From Anxiety to Comfort: IUD Insertion, Pain Management, and Patient-Centered Counseling

Lisa Bayer, MD, MPH,discusses how unplanned pregnancy rates remain high in the US, particularly among disadvantaged communities. She also explores how intrauterine devices (IUDs) offer effective contraception despite underutilization. She emphasizes that physicians should address patient concerns directly, develop individualized pain management plans with patient input, acknowledge the gap between physician perception and patient experience of insertion pain, and implement environmental modifications and strong rapport to improve the overall experience while ensuring proper follow-up care.