Mepivacaine can reduce pain during IUD placement in Nulliparous Women, reveals research

Providing access to successful and effective contraceptive methods is necessary for comprehensive family planning among women in the reproductive age group. Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subdermal implants are the most effective reversible contraceptive options available and recommended as per international guidelines. However, fear of pain and discomfort during the IUD placement is a major barrier to the uptake of IUDs among nulliparous women. Hence, researchers conducted a trial to assess whether the instillation of intrauterine mepivacaine before IUD placement alleviates pain more effectively than a placebo.

a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was carried out involving nulliparous women who were ready for IUD placement. A hydrosonography catheter was used for the intrauterine instillation of 10 mL of 20 mg/mL mepivacaine or 0.9 mg/mL sodium chloride and administrated 2 minutes before IUD placement. A 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess pain at prespecified time points. The primary outcome was to assess the difference in VAS pain scores between the intervention group and the placebo group during IUD placement. Secondary outcomes included VAS pain scores at instillation and 10 minutes after placement, tolerability of the placement pain, as well as acceptability of the analgesia method.