Gender Bias in Pain Management: The Case for Updating Analgesia Guidelines for Intrauterine Device Insertion Procedures.

Abstract

Gender bias in pain management represents a significant challenge in healthcare resulting in the underestimation of women's pain during procedures including intrauterine device insertions. In this setting, the gender pain gap perpetuates the inadequate use of procedural analgesia and negatively impacts the experiences and outcomes for women. This opinion piece reflects on current standards for pain management during intrauterine device insertions and calls for a review of clinical practice guidelines to ensure adequate analgesia is accessible for all patients, minimising the harmful effect of gender bias in women's healthcare.