CDC recommends pain management for IUD insertion

Lidocaine, either injected or as an ointment, is option
Pain management not often offered for IUD insertions
Study says almost eight in 10 women report pain

Updated: Aug 7, 2024 / 04:11 PM CDT

A sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (David Goldman, File/AP)

(NewsNation) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidance that addresses issues related to pain sometimes associated with the use of intrauterine devices, or IUDs.

For the first time, the CDC is recommending that doctors counsel patients on potential pain and offer pain-management options to patients who are getting an IUD. Pain-management options are routinely not offered and are often denied by insurance companies for being unnecessary.

A release from the CDC said one of the possible options for reducing pain during IUD placement is lidocaine, either as a paracervical block or topical. Paracervical block lidocaine is an injection, often used on patients in labor, and topical lidocaine is an ointment.

The release also said that misoprostol, which is often used to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers, is not recommended for routine use. However, it may be useful under certain circumstances such as in patients with a recent failed placement.

Pain management for IUD insertions is not commonplace, even though almost eight in 10 women say insertion pain is either moderate or severe, according to a study from the British Medical Journal.