Karolinska Institutet study finds new method reduces IUD insertion pain

A study conducted by Karolinska Institutet and published in the journal JAMA suggests that a new method of administering local anesthesia can reduce pain during intrauterine device (IUD) insertion.

The randomized study involved 370 women aged 18 to 31 who had not previously given birth. Researchers used a thin plastic catheter to introduce a small amount of the local anesthetic mepivacaine into the uterus a few minutes before the procedure. This was compared against a control group receiving a saline solution.

Results indicated that the average pain score on a scale of 0 to 100 was 43.8 for the mepivacaine group, compared to 58.6 for the control group. Additionally, the proportion of women who found the pain ‘tolerable’ increased from 91.4% in the saline group to 98.3% in the treatment group. Professor Helena Kopp Kallner noted that the method not only reduces pain but also makes the procedure more acceptable to patients, potentially encouraging more women to choose IUDs as a long-acting contraceptive.