A mother of two claims she was forced to play ‘hide and seek’ with her contraceptive device for 12 years after doctors ‘lost’ it.
Daniella Hampton had an intrauterine device (IUD), also known as a copper IUD, inserted into her uterus in 2009, but she says she was told six weeks later it had fallen out.
The 29-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, US, said doctors told her they couldn’t feel the strings attached to the device and an ultrasound showed nothing.
But the health insurance worker said she “never stopped believing” the device remained in her body and felt “dismissed” by doctors who never took her claims of rectal pain seriously.
For nine years she was unable to understand why she was unable to conceive and it was not until she had an X-ray after a car accident in April 2021, that the IUD was detected inside her colon, having migrated there after perforating her uterus.
Daniella Hampton, 29, had an intrauterine device (IUD), also known as a copper coil, inserted into her uterus in 2009 but says she was told six weeks later it had fallen out.
In April 2024, she finally gave birth to her second child, Champion Hampton (pictured).
For nine years she was unable to understand why she was unable to conceive and it was not until she had an X-ray after a car accident in April 2021 that the IUD was detected inside her colon, having perforated her uterus.
Surgery to remove the IUD in September 2021 brought “relief” to Ms Hampton and three years later, in April 2024, she finally gave birth to her second child, Champion Hampton.
“It was crazy. It was more shocking than the injury itself,” he said.
“The doctors told me they noticed a coil was in the wrong place. Then I saw the X-rays and thought, ‘Wow, there’s no way that’s still inside me.'”
“I finally felt like I wasn’t crazy. Surgery was optional, but at that point all I wanted was to get that foreign object out of my body.
‘The strings and everything were intact, the doctor took it out.
“I was relieved to know for sure that he was gone. But it was scary.
“I definitely felt more comfortable getting it off of me and knowing it wasn’t there. I was anxious to see if I would feel any different.”
The health insurance worker said she “never stopped believing” the device remained in her body and felt “dismissed” by doctors who never took her claims of rectal pain seriously.
He had an X-ray after a car accident in April 2021 and the results were “more shocking” than the injury.
Ms Hampton explained that the coil was still intact, including the cords, which doctors had failed to locate years earlier.
She took to social media to share photos of her X-rays. In the Facebook post, she said: “Trust your body ladies. I always knew it was inside me but I couldn’t prove it.”
In the post, Ms Hampton said: “It was like playing hide and seek with the IUD for 12 years. It was quite traumatic. For two years I had an implant in my arm at the same time.
‘I felt like my hormones were going crazy. I had very wild mood swings. I now know that I was on two forms of birth control that definitely went hand in hand (until I had the implant removed after two years).
“I never stopped believing it was still there. I had mentioned it to other professionals, but once I told them I had had the ultrasound, they didn’t give it any importance.
‘In the following years, I suffered from acute pain in the rectal area. I always felt like it was there, but I was told it wasn’t.
“I definitely felt ignored and unheard. It was disheartening. I just let it go.
“I was going crazy because I was thinking ‘what’s wrong with my body?’ I couldn’t understand it. It was crazy.”
Ms Hampton, pictured with her son Tyrik Jones, 15, was originally told the coil had simply fallen off.
Three years after the surgery to remove it in April 2024, she finally gave birth to her second child, Champion Hampton, who is not even three months old.
Ms Hampton admits the experience has made her “abandon using contraception” and regrets not trying to prove to doctors the IUD was still inside her, urging other women to trust their bodies.
Ms Hampton admitted she believes the IUD prevented her from getting pregnant for nine years as it is not a “coincidence” that she was able to conceive after it was removed.
“I was told that wasn’t the reason, but to this day I believe it was,” he said.
She added: “I tried for nine years to conceive and I couldn’t. And here I am now… I don’t think it was a coincidence.”
‘I didn’t know if I could get pregnant again. I was like, ‘Am I crazy? What am I doing wrong?’ I was of childbearing age. It’s a happy ending.’
But she admits the experience has made her abandon contraception and regrets not trying to prove to doctors the IUD was still inside her, urging other women to trust their bodies.
Ms Hampton said: “I think it’s brave when people insist and go the extra mile to get it checked. I definitely should have done it. I was young and naive and I trusted my doctor. I believed what she said.
“I really feel like everyone’s body is different, but this is definitely not the first time I’ve seen this happen. I feel like it’s my duty to share what happened to me.”
“It’s made me stop taking birth control. The only birth control I use and feel comfortable with is the pill, because I know I can stop taking it at any time.”