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Additional pain relief option now available for Affinia Healthcare OB-GYN patients

Affinia Healthcare is now offering an additional pain management option for common in-office gynecological procedures such as intrauterine device (IUD) insertions, endometrial biopsies and colposcopies. 

Patients considering the IUD, a small T-shaped device used for birth control, now have the option of using a topical numbing spray prior to the procedure. Other methods of pain management offered are oral medications, or local anesthesia injections such as an intracervical or paracervical block. 

“We emphasize shared decision making and discussion about expected pain from these procedures and the options to manage their pain,” said OB/GYN and Assistant Medical Director of Reproductive Health Dr. Jessica Norton. “We all feel pain differently and I think the goal is to talk about the pain ahead of time and all the different options for patients.”  

According to a newly released Clinical Consensus Guideline from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), healthcare providers need a better understanding of pain management options for these common procedures to not underestimate the patients pain experience and to increase patient autonomy over pain control. ACOG recommends healthcare providers ask patients their preferences, listen to their answers, and offer and explain their pain management options. 

The expansion of pain management options at Affinia Healthcare has heightened significance for African American patients, as inequity and discrimination in women’s healthcare has historically and disproportionately impacted Black women.  

“For generations, Black women in the United States have endured inequities in gynecologic care, often receiving less pain management, less informed consent, and less respect for their bodily autonomy,” said Affinia Healthcare President and CEO Dr. Kendra Holmes. “These inequities are rooted in a historical narrative that falsely claimed Black people have a higher tolerance for pain. This belief, born from slavery, has been perpetuated throughout modern medicine and results in generational trauma.”  

This new topical numbing spray is now available at all Affinia Healthcare health centers and providers are to discuss this option with patients prior to the procedure.  

“Women’s pain was just not being heard or valued. Since rolling this out, I’ve had a lot of patients say ‘yes, please’ and I’ve even had some patients to say ‘no, thank you’,” Dr. Norton added. “I think just making it patient-centered is the key.” 

Affinia Healthcare offers comprehensive women’s health services which include midwifery, group prenatal care, and WIC services.  

For more information about the Affinia Healthcare OB/GYN department, please visit www.affiniahealthcare.org/department/ob-gyn/. To schedule an appointment, please call 314.814.8700.