During a fellowship rotation in gynecology, Rebekah D. Fenton, MD, asked the attending physicians what pain management options they could offer patients for insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD). Their answer surprised her: None.
The research on the effectiveness of pain management techniques during the procedure were not strong enough to warrant providing potential relief.
But Dr. Fenton knew the attending physician was wrong: She’d received the drug lidocaine during a recent visit to her own ob.gyn. to get an IUD placed. The local anesthetic enabled her to avoid the experiences of many patients who often withstand debilitating cramping and pain during insertion, side effects that can last for hours after the procedure has ended.
By not teaching her how to administer pain treatment options such as lidocaine gel or injection, “they made the decision for me, whether I could give patients this option,” said Dr. Fenton, now an adolescent medicine specialist at Alivio Medical Center in Chicago.
As a result, patients undergoing IUD placements, biopsies, hysteroscopies, and pelvic exams are often subject to pain that could be mitigated.
Some research suggests simple numbing agents, including lidocaine, may induce less pain without the need for full anesthesia. But clinicians don’t always present these options.
During gynecologic procedures, the amount of pain a patient can expect is often downplayed by clinicians. Because every patient experiences the sensation differently, discussing options for pain management and the range of possible pain is paramount in building patient-clinician trust, and ultimately providing the best care for patients in the long run, according to Megan Wasson, DO, chair of the department of medical and surgical gynecology at Mayo Clinic Arizona in Phoenix.
“It comes down to shared decision-making so the patient is aware of the pain that should be expected and what avenue they want to go down,” Dr. Wasson said. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all.”
Lack of uniform protocols
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has clear guidelines for pain management during pregnancy and delivery but not for many routine gynecologic procedures. Some experts say not offering options for pain management based on lack of efficacy evidence can undermine a patient’s experience.
ACOG does have recommendations for reducing dilation pain during a hysteroscopy, including providing intravaginal misoprostol and estrogen. The organization also recommends performing a vaginoscopy instead if possible because the procedure is typically less painful than is a hysteroscopy.
For an IUD placement, ACOG states that the procedure “may cause temporary discomfort” and recommends that patients take over-the-counter pain relief before a procedure. The most recent clinical bulletin on the topic, published in 2016, states routine misoprostol is not recommended for IUD placement, although it may be considered with difficult insertions for management of pain.
A clinical inquiry published in 2020 outlined the efficacy of several pain options that practitioners can weigh with patients. The inquiry cited a 2019 meta-analysis of 38 studies that found lidocaine-prilocaine cream to be the most effective option for pain management during IUD placement, reducing insertion pain by nearly 30%. The inquiry concluded that a combination of 600 mcg of misoprostol and 4% lidocaine gel may be effective, while lower dosages of both drugs were not effective. A 2018 clinical trial cited in the analysis found that though a 20-cc 1% lidocaine paracervical block on its own did not reduce pain, the block mixed with sodium bicarbonate reduced pain during IUD insertion by 22%.
Some doctors make the decision to not use lidocaine without offering it to patients first, according to Dr. Fenton. Instead, clinicians should discuss any potential drawbacks, such as pain from administering the numbing agent with a needle or the procedure taking extra time while the patient waits for the lidocaine to kick in.
“That always felt unfair, to make that decision for [the patient],” Dr. Fenton said.
Often clinicians won’t know how a patient will respond to a procedure: A 2014 secondary analysis of a clinical trial compared how patients rated their pain after an IUD procedure to the amount of pain physicians perceived the procedure to cause. They found that the average pain scores patients reported were nearly twice as high as clinician expectations were.
ACOG’s guideline states that the evidence backing paracervical blocks and lidocaine to IUD insertion pain is controversial. The American College of Physicians also cites “low-quality evidence” to support patient reports of pain and discomfort during pelvic exams. Some studies have found up to 60% of women report these negative experiences.
The varying evidence highlights the need for a personalized approach – one that includes patients – to pain management for routine gynecological procedures.
“Usually patients are pretty good predictors,” said Lisa Bayer, MD, MPH, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. “They can anticipate what different things are going to feel like based on previous experiences.”