Over-the-counter painkillers may not be sufficient when fitting IUDs, says US agency

Doctors in the US have been advised to upgrade the analgesia they use for alleviating pain related to fitting intrauterine devices (IUDs), after many women complained on social media of severe pain during insertion.In updated advice the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that lidocaine as a paracervical block or topical treatment “might be useful for reducing patient pain . . . Misoprostol is not recommended for routine placement of IUDs.”1 Previously, women had been advised to use over-the-counter painkillers such as ibuprofen.IUDs have become a popular choice of longlasting contraception since the US Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.2The Washington Post reported women’s complaints of pain during IUD insertion, including accounts that women had posted on social media showing them screaming with pain during the procedure.34 Some described their experience as “horrible,” “terrible,” or “awful.” Others said that they had filmed their…
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