A Comparison of the Initial Pain Response Following Insertion of the Copper 7 and Combined Multiload Copper 250-short IUDs

The immediate postinsertion and 3 minute postinsertion pain response in nulliparous women undergoing insertion of either the Copper 7 (Cu 7) or the Multiload Copper 250-short (ML Cu 250-short) IUD has been studied. 35 women were fitted with a Cu 7 device and 23 with the ML Cu 250-short. The immediate postinsertion pain scores were significantly higher in the ML Cu 250-short group than in the Cu 7 group. There was no significant difference between the 3 minutes postinsertion scores for the 2 groups. The 3 minute pain scores were significantly lower than the immediate pain scores for each individual device group. Immediate postinsertion IUD pain may be related to the presenting diameter and insertional mechanism of the device. This pain is of short duration and after 3 minutes, the level of pain is independent of the type of device which has been inserted. The rapid diminution of pain at 3 minutes postinsertion indicates that the routine use of certain analgesic techniques, e.g., paracervical block before IUD insertion, is not justified. Pain following IUD insertion may provide a useful model for the study of various types of peripheral and centrally acting analgesics.