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