AccessBC

Press Release - November 17, 2025

 

Not just a pinch: AccessBC Launches Province-Wide Campaign Calling for Improvements to Pain Management for IUD Insertions

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Victoria, BC — Today, AccessBC is launching a province-wide campaign calling on the Government of British Columbia to improve access to effective pain management during intrauterine device (IUD) insertions.

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British Columbia’s universal contraception policy has made extraordinary progress in removing financial barriers to prescription contraception. Since its implementation, IUD access has grown significantly, helping more people choose contraceptive methods that work best for them. However, this increased access has also exposed a critical and long-overlooked gap in care: many patients continue to endure preventable and sometimes severe pain during IUD insertion because pain management remains inconsistent, optional, or unavailable.

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Despite the expansion of contraceptive access achieved through BC’s groundbreaking universal contraception policy, many individuals seeking IUDs continue to face significant and preventable pain, inconsistent standards of care, and a system that minimizes or normalizes gynecologic pain. For many nulliparous individuals, those who have never given birth, IUD insertion can involve moderate to severe pain, yet pain management options remain optional, inconsistently offered, or entirely inaccessible.

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“Research clearly shows that an IUD insertion can be a painful procedure for many patients, and providers cannot reliably anticipate which patients will experience severe discomfort and pain,” said Jenna Saffin, AccessBC Testimonial Coordinator. “Defaulting to little or no pain management, minimizing the pain IUD insertions can cause, is not evidence-based care, it's a systemic failure. Patients deserve options, informed consent, and dignity during all reproductive procedures - and that includes appropriate pain management.”

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While specialized clinics in BC may offer cervical blocks or enhanced pain management options, most British Columbians receive only a one-size-fits-all approach, typically limited to pre-procedural nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (such as Advil or Naproxen).This approach does not reflect current evidence, and it disregards both patient autonomy and the diverse needs of individuals with anxiety, trauma histories, or previous negative medical experiences.

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Even where providers wish to offer effective pain relief, such as paracervical blocks, current MSP billing mechanisms frequently do not compensate for the additional time or materials required. Meanwhile, access to advanced pain control methods are geographically uneven, leaving patients in rural and remote communities at a profound disadvantage.

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“Patients should not have to self-advocate through pain or gamble on a provider’s training,” said Sara Sunderji. “Pain control should be routine in IUD care, not dependent on location, how busy a clinic is, or insider knowledge”

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Medical Culture Continues to Minimize Gynecologic Pain

 

AccessBC’s newly released briefing paper highlights the persistent cultural minimization of gynecologic pain across Canada. National guidelines, the primary reference point for BC providers, either omit or downplay pain management recommendations. Studies routinely cited to claim “minimal pain” frequently fail to disclose that participants received analgesia such as lidocaine, leaving clinicians with misleading impressions about typical pain levels.

This normalization has real impacts: individuals experiencing severe pain or trauma during insertion report feeling dismissed or unprepared, contributing to loss of trust in reproductive healthcare systems, particularly among young people, racialized communities, and survivors of trauma.

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“This campaign is about bodily autonomy and recognizing that pain relief in reproductive healthcare is essential to delivering dignified, humane care,” said Anahita Seraji, Pain Management Campaign Coordinator. “A system that normalizes suffering only continues the long history of misogyny in medicine.”

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With its new campaign, AccessBC is calling on the Government of British Columbia to take the following actions:

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1. Adopt province-specific clinical guidelines for addressing pain management planning for IUD insertions.
    

2. Implement appropriate MSP billing mechanisms for pain control interventions.
    

3. Work with post-secondary and training institutions to implement mandatory training requirements for practitioners.
    

4. Implement strategies for equitable access to pain management during IUD insertions across all regions.
    

These reforms are urgently needed to ensure that pain management is standardized, equitable, and rights-based across the province.
 

Province-Wide Letter-Writing Campaign

Beginning today, AccessBC invites British Columbians to join a coordinated letter-writing campaign calling on the province to standardize pain management for IUD insertions. Participants will be able to send letters directly to their MLAs calling for provincial guidelines, appropriate billing structures, mandatory training, and equitable access for all communities.

AccessBC encourages all British Columbians to take part, emphasizing that universal contraception requires universal access to quality and compassionate care, not simply coverage for the device itself.
 

“When BC adopted universal coverage for prescription contraception, it didn’t just change policy, it changed lives. That achievement made BC a national leader in reproductive justice, and it proved that bold action is both possible and transformative. Now it’s time to build on that momentum,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, AccessBC Chair and co-founder. “Direct cost is only one barrier, and people in BC continue to face other obstacles when trying to access the contraception that works for them. Inconsistent or inadequate pain management during IUD insertions is one such barrier. By ensuring compassionate, evidence-based pain management for all, we can remove another barrier and move closer to true reproductive justice.”

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