Women STILL face irresistible contraceptive coil fittings –

Experts say women should go through unbearable birth control rinses without pain relief: they’re expected to “bite their teeth and take control.”

The warning came despite new guidelines issued by health directors last year that recommend women always take “appropriate pain relievers” before the procedure; this involves inserting a small T-shaped device about half the size of a cotton ball. skin. uterus is placed.

The change was proposed by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care, part of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, after BBC broadcaster Naga Munchetty spoke about her “traumatic” experience of wearing a coil.

Although many women find coil insertion painless, some experience cramping, discomfort, and anxiety, so everyone should be given anesthesia, the guide said.

But private data obtained by The Mail on Sunday show that one-third of women did not take any painkillers during the procedure. And half of women given a birth control spiral describe the condition as “five-five”, the most extreme possible.

Dr. Philippa Kaye, a family doctor who focuses on women’s health, believes the problem is partly because women’s pain is often denied by the medical community.

She says: “Women are expected to endure more pain than men – it’s assumed it’s just part of being a woman. It’s really disappointing that this is still happening.”

Dr. Rebecca Mawson, a general practitioner and women’s health specialist at the University of Sheffield, adds: “Some doctors think women are patient and they bite their teeth.”

More than one million women in the UK use the IUD, and at least 45,000 women go through the procedure to insert the IUD each year.

The warning came despite new guidelines issued by health directors last year that recommend women always take “appropriate pain relievers” before the procedure; this involves inserting a small T-shaped device about half the size of a cotton ball. skin. the uterus is placed

There are two types of coils: one is copper, the other is plastic. The copper IUD, also known as the contraceptive IUD or IUD, releases copper ions into the uterus. These affect the fluids in the fallopian tubes and uterus, which become toxic to sperm and destroy them on contact.

It can stay in place for ten years before it needs to be replaced. The plastic coil, or intrauterine system (IUS), releases progestin, a hormone-like drug that terminates pregnancy and lasts for up to five years.

Both coils are 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, but the plastic coil can also be used to treat a number of conditions such as heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual cramps and some menopausal symptoms.

During the insertion procedure, which normally takes about five minutes, a doctor or nurse first inserts a speculum – a duckbill-shaped device – into the vagina to open access to the uterus.

The thin lining of the cervix is ​​then pierced with a tenaculum, a tool that looks like scissors with a small hook at the end of each tooth. This helps keep the cervix in place. The coil is then passed through the speculum and placed in the uterus.

Last June, Ms Munchetty revealed that she screamed very loudly during the procedure and her husband, who was waiting in a nearby hallway, was trying to find out which room she was in to interrupt the procedure. “I passed out twice and felt violated and weak and angry,” she said.

Ms Munchetty said she was not given any pain medication during the procedure, but was given acetaminophen and ibuprofen before the appointment.

While experts say her experience was unusual, studies show that many women experience serious discomfort when wearing a contraceptive coil.

A year later, that newspaper asked The Lowdown, a website that reviews birth control products, to ask readers about their experience with inserting an IUD. More than 600 women responded, and 32% said they did not take painkillers.

More than 60 percent said they had previously self-medicated with over-the-counter pain relievers, but some said the procedure was “unbearable” and even “the worst pain they’ve ever experienced.” Someone wrote, “I passed out from the pain.” “I had to take three days off because I was in so much pain,” another said.

Experts say the results are particularly frustrating because the pain reliever (a topical anesthetic spray often used to numb the area on the cervix) is easily accessible and poses minimal risk.

Dr. “The spray is easy to use, and most doctors will have this or some type of local pain reliever,” Kaye says. “However, some doctors still don’t know if they can use them in cable connections.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for women to use contraception, and if they are concerned about pain they are less likely to use contraception.” Not everyone will need painkillers, but they must be provided.’

Lucy Cohen, 39, of Swansea, had the procedure last summer. “It was horrible, the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” the accountant says. “It took 20 minutes and I was shaking and sweating.”

Lucy, who is married to the 37-year-old engineer Adam, says her doctor asked her if she wanted to stop but didn’t offer painkillers. He adds: ‘The reel is great. I don’t think you’ll have to suffer this much to get it.”