Women’s Negative Experiences of IUD Procedures

The use of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception has been steadily increasing due to the promotion of its benefits as a contraception choice. The most used devices are the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (IUS) and the copper intrauterine device (IUD). Studies have found that women can experience pain and distress in procedures, but there has been a lack of in-depth research to investigate this further. This study explores women’s negative experiences of IUD procedures within UK based health settings. Twenty women took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and found six themes: (1) clinician interpersonal skills, (2) autonomy and vulnerability, (3) pain experiences and pain management, (4) psychosocial impact, (5) perception of clinicians and services and (6) gender roles and empowerment. The results provided rich, in-depth accounts of what women can find distressing or painful and how this can be mitigated in practice. Clinical implications include detailed assessment, empowering patients, multi-modal pain management and recommendations for trauma informed practice.