Patients are warned that IUDs can be ‘uncomfortable.’ But many say the pain is excruciating.

Patients are warned that IUDs can be ‘uncomfortable.’ But many say the pain is excruciating.
Caroline Kitchener - The Lily
July 19, 2021

“Many OB/GYNs, including De-Lin, say they warn patients that the IUD insertion procedure might be “uncomfortable.” In the first few weeks and months, they say, patients may experience some irregular cramping.

But many IUD users describe pain that goes far beyond discomfort. Seventeen percent of women who have never had children and 11 percent of mothers say they experienced substantial pain that required pain management during the insertion process, including medication and other non-pharmaceutical methods, according to a 2013 study. Pain can occur no matter what type of IUD you have, De-Lin said, whether it’s a hormonal variety, like the Mirena or Kyleena, or the non-hormonal Paragard IUD.

In a recent callout, The Lily asked readers to describe their IUD experiences. Of the 131 people who responded to our unscientific study, a majority mentioned some kind of pain associated with the IUD, either during insertion or afterward. Some described pain that left them bedridden for days or sprinting to the bathroom to vomit. The IUD felt like “shards of glass” in her vagina, one woman said. Another described her experience as “hell on earth.”

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