More than just a pinch: IUDs can cause excruciating pain, but in N.L., there's no standard to deal with it

Shannon Driscoll struggled with painful and heavy periods her whole life. 

Like a lot of people, she tried birth control pills to mitigate the pain and regulate her cycle. But nothing worked — until she got an intrauterine device, known as an IUD.

That was about eight years ago, and now she's on her second IUD. While the insertion process wasn't exactly comfortable, she said, "the benefits of the IUD ... definitely outweighed the discomfort I had for the insert."

But not everyone has an experience like Driscoll's, and some women and advocates say the health-care system needs to do a better job of preparing women for what could be a more than just a pinch.

An IUD is a T-shaped device health-care providers insert through the cervix and into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.

No matter what, the patient will feel that insertion — and sometimes that feeling is excruciating pain.

More than 3,700 of the devices were sold in N.L. last year, and of the people CBC spoke to about the experience, some found it routine — as expected — but others found it traumatizing.

Through all those conversations, two themes emerged: a lack of transparency and an inconsistent standard of care.

Driscoll got her first IUD at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's, and her second at Planned Parenthood, where she worked for several years.

"I was fairly prepared for the first round," she said. "My family doctor referred me to a gynecologist and she had kind of gone through what to expect."

Her gynecologist also explained the process, both before and during the procedure, and while Driscoll did faint after the first insertion, she said her experience was a good one, with an expected amount of pain.

But having worked in the industry, Driscoll has heard stories to the contrary, and believes practitioners should be having frank discussions with their patients about what to expect during such an invasive procedure.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada echoed her concern in a statement in 2022.

"It is important that health-care providers counsel patients about what can be expected during the IUD placement process, including pain control options,"  it said.