Getting an IUD can be painful. Really painful. 

Last month, new regulations came out in the US about managing this pain. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that before anyone gets an IUD, patients should be counseled on pain management ahead of time. 

But what about Canada?

Featured in this episode: Parisa Rezaiefar, Mariana Schuetze, James Murray, Rachel Murray, Adele and Sammi.

Credits: Mia Johnson (Reporter and Journalism Fellow), Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Production Manager), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Special thanks: Cherise Seucharan, Noor Azrieh, Arshy Mann, and Jordan Cornish

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

• IUD insertions can hurt – a lot. Can Canada learn from new U.S. pain management guidelines? | CBC News
• Some U.S. clinics offer routine sedation for IUD pain, saying it “shouldn’t feel traumatizing” | CBC News
• IUD most effective birth control method, Canadian pediatricians declare | CBC News
• B.C. doctors say pay boost for IUD insertions will reduce patient pain, waitlists | CTV News
• N.S. clinic will no longer offer free contraceptive devices as funding runs out | CTV News Atlantic
• Birth Control Your Own Adventure | New York Times, Opinion
• Why Haven’t We Figured Out How to Make IUDs Less Excruciating? | Mother Jones
• Contraceptive Use and Ten-Year Trends in Canadian Women of Reproductive Age | Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada 
• Part 2: Minimizing the pain of the IUD insertion: all effort required | This Changed My Practice (TCMP) by the University of British Columbia 
• Barriers and Misperceptions by Limiting Widespread Use of Intrauterine Contraception Among Canadian Women | Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada
• History of Intrauterine Devices | By Lazar Margules, M.D. Lecturer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• The IUD Birth Control Device That The U.S. Market Won’t Bear | The Washington Post
• Medical records in litigation: the Dalkon Shield story | U.S. National Library of Medicine 
• Statement on Intrauterine Devices, Counseling and Pain Management | The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 

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