My partner was in excruciating pain for two days followed by another two days of moderate pain before one could class it as “discomfort”. Even the nurse was surprised by how much pain my partner was in at the time. It’s appalling how dreadful people in the medical profession are at percentages and probability.

11-17% of people experience severe pain during IUD insertion. And for people who haven’t given birth before, 60% will be in a lot of pain for at least a day. 30% up to three days. 20% a whole week.

Not to mention the rarer complications like nausea, light headedness, fainting / passing out, and perforation.

Numbing and sedation absolutely should be an option for people getting an IUD.

The point of offering my perspective is to highlight that even though some places in Canada may offer sedation with insertion or removal, it is not ubiquitous or necessarily free. Many clinics charge extreme prices for what is considered “optional” services like anasthetics in cases where it is not considered medically necessary.

I am not arguing that women’s pain isn’t taken seriously. Nor am I saying that my procedures were painless and pleasant. I’ve spent over 7 years trying to get proper clinical diagnosis of a chronic pain condition and I am well acquainted with medical downplay of symptoms.

Perhaps I can better articulate that while the services are available here, they are often inaccessible to most women, and thus, not something to speak highly of or as an ideal standard of care. Our medical system routinely fails women, people of colour, non-binary people’s and those of minority groups while those with affluence can get better standards of care easily.