Latest news with #IUDs
Business Insider
a day ago
- Health
- Business Insider
U.S. aid cuts leave $11 million in birth control supplies for Sub-Saharan Africa stranded
Millions of contraceptives intended to support women across Africa are reportedly sitting idle in warehouses and are at risk of being destroyed due to delays and funding cuts from the United States government. Millions of contraceptives intended for Africa are at risk of expiration due to U.S. government delays and funding cuts. The supplies, valued at $11 million, include various contraceptive tools meant for low-income countries. The delayed distribution may lead to increased health risks and strain on the healthcare systems in Africa. A former US official and aid worker revealed that the contraceptives, valued at around $11 million, include condoms, birth control pills, implants, and intrauterine devices (IUDs), which were originally intended to help women in low-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, avoid unplanned pregnancies and protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections like HIV. However, the supplies are now stuck in storage facilities in Belgium and Dubai. According to sources at Reuters, the U.S. The Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided not to pay for their delivery and is no longer donating them as part of foreign aid programs. This delay stems from policy changes implemented by the former U.S. President Donald Trump, who reduced foreign assistance under his 'America First' approach: USAID gives update A recent internal memo from USAID, dated April, highlighted the urgent need to transfer the stock to prevent waste and minimize further costs. Despite this warning, a concrete plan has yet to be announced. With each passing month, the contraceptives edge closer to expiration. A senior U.S. State Department officials further confirmed that the contraceptives remain in storage, but no final decision has been made regarding their fate. The situation, according to the US official, is both frustrating and urgent for many health workers and aid groups. Another former USAID official said the stalled shipment represents nearly 20% of all contraceptives the U.S. usually donates each year, adding that if no solution is found soon, the entire stock could be destroyed, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 'These supplies were meant to help women who have little or no access to family planning—girls fleeing conflict, mothers in refugee camps, and young women at risk of early pregnancy, ' one source said. ' The condoms in the shipment were also meant to help prevent the spread of HIV, which continues to impact millions across the region.' It added. Karen Hong, head of supply chain at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said her team is already working on an alternative plan. ' We cannot dwell on an issue for too long; when urgency and clarity don't align, we have to move on,' she said.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
IUD insertions can be extremely painful, and in Yukon there's no standard to deal with it
Brenna Symanski vividly remembers the pain of having her intrauterine device (IUD) changed. "For a split second, it felt like every cell in my body was on fire," she recalled. An IUD insertion is a procedure involving a tiny T-shaped device being inserted through the vagina and cervix and into the uterus to provide years of highly effective contraception. But the experience of the procedure, and how painful it is, can vary widely between women — highlighting the fact that there is no standard approach to pain management when it comes to IUD insertions. Symanski grew up in the Yukon and lives in Whitehorse. The first time she had an IUD inserted she was 16. She says that time the experience was fine. She was given lidocaine, a topical gel anesthesia used to numb the uterus. She assumed getting the IUD changed would be a similar experience. It wasn't. "I screamed so loud," recalled Symanski. She says the nurse did not seem sympathetic, and told her "to imagine how much worse having a baby would be." "And meanwhile, I'm trying not to pass out," Symanski said. After the procedure, she says she couldn't walk on her own and her partner had to help her to her car. She feels that there was a dismissive approach to her pain during the procedure. "It's just really sad that women's pain is just written off… I felt like I was annoying the nurses, by being in pain." Megan Manion, also in Whitehorse, says she was nervous about getting her IUD because she'd had painful experiences in the past. She asked at the clinic if there was anything they could give her ahead of time for the pain and says the nurse told her it would only be a little pinch. She says that was not her experience. "Like, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I was in tears I was in so much pain," said Manion. Megan Manion of Whitehorse said she 'was in tears I was in so much pain,' when she had her IUD inserted. (Submitted by Megan Manion) She says the female doctor told her not to be such a baby about it. Experiences can vary based on provider There are several places in Whitehorse that provide IUD insertions, and experiences can vary depending where people go. Only one place — the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic — offers Penthrox, an inhaled anesthetic that patients breath in and out during insertion. Michelle McCulloch, a nurse practitioner who helps run the clinic, says Penthrox "essentially blocks the sensation of pain." Penthrox has only been available at the clinic since November, and patients who opt to have it are charged around $100. The clinic has been donated some funds to cover the cost for people who can't afford it. CBC News spoke to several other women in Yukon who had IUDs inserted at other clinics. They said they were offered lidocaine, or were told to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen before or after. Some felt their pain and anxiety were not taken seriously. Justine Fair is a Yukon-based physician who specializes in women's health. She was instrumental in bringing Penthrox to Whitehorse. "I've thought for a long time there's no other procedure that we do as family physicians that has this amount of pain without putting people to sleep," said Fair. "I've been inserting IUDs for more than a decade, and I know that it causes pain, and it's always been frustrating that we didn't have anything better." Fair argues that women's experience of pain is "probably underappreciated and/or underreported." Inserting an intrauterine device (IUD) can be extremely painful for some women, and in Yukon the experience can vary depending on where it's done and what sort of pain-management options are available. (Ben Nelms/CBC) At the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic, patients seeking an IUD have a consultation so the health care provider can understand their past experiences with IUD insertions. "Whether or not they've had pregnancies and deliveries, past traumas, anxiety levels, and whether or not they've been sexually active," said McCulloch. Those conversations help determine what pain or anxiety medications are recommended for the patient. In rare cases, women are offered the option of being sedated at the hospital. Alethea Stobbe, is the territory's director of integrated health which oversees the Whitehorse walk-in clinic, the Dawson City Medical Clinic, and the Yukon midwifery program. She says there is no policy dictating a pain-management regiment for IUD insertions, but says it's standard to consult with the patient before a procedure about the options. She cites ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and lidocaine as options. "I think the majority of us are working to provide evidence-based care. But I also know there is some variation depending on where you're accessing," said Stobbe. Research indicates mixed results According to Fair, part of the issue is that there is no proven best option for managing women's pain. She says some studies indicate success with certain medications, while others recommend alternatives. "In my experience, different physicians use what they either research themselves or what they have found works the best for the patient population that they're serving," said Fair. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada also says the research into what works best is so far inconclusive. It has a list of medication recommendations for IUD procedures, including lidocaine, ketoprofen, ketorolac, naproxen (Aleve), and tramadol. The society also says Penthrox, or methoxyflurane, is an effective option though there is no data specifically on using it during IUD insertions. There is also no national standard for pain management with IUDs. Health Canada says provinces and territories are better suited to mandate any such guidelines. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says the health-care provider and patient should work together to develop an appropriate pain management plan. That can leave people who are looking to access an IUD in the somewhat vulnerable position of having to advocate for themselves. McCulloch says it's important for people to know what their options are. "If they are talking to a provider and they don't feel like they're being offered pain control, or management of anxiety, they should advocate for themselves to look for other options," said McCulloch. McCulloch also says she's been getting good feedback recently from patients at the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic, who are reporting "the best experience they've had with a painful procedure." "[That's] because of the knowledge they have and the medications that are offered," she said.
CBC
26-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
IUD insertions can be extremely painful, and in Yukon there's no standard to deal with it
Brenna Symanski vividly remembers the pain of having her intrauterine device (IUD) changed. "For a split second, it felt like every cell in my body was on fire," she recalled. An IUD insertion is a procedure involving a tiny T-shaped device being inserted through the vagina and cervix and into the uterus to provide years of highly effective contraception. But the experience of the procedure, and how painful it is, can vary widely between women — highlighting the fact that there is no standard approach to pain management when it comes to IUD insertions. Symanski grew up in the Yukon and lives in Whitehorse. The first time she had an IUD inserted she was 16. She says that time the experience was fine. She was given lidocaine, a topical gel anesthesia used to numb the uterus. She assumed getting the IUD changed would be a similar experience. It wasn't. "I screamed so loud," recalled Symanski. She says the nurse did not seem sympathetic, and told her "to imagine how much worse having a baby would be." "And meanwhile, I'm trying not to pass out," Symanski said. After the procedure, she says she couldn't walk on her own and her partner had to help her to her car. She feels that there was a dismissive approach to her pain during the procedure. "It's just really sad that women's pain is just written off… I felt like I was annoying the nurses, by being in pain." Megan Manion, also in Whitehorse, says she was nervous about getting her IUD because she'd had painful experiences in the past. She asked at the clinic if there was anything they could give her ahead of time for the pain and says the nurse told her it would only be a little pinch. She says that was not her experience. "Like, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I was in tears I was in so much pain," said Manion. She says the female doctor told her not to be such a baby about it. Experiences can vary based on provider There are several places in Whitehorse that provide IUD insertions, and experiences can vary depending where people go. Only one place — the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic — offers Penthrox, an inhaled anesthetic that patients breath in and out during insertion. Michelle McCulloch, a nurse practitioner who helps run the clinic, says Penthrox "essentially blocks the sensation of pain." Penthrox has only been available at the clinic since November, and patients who opt to have it are charged around $100. The clinic has been donated some funds to cover the cost for people who can't afford it. CBC News spoke to several other women in Yukon who had IUDs inserted at other clinics. They said they were offered lidocaine, or were told to take ibuprofen or acetaminophen before or after. Some felt their pain and anxiety were not taken seriously. Justine Fair is a Yukon-based physician who specializes in women's health. She was instrumental in bringing Penthrox to Whitehorse. "I've thought for a long time there's no other procedure that we do as family physicians that has this amount of pain without putting people to sleep," said Fair. "I've been inserting IUDs for more than a decade, and I know that it causes pain, and it's always been frustrating that we didn't have anything better." Fair argues that women's experience of pain is "probably underappreciated and/or underreported." At the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic, patients seeking an IUD have a consultation so the health care provider can understand their past experiences with IUD insertions. "Whether or not they've had pregnancies and deliveries, past traumas, anxiety levels, and whether or not they've been sexually active," said McCulloch. Those conversations help determine what pain or anxiety medications are recommended for the patient. In rare cases, women are offered the option of being sedated at the hospital. Alethea Stobbe, is the territory's director of integrated health which oversees the Whitehorse walk-in clinic, the Dawson City Medical Clinic, and the Yukon midwifery program. She says there is no policy dictating a pain-management regiment for IUD insertions, but says it's standard to consult with the patient before a procedure about the options. She cites ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and lidocaine as options. "I think the majority of us are working to provide evidence-based care. But I also know there is some variation depending on where you're accessing," said Stobbe. Research indicates mixed results According to Fair, part of the issue is that there is no proven best option for managing women's pain. She says some studies indicate success with certain medications, while others recommend alternatives. "In my experience, different physicians use what they either research themselves or what they have found works the best for the patient population that they're serving," said Fair. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada also says the research into what works best is so far inconclusive. It has a list of medication recommendations for IUD procedures, including lidocaine, ketoprofen, ketorolac, naproxen (Aleve), and tramadol. The society also says Penthrox, or methoxyflurane, is an effective option though there is no data specifically on using it during IUD insertions. There is also no national standard for pain management with IUDs. Health Canada says provinces and territories are better suited to mandate any such guidelines. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says the health-care provider and patient should work together to develop an appropriate pain management plan. That can leave people who are looking to access an IUD in the somewhat vulnerable position of having to advocate for themselves. McCulloch says it's important for people to know what their options are. "If they are talking to a provider and they don't feel like they're being offered pain control, or management of anxiety, they should advocate for themselves to look for other options," said McCulloch. McCulloch also says she's been getting good feedback recently from patients at the Yukon Sexual Health Clinic, who are reporting "the best experience they've had with a painful procedure."
The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
The pill hasn't been improved in years. No wonder women are giving up on it
Something is changing when it comes to contraception. Lots of people aren't using it. Last week we heard that this includes a third of young Irish people. Meanwhile, there has been a significant rise in abortions in England and Wales. Prescriptions for the contraceptive pill in England dropped from 432,600 in 2014 to 188,500 in 2021. And this month data from abortion clinics found that demand is being fuelled by women coming off the pill and using natural methods instead. When the study compared contraception used by women seeking abortions in 2018 and in 2023, it found that the proportion using smartphones to track their menstrual cycle had increased from 0.4% to 2.5%. The use of hormonal contraception among this group fell from 19% to 11%, while the group not using any form of contraception when they became pregnant increased from 50% to 70%. Why? When it comes to the declining popularity of birth control, two factors are at play. One is a conservative backlash against it, starting in America. Alex Clark, a pro-Trump media personality, has called the birth control pill 'poison' and said it will cause 'issues with fertility' later in life. She has even suggested it can 'falsely make women feel bisexual' – claims that are all untrue. And conservative commentator Candace Owens has denounced the pill and intrauterine devices as 'unnatural'. Elon Musk has tweeted that hormonal birth control 'makes you fat, doubles risk of depression & triples risk of suicide'. Colliding with this is the wellness movement, which has a history of advising people to treat themselves with 'natural' rather than medically proven methods. As the media landscape splinters, individual voices gain power to persuade. Videos on TikTok and Instagram, many exaggerating the side-effects of the pill, gain millions of views. Then there are individual bad experiences that may gain disproportionate attention, giving the impression that birth control is more dangerous than it is. Public health leaders are trying to combat these forces – the NHS has warned that misinformation about the pill on social media, especially a false claim that it causes infertility, is putting women off. But there's another, underlying problem when it comes to contraception: it needs to improve. Many are deeply dissatisfied with the contraceptives we have. Bad information aside, condoms fail, IUDs are invasive and can be painful to implant, hormonal methods have side-effects such as headaches, weight gain, acne and depression. Of women who take the contraceptive pill, about a third stop in the first year, many due to health concerns and worries about side-effects. The cultural battle over contraception is largely focused on whether people should abandon existing methods, or whether that is irresponsible advice. But there's another question we should be asking. It's common for women to be using the same methods as their mothers – or even their grandmothers. Why aren't contraceptives getting better? There is certainly appetite for new ideas. New products are often greeted with excitement: when Lo Loestrin, a hormonal pill with lower oestrogen, was introduced in 2011, it quickly became popular. But, oddly, there seems to be little appetite for developing it. Research has centred on small improvements to existing contraceptives. There were just 20-25 industry-funded clinical trials between 2017 and 2020, compared with 600 for cardiovascular drugs in 2019 alone. While pharmaceutical companies tend to plough 20% of their sales revenue back into research and development, for contraception it is 2%. Funding is limited, propped up by the public sector. Why isn't more work being done to improve contraceptives? Part of the problem is that when you give a drug to a healthy population, the safety requirements and litigation risks are higher, which may put investors off. Worldwide, the contraceptive market is still growing, despite dissatisfaction; many women are just accepting the trade-offs. This means there has been no big market signal that things need to change. But the history of contraception reflects the culture at large. While conservative forces are trying to push women off the pill by claiming it is dangerous, it was they who stymied research in the first place. Underlying this, too, is an expectation that women will put up with significant side-effects. As long as contraceptives work, unhappiness is ignored or underplayed. There is hope on the horizon. While women's contraceptives have stagnated, a new range of imaginative treatments is on the way – for men. One, for example, is a gel that works to block fertility when smeared on the arms and shoulders, without affecting mood or libido. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion While female side-effects are considered acceptable, given they are weighed against the risks of pregnancy, researchers conducting trials do not think men would accept the same bargain. In 2011, a male contraceptive trial was halted when it emerged that side-effects included mood swings and depression – commonly experienced by women on the pill. Nevertheless, the arrival of better contraception for men could make things easier for their female partners who don't like the options available. Innovations for men could also cross over into solutions for women, as the bar for safety and effectiveness is raised. There is the risk, too, that, as male contraceptives suck up airtime and funding, women's will continue to fall behind: almost half of pregnancies around the world are unintended – a high proportion of them in places where birth control is accessible. The need for change is urgent. Martha Gill is an Observer columnist
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Requests for IUDs in Michigan have spiked since the election
Liudmila Chernetska via Getty Images A surge of patients in Michigan are considering new contraceptive options following the election, according to physicians in the state. It's a rare day that has gone by since the election without a patient inquiring about their birth control options, rural Michigan-based OBGYN Melissa Bayne said. Many of the patients who are calling into her office are already on some form of birth control, but are interested in new, more long term options that will last through President Donald Trump's second administration. 'And we've been getting a lot of requests for sterilizations,' Bayne said. 'I did more sterilization requests in the three months post-Dobbs than I had done in probably 15 years.' All three of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices Trump appointed in his first term helped overturn the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022 with a ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case. Trump has waffled for years on his stance on abortion, currently advocating for access to be a state-decided issue. Concerns over further rollbacks on reproductive health care have been common in the hundreds more patients in Michigan who have made appointments for long-acting forms of birth control like IUDs each month since the election, Planned Parenthood of Michigan reports. In fact, in the two weeks following Election Day, Planned Parenthood of Michigan reports that appointments at Planned Parenthood health centers for long term reversible birth control like IUDs went up 77% compared to the same timeframe the year prior. And each week since there's been about 40% more appointments than there were before the election, Chief Advocacy Officer for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan Ashlea Phenicie said. The election and the current state of affairs in the United States were cited as top concerns for those opting into getting long term birth control, Phenicie said, with some patients concerned that the Trump administration would roll back access to contraception or institute a nationwide abortion ban. 'I think that we're seeing an increase in appointment requests because folks are concerned about what the state of reproductive health care will look like for the next four years,' Phenicie said. 'Long acting, reversible birth control is a great option for a lot of people…IUDs, arm implants, are some of the most effective types of contraception because they have very little user error. [They're] also long-acting so they can work for multiple years and could cover the second Trump administration.' Nationally, Planned Parenthood reports that on the day after the election Planned Parenthood health centers saw a 1,200% increase in scheduling for vasectomy appointments scheduled and a 760% increase in scheduled IUD appointments. Bayne, who serves on the Committee to Protect Health Care Reproductive Freedom Task Force said even in states like Michigan where the right to an abortion and reproductive health care is a part of the state's constitution, there's still a lot of fear surrounding unwanted pregnancies or not being able to access life-saving care related to pregnancy. Even without a federal ban on abortion, Bayne said any changes in Medicare or Medicaid would have widespread impact on the patients she sees. In the rural Michigan community she serves, Bayne said 70% of her patients are covered by Medicaid and Medicare. The state of access to reproductive health care has put some patients in a tough spot, Bayne said and she hopes knowledge, rather than fear, can be a motivator for health care decisions. Bayne reflects on one scenario that has given her pause, a 22-year-old with no children coming to her office saying, 'I absolutely know that I don't want children, and I absolutely don't want to be in a situation of having failed contraception or not being able to access contraception'. Knowing that the regret for sterilization procedures decreases with age while balancing respect for a patient's decision is delicate art. Though several studies reflect that 30 years old is typically the age where regret for sterilization goes down for women, Bayne notes that it's not very high to begin with and other surgeries like knee replacements have higher regret rates. 'So balancing that conversation of autonomy and saying to a patient, 'I absolutely respect your autonomy and you're an adult, and your ability to make this decision for yourself, and I don't want you to make this decision out of fear'… those two things coexist in the same conversation,' Bayne said. What started as an attempt to fight back against stigma around sterilization turned into a national debate when Michigan state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia) shared at a rally outside the State Capitol that she had undergone surgery to permanently make herself sterile. Navigating pregnancy in Trump's America was not an option for her, Pohutsky told the crowd last week, a statement that was highly criticized by many conservative figures including Ben Shapiro who posted on 'X' saying 'So many broken people' directed at Pohutsky, which has received 1 million views to date. 'We're…getting some death threats, which was not really what I expected to happen…I find it really, really weird that anyone has personal feelings about what choice I ultimately made about my own body and my procreative future,' Pohutsky said. 'There have been very polarized reactions about it, and I think that it's going to start becoming more common to have conversations around it. That was what I was hoping for, to kind of remove some stigma there.' The conversations around her decision to end any possibility of getting pregnant were long and not easy conversations to have, Pohutsky said. It's common for women to second guess themselves and she was glad to hear that in sharing her story, others have reached out to share that they've also gone through the process or hearing her story made them feel less alone as they consider sterilization. Politics and elections have been driving forces in trends in contraception. Like Bayne observed after Roe v. Wade fell in 2022, nationally there was a surge in inquiries for sterilization procedures. After Trump was elected for the first time in 2016, where he ran saying he'd put pro-life justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, usage of long-term birth control increased by more than 20% in the weeks following the election. Pohutsky was among the masses that got an IUD in response to the 2016 presidential election. Pohutsky shared that regardless of how the 2024 election played out, she was already educating herself on sterilization as a possibility, but Trump's victory prompted her to set a date to have the procedure while it was still available. 'I think that you can be at peace with a decision that you make, but also sort of mourn the closing of a chapter. That was a definite part of my life that I decided was done with when I went for the surgery,' Pohutsky said. 'I think ultimately, I would have ended up having the surgery. That was something that we had sort of settled on, but there was a sense of urgency. The need to do it now, I think, was solely because of how the election went and there is a part of me that resents that anyone has to make a decision based on somebody else's personal preferences around their body.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
