Over-the-counter painkillers may not be sufficient when fitting IUDs, says US agency

Doctors in the US have been advised to upgrade the analgesia they use for alleviating pain related to fitting intrauterine devices (IUDs), after many women complained on social media of severe pain during insertion.

In updated advice the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that lidocaine as a paracervical block or topical treatment “might be useful for reducing patient pain . . …