TikTok highlights IUD pain — but is it the doctor’s fault?

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While “tick-tick” videos are fun and cute, and some are educational, researchers at Duke University recently discovered a disturbing trend in some medical videos. Specifically, those revolving around pain from intrauterine devices. It’s no secret that this form of birth control is one of the most painful to insert, but these videos show the worst of it. This makes viewers suspicious.

Which videos about IUD pain caused a stir?

The first is from @prozacprincess, who filmed the actual insertion. The pain on her face is clearly visible. You can even hear the doctor telling her to just “breathe” throughout the procedure.

Comments on the video include:

• My husband knows I have an IUD and he asked me if it really hurts that much and I said yes so now he is okay with the vasectomy.
• It is more painful than childbirth. The labor process is faster, but the pain is more intense.
• When I walked out of the building, I almost fainted and vomited

The rest of the comments were similar, with most expressing sympathy, surprise or anger, asking why no pain relief of any kind was given, fear of having pain medication put in or taken out, cancelling future appointments, and others saying they had no problems during the procedure but knew there would be pain and that we felt very sorry for those who had to go through that.

The next video shows the special tools that doctors use to hold the cervix and even adjust it into the correct position.

• I don’t understand. You can have dental work (simple fillings) under full sedation due to “dental phobia”. Let’s talk about “female phobia” and requesting sedation
• My doctor told me to calm down while she was operating on me. She was arrogant the whole time.
• I came back a week later and they said it “moved” but insurance would not cover it again for a year. If I “still want it” can I pay the $1,000?

The last video is of a woman talking about her experience with painful IUD insertion.

The comments that followed were very similar to the other two videos, only this time it featured a real gynecologist commenting on the poor practices of these doctors and their disrespectful attitude towards their patients’ pain.

Back to the Duke study. The team used a web scraping application to download the 100 most viewed posts on Tick Tock with the hashtag #IUD. The results showed that nearly 38% of the posts had a negative tone, while only 19% had a positive tone. 28% of the posts mentioned that they did not trust doctors or healthcare professionals. 24% of the posts mentioned scientific claims that were somewhat or highly inaccurate.

Here’s what the researchers said…

“Inevitably, a lot of negative videos tend to get more attention on these apps, so I think there’s a lot of negativity around contraception on TikTok. That’s not to say it’s not a real life experience because IUDs are incredibly painful. It’s definitely an uphill battle when I feel like the algorithm is working against positive videos.”

Jenny Wu, a Duke obstetrics and gynecology resident, helped conduct the study.

The researchers’ focus seemed to be on trying to get the public to think more positively about this contraceptive method, and at least one person mentioned TikTok as a source of insights that medical professionals should take seriously. They need to know what’s out there so they can decide whether to adjust how they communicate with patients about IUD procedures and pain management options.

Learning through an app vs. learning through a doctor

What worries doctors most is that people are learning about IUDs and their pain through apps rather than medical professionals. But can we really blame women for seeking advice from those who have undergone surgery when medical professionals don’t accurately describe the procedure?

It was also mentioned (sorry I can’t remember the source) that there is sometimes a huge divide between patients and doctors. All the patient is focused on is the pain, while the doctor ignores it and considers the best option for the patient – in this case, having a reliable form of birth control.

But this approach does not make the patient’s suffering acceptable. Doctors have a duty to prepare their patients and inform them of all aspects of any surgery being performed so that the other party can make an informed decision.

Pain tolerance and medications

Other studies (such as Interventions for IUD Insertion Pain – Lopez, LM) have tested various treatments for IUD insertion pain. Because most professionals will just tell their patients to take ibuprofen or some kind of pain reliever beforehand. However, it seems that many of these studies have focused on topical creams and similar solutions – which have no effect on pain relief.

But that doesn’t mean women don’t have other options when faced with IUD pain. As mentioned before, would you use local anesthesia for dental procedures or even basic cosmetic procedures? Or, if you know you have a particularly low pain tolerance, why not opt ​​for full sedation under anesthesia? Is it because the U.S. healthcare system doesn’t want to spend the money on this?

This is not to say that there aren’t doctors who care about their patients. Some patients even insist on having their IUDs installed only by doctors who have had them installed before, or by doctors who give caring and compassionate advice within basic professional and ethical standards and do no harm.

So what’s the point about ticking and IUD pain??

Doctors say the platform is spreading negativity and misinformation. In the case of misinformation, inevitably someone will comment and tell more scary stories to add fuel to the fire. But many women around the world still experience this form of contraception and suffer from it. It’s the doctors’ fault.

If I had to make the final judgment, I would say the fault lies with the doctors. If they want the public perception of this birth control method to be more positive, they should do a better job of educating their patients, explaining all possible pain relief methods, telling them about the real possibility of severe pain (no “slight sting”) or side effects they may experience, what to expect in the days after surgery, and generally treating their patients with respect.

So why not put in more effort?

Any doctor who needs to implant this type of birth control should attend a mandatory seminar/workshop on how to do the entire process correctly – from when the patient walks in with questions to checking on them a few days after the process. Not to mention teaching patients to care and empathize with those who are having a hard time during surgery. Because there are too many reports (and not just in the area of ​​contraception) of doctors being impatient or condescending with the patients they treat.

If you think about it, it’s kind of sad that we have to teach the profession that is supposed to care about us the most…how to actually care about us.

Is The original Is the IUD pain article correct?

Essentially their findings are correct, at least in percentages. I don’t like the tone they are trying to push the results in a positive direction just to get social media on their side. But at least there are mentions of forward-looking insights about better communication with patients – although that seems a bit of an understatement to me.

So if I’m one of the women who’s watched these videos and wants to get an IUD, but I’m worried about IUD pain, what should I do?

I will use these videos Gather as much information as you can (whether true or not), and then use that information when you talk to your doctor. I would then assess their attitude towards handling pain during treatment. If they seem like someone who would just tell you to take a deep breath and imagine yourself on a beach, I would say thank you and have a great day and walk away.

Because there are hundreds of other doctors in your area you can consult, you will find one who can provide you with appropriate care. Remember: The first doctor you see is not the one you have to agree with.

Do you have any IUD experiences or thoughts you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments!