The Impact of Pain Scores on Intrauterine Lidocaine Versus Normal Saline Infusion at the Time of IUD Placement

December 17, 2013 updated by: Anita Nelson, Women's Health Care Clinic, Torrance, California

Double Blind, Randomized, Prospective Trial of Impact of Pain Scores on Intrauterine Lidocaine vs Normal Saline Infusion Before IUD Placement.

The study hypothesis is that infusion of 2% lidocaine at the time of IUD placement will reduce pain scores related to that procedure. In a double blinded randomized trial of 60 women receiving either normal saline or lidocaine infused through an endometrial aspirator, pain scores will be obtained for each step of the IUD placement procedure and for the total experience.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

IUDs are the most frequently used method of reversible birth control. The placement procedure is straightforward, but can cause the women cramping and pain. Every woman is advised to take Ibuprofen or acetaminophen prior to her appointment. Gentle techniques and distraction are used to minimize discomfort. However, some women still have measurable pain during and immediately after the procedure.

Investigators have shown that infusion of 5cc of a 2% concentration of liquid lidocaine into the inside of the uterus can reduce the pain that is associated with other procedures, such as biopsies done of the lining of the uterus. The investigators seek to determine if a similar infusion made before IUD placement may reduce pain. Because pain is a subjective complaint and because plastic tubing is being used to sound the uterus instead of the usual metal probe (a uterine sound), the investigators have included a placebo arm with saline infusion. All women will receive oral medication in advance of IUD placement, so no woman will be subject to placebo only.

Those women undergoing routine screening for IUD candidacy will be approached. Medical and social history and routine laboratory testing are to be done. The risks, benefits, and side effects of IUD placement will be explained. They will sign consent forms for the IUD from both the manufacturer and the clinic before evaluation for possible inclusion in this study. Informed consent for the study will be obtained either at that visit or on the day of the IUD placement. All the routine IUD placement steps will be done and she will rate the pain score. A standardized pain scale from 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain in the patient's lifetime, will be used here and at every point in the study. Depth of the uterus will be determined by introducing a plastic tubing into the woman's uterus. This tubing will either be filled with 1.3cc of normal saline or 2% lidocaine. The liquid will be infused at certain points within the cervix and uterus. She will again be asked to rate her pain score for that procedure. The tubing will be removed and the IUD will be placed. After the IUD is in the correct position, but before removal of the tenaculum, she will again be asked to rate her pain score for that procedure. After the IUD placement procedure is complete and the patient is dressed, she will be asked to assign an overall pain score. Pain scores between placebo and study drug used will be compared (mean, median and range). Fisher T tests will be performed to determine statistical significance with the p< 0.05 as a cutoff. Sub-analysis will be done comparing scores of which women who have never been pregnant to those who have. If possible, comparisons of pain scores will be made for women who have had vaginal deliveries compared to those who delivered by C-section. The risks to the patient for this study intervention are minimal.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • California
      • Torrance, California, United States, 90502
        • Women's Health Care Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women eligible for IUD insertion
  • Willing to give consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Allergy to lidocaine
  • Contraindications to IUD use

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: TRIPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 2% Lidocaine liquid
1.33cc of 2% liquid lidocaine infused in endo cervix and endometrium
1.33 cc 2% liquid lidocaine
Other Names:
  • Xylocaine
  • Lidocaine Hydrochloride
Placebo Comparator: Normal Saline
1.33cc of normal saline infused in endo cervix and endometrium
1.33cc normal saline
Other Names:
  • Sodium chloride

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Scores During Overall IUD Placement
Time Frame: Before patient left the examination room at conclusion of procedure
Pain score on 0-9 scale obtained just before the patient left the examination room; with 0 being "no pain" and 9 being "worst pain in life."
Before patient left the examination room at conclusion of procedure
Pain During Tenaculum Placement
Time Frame: Immediately following tenaculum placement
Pain score on 0-9 scale for tenaculum placement (without anesthesia); with 0 being "no pain" and 9 being "worst pain in life." Taken to adjust for different pain thresholds among subjects
Immediately following tenaculum placement
Pain Measurement During Liquid Infusion/Sounding
Time Frame: Recorded at the end of the infusion
After liquid infused into three parts of the endometrial cavity: in the lower one third, the middle, and at the top of the cavity. Pain was scored on a 0-9 scale; with 0 being "no pain" and 9 being "worst pain in life."
Recorded at the end of the infusion
Pain During IUD Placement
Time Frame: Immediately after IUD placement
IUD was inserted following the manufacturer's instructions, and a pain score was immediately obtained. Pain was scored on 0-9 scale; with 0 being "no pain" and 9 being "worst pain in life."
Immediately after IUD placement

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Anita L Nelson, M.D., Women's Health Care Clinic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 21, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 8, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

March 9, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 5, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 17, 2013

Last Verified

December 1, 2013

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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