An IUD insertion is an effective form of birth control, but some women say there should be more options for managing pain during the procedure.
IUD's aren't just for contraception, with many people using them for a variety of reasons.
"They can also treat heavy and painful periods and can be used to protect the lining of the uterus," Dr Beth Messenger from Family Planning NZ said.
For many people IUDs can be the best and worst option, as getting an Intrauterine contraceptive device can be incredibly painful for some.
"I wasn't even paying attention because I was fainting and throwing up all the time. So I think I vomited, maybe 10 times." Marina Pinel told 1News
"I lost control of my bladder, and it was a very very painful situation that I never want to go through again."
Pinel isn't alone. Student Gizelle Jacobs also found the insertion painful.
"My body doesn't remember the pain but I know it was just terrible."
While they're certainly not alone in their experiences, clinicians say extreme pain isn't standard.
"It's incredibly variable, we have some women who feel very little of the insertion so experience effectively no pain at all, on the other end we have women who have to stop the procedure because it's too painful for them to tolerate," Messenger said.
She says over the counter pain relief is usually enough to manage post procedure cramping.
Other forms of pain relief such as local anaesthetic need to be administered into the cervix itself, something Jacob's wishes was more routinely offered.
"I do wish they either numb the area or numb the cervix or even offered that extra pain relief or offered an extra thing to make the process more comfortable and not as painful."
Around 8700 IUDs were inserted at Family Planning clinics in the last year, around two-thirds of those were inserted by nurses.
Administering anaesthetic isn't part of the national training.
Messenger said the majority of IUDs can be inserted without anaesthetic
"It is an additional skill to learn on top of the routine IUD insertion, at the moment we probably don't have enough IUD inserters across the country as it is, and especially we wouldn't have enough people if we had the anaesthetic."
This isn't the case for a Wellington based gynaecologist Dr Anju Basu, who says that private practices have more resources to offer.
"I offer a range of pain relief options and they range from simple anaesthetic women can buy off the counter. We offer them a local anaesthetic and of course depending on individual factors we discuss sedation."
Basu said they provide local anaesthetic routinely, but not every women needs it.
What is concerning her is TikTok videos that are giving young people a false idea of what to expect.
"There is misinformation out there that then leads to anxiety related to the procedure and anxiety to the procedure will increase the level of response in terms of pain."
"It's very important for women to discuss their individual needs and preferences with their practitioner."
Messenger said it can be a hard conversation to have.
"It is a difficult conversation because we don't want to put people off IUD insertion because it's a great form of contraception. A great treatment for periods and we don't want to put them off if an anaesthetic isn't available and make them think its something they must have."
For many patients who have suffered on the extreme end like Pinel, they just want more information.
"100% they could tell me what the worst [that] could happen. And it should be my choice if I wanted to get anaesthetic, not their choice."
She likes the effects of her IUD, although she wouldn't have done it if she knew how bad having it inserted was.
Pinel will continue to push for her pain to be taken seriously and encourage others to advocate for themselves.
What is an IUD?
IUD stands for Intrauterine contraceptive device.
In New Zealand two types of IUDs are available - one non-hormonal often referred to as a copper IUD and one hormonal IUD referred to as a Mirena.
The IUD is inserted into the uterus to help prevent pregnancy and a range of issues such as heavy periods and cramping.
SHARE ME