Getting an IUD can hurt. New guidelines say doctors should help patients manage the pain [Video]

Gynecology nurse practitioner Stephanie Edwards-Latchu has performed over 450 intrauterine device insertions. Some women will barely notice when the device is placed, she said, but others report the worst pain they will ever feel.The devices, which are placed within the uterus to prevent pregnancy, are the third most common form of birth control in the U.S. Still, some patients have come to her after being dismissed by other providers — told to “calm down” or that their pain is “not that bad” or even “you’re being dramatic.”In new contraceptive guidance published this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave updated recommendations for clinicians on how to help manage the pain some people may have when the devices, known as IUDs, are inserted. Lidocaine “might be useful for reducing patient pain” when injected as a local anesthetic or applied topically as a numbing gel, cream or spray, the …