Care Opinion

Text size

Theme

Language

Videos in BSL or ISL
Help with language translation
Help with reading or listening

They should be offered a better anaesthetic

Posted By lcress

"They should be offered a better anaesthetic"

About: Sidwell Street Clinic / Exeter Sexual Health

(as a service user),

My nurse were nice but the coil fitting was incredibly painful. I don’t think women should be expected to go through that level of pain to have a coil fitted. They should be offered a better anaesthetic. I was screaming in agony.

Absolutely flabbergasted that this is allowed and seen as normal.

More information needs to be given about the level of pain and pain relief options so women can make informed choices.

I don't think this is no acceptable in this day and age for women, we people shouldn’t be screaming in agony to get contraception.

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Lorraine Bemmer, Reception Team Leader - Exeter Sexual Health Service, Sexual Health Service - Exeter, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 3 days ago
We are preparing to make a change
Lorraine Bemmer
Reception Team Leader - Exeter Sexual Health Service, Sexual Health Service - Exeter,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 04/09/2025 at 08:47
Published on Care Opinion at 11:51

Dear lcress

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're very sorry to hear that your coil fitting was such a painful and distressing experience. It’s clear that this was deeply upsetting for you, and we want to sincerely acknowledge how difficult it must have been.

We are pleased to hear that you felt supported by the nursing team, but we deeply regret that the procedure caused you such severe discomfort. While some level of discomfort can be expected with coil fittings, the level of pain you describe is not something anyone should feel is acceptable or normal, and your experience highlights an important area for continued improvement in women’s healthcare.

We want to reassure you that all patients are counselled prior to their appointment about what to expect during a coil fitting, including the possibility of pain. We routinely discuss available pain relief options — such as oral painkillers and local anaesthetic — during this consultation. However, pain is a very individual experience, and it is not always possible to predict how each person will tolerate the procedure.

During the fitting, we always check in with patients to ensure they are comfortable enough to continue, and we will always offer to stop the procedure if someone is in distress. In certain cases, we may also consider the use of a cervical anaesthetic block as an alternative method of pain relief, and we recognise this may be something to discuss more openly and routinely with patients.

We agree that more open and detailed information about potential pain and pain relief options is vital to help women make truly informed choices about their contraception. Your feedback has been shared with our clinical team, and we are reviewing how we communicate this information and how we support patients throughout the process.

I hope this addresses your concerns and if you would like to discuss your own situation further I would be happy to do this. Please call Devon Sexual Health on 03003033989.

Liz Roddy - Senior Nurse

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k