Why Is The Coil Painful For Some Women And Not For Others?

By Rachel Moss - Huffington Post
June 25, 2021

“Millions of women around the world use an IUD, also known as a copper coil, as contraception. If fitted properly, it can be more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.

But for some women, there’s a big catch: the pain. On social media, women have been sharing their experiences of insertion and removal, calling for greater awareness and better pain relief options.

It all started when Cardiff-based entrepreneur Lucy Cohen launched a petition calling for more pain relief options for women have the coil inserted. Her petition was shared by feminist campaigner and author Caroline Criado Perez, which then sparked a column by journalist Caitlin Moran, who shared her own painful experience and called for all women to be offered a local anaesthetic with treatment.

Before long, other women were publicly sharing their experiences, including BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, who said her IUD insertion was so painful, she fainted twice and her husband could hear her screaming from the waiting room. He was so shocked, he tried to find out which room she was in so he could intervene.

It’s important to point out though, that many women have IUDs fitted with no problems at all and for these women, it can offer a great hormone-free alternative to contraceptives such as the pill.

So why do some experience such intense pain with the coil while others don’t? “

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