Getting an IUD could soon be virtually 'pain-free', thanks to new 'suction' procedure

The most painful form of birth control, used by millions of American women, could soon become virtually pain-free - thanks to a new cervical 'suction' cup. 

Women undergoing procedures to insert an IUD have long been forced to endure the agony of their cervix being stretched using a metal device that looks like a pair of scissors. 

It stretches the cervix using sharp hooks before the T-shaped device is inserted, which stops fertilization by preventing the sperm from meeting the egg.

However, the traditional 'stretching device' is known to be extremely painful as the metal edges often pierce through tissue, causing bleeding.

But now, experts at Swiss tech company Aspivixhave invented an alternative method that uses suction to manipulate the cervix, slashing pain by three-quarters. 

The tenaculum, left, can poke holes in the cervix when it grasps, whereas the new Carevix device uses suction to stretch the cervix, minimizing bleeding

In a Swiss trial, the device was shown to reduce womens' pain scores during the insertion by 73 percent

It works by attaching itself to the cervix using a suction pad and prising it apart, with no sharp edges in sight.

The Carevix device is still being tested in the US, and more studies will need to be done to assure its efficacy and safety, however early trials show it can reduce pain by up to 73 percent.

It has already proven successful for several European patients and their doctors, who have reported drastic reductions in pain and bleeding.

It is widely known that getting an IUD inserted can be excruciatingly painful. 

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Women who have never given birth also likely have a closed cervix, which means the doctor doing the insertion has to push with some force or use a dilator to place the IUD beyond the cervix and into the uterus.

Currently, doctors reach for the scissors-like device, known medically as the tenaculum. 

Descended from forceps used to extract bullets from the flesh of Civil War soldiers, the tenaculum has been described as a butcher’s hook that can poke holes in the cervix.

The pain of the procedure – which is seldom helped with over-the-counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen – has been the topic of millions of TikTok videos, with women and doctors speaking openly about passing out or wailing on the exam table.

The internet is awash in videos of women describing their doctors downplaying their pain.

The IUD is 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy

A 2023 survey of US doctors showed only four percent of trained doctors offered their patients an injected anesthetic, which has been proven to reduce pain during the procedure.

In a previous Swiss study on 100 women in Switzerland, doctors found Carevix reduced the number of bleeding episodes by nearly 80 percent, compared to a regular IUD procedure.

The FDA cleared the device last year, allowing Carevix’s manufacturer, Aspivix, to market it to doctors across the US. 

However, the parameters of its clearance do not mean the FDA has thoroughly evaluated the device for safety and efficacy with the same rigor that it does medical devices like implantable pacemakers or artificial hearts.

An IUD is one of the most effective forms of birth control, with an over 99 percent success rate, meaning that fewer than one out of 100 people with an IUD will get pregnant each year.

This usually happens because the tool has been inserted incorrectly.