More than just a pinch: IUDs can cause excruciating pain, but in N.L., there’s no standard to deal with it [Video]

Shannon Driscoll struggled with painful and heavy periods her whole life. 

Like a lot of people, she tried birth control pills to mitigate the pain and regulate her cycle. But nothing worked — until she got an intrauterine device, known as an IUD.

That was about eight years ago, and now she’s on her second IUD. While the insertion process wasn’t exactly comfortable, she said, “the benefits of the IUD … definitely outweighed the discomfort I had for the insert.”

But not everyone has an experience like Driscoll’s, and some women and advocates say the health-care system needs to do a better job of preparing women for what could be a more than just a pinch.

An IUD is a T-shaped device health-care providers insert through the cervix and into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.

No matter what, the patient will feel that insertion — and sometimes that feeling is …