Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee say women are left to “suck it up” in the face of severe pain from ‘routine’ women’s health procedures
A woman says she was left in excruciating pain after her coil was fitted at an NHS sexual health clinic. Ella Hodson’s blood pressure plummeted and she turned “grey in the face” before she had to take over the recommended dose of painkiller “just to get through the day” for weeks after the IUD (intrauterine device) was inserted.
Following a report by the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee saying women are left to “suck it up” in the face of severe pain from ‘routine’ women’s health procedures like having a contraceptive coil fitted, the 25-year-old told The Mirror her procedure made her blood pressure drop and she “couldn’t stand” saying “it was like they’d inserted pain into me”.
Despite taking painkillers before it was fitted, Ella said when they inserted the coil and it was maybe “one of the weirdest pains” she has “ever felt”. She said: “It was like someone had inserted the sensation of period pain into me. It was like the feeling of period cramps, but came on super quickly and really really intensely. I went grey in the face and became faint.
“They took my blood pressure and the lower number was 40 where it had been 60 when I took it before. The doctors were really good about it and kept me on the bed with an oxygen mask on for a while while I waited for my friend to come pick me up.” The process involves using a speculum, a clamp which has not evolved since its invention in 1845, to open the vagina and inserting a 32mm t-shaped plastic coil pushed through a tube into the cervix, according to the NHS.
The device which then enters the uterus opens into the t-shape, and often causes cramping and bleeding for weeks and sometimes months, according to the NHS. Ella, from London, said: “I was in debilitating pain for about a week or two after, couldn’t really move and was taking so many pain killers, like way over the recommended amount just to get through the day.”
The NHS website states: “Most people have some pain when having an IUD fitted. You may want to take some painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen an hour before. If you’re concerned about pain during the fitting, speak to the nurse or doctor. They may be able to offer you extra pain relief, such as local anaesthesia.”
However, the local anaesthesia is by no means routine and many women are advocating for it to be standard procedure, for what is considered an invasive procedure. A petition with over 36,000 signatures was launched in 2021 demanding better advocacy for women’s pain relief when it comes to IUD insertion.
Activist Lucy Cohen said 1,500 people shared their experiences with being fitted with the coil saying 43 per cent of respondents rated their pain as a seven or higher between varying levels of extremely painful, almost unbearable and excruciating. She said:“Several people have reported the pain as worse than childbirth or broken bones.” Lucy is calling for better pain management options and more awareness of the potential pain insertion can cause.
Ella said: “I don’t really know what was going on down there but I think I was bleeding as a consequence and then my body just couldn’t cope with it.” In terms of what she thinks could be improved, Ella said: “I think just some more awareness of how painful it can be would be great, or even just a disclaimer when you book the appointment about the steps you can take to make it a comfortable experience.
She added: “Classic though, that this is a women’s issue and it’s just super painful and uncomfortable. And seems like it’s not been changed since the coil was invented.” In December MP warned there is a lack of education resulting in women suffering for years across the country. It said those experiencing endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are frequently finding their symptoms “normalised” and their “pain dismissed”.
The Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee labelled their findings “medical misogyny”. In the report, women reported not feeling listened to and being “gaslit”, especially when accessing NHS services about a gynaecological issue that included pain.
