THE NEW YORK TIMES – In recent years, the process of getting an intrauterine device, or IUD, has become infamous on social media. Videos of women writhing and crying while the T-shaped contraceptive device is inserted have become macabre online staples.
“Unless you’re living under a rock, you’re aware of the issue,” said Dr. Beverly Gray, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University.
Doctors have been accused of ignoring the discomfort. For the first time, federal health officials recommended on Tuesday that physicians counsel women about pain management before the procedure.
This updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may lead clinicians to take the pain more seriously and to consider using anesthetics more often, experts said.
“Women’s pain and women’s experiences have been downplayed throughout medicine,” Dr. Gray said.
…article continued below
– Advertisement –
“This is really validating that for some people, this can be a really painful experience.”
As the number of women opting for IUDs has risen, so have calls for physicians to address the discomfort associated with the procedure. Some women have described it as “the worst pain imaginable” or likened it to a “hot knife” slowly stabbing them.
Effective strategies for managing that pain exist, though a 2019 survey found that few doctors offered those options.
Less than 5 percent of doctors offered an injection of a local anesthetic during the procedure, many instead prescribing over-the-counter painkillers, which have been shown to be less effective.
A study in 2015 found that doctors tended to underestimate the pain their patients experienced during the procedure …
…article continued below
– Advertisement –