This week, reporter Lindsey Bever reports on a remarkable trend — women who post social media videos of their pain during IUD placement. The videos show women wincing or crying in pain — all while a health provider tries to calm them. In one video, a clinician is heard saying “Settle down. You’re okay.”
What’s so frustrating about the issue is that almost no progress has been made in relieving the pain of this procedure.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) acknowledged in an opinion eight years ago that IUD insertion “is painful for many women.” In January, the organization reaffirmed the 2016 opinion, which notes that research has not demonstrated “an effective strategy to mitigate this discomfort.”
Research also shows that physicians and other providers underestimate women’s pain during IUD insertions. In a study of 200 women, most of whom had given birth, the women reported an average maximum pain score of nearly 65 on a scale of 0 to 100.
The providers, however, rated the women’s pain at about 35.
To learn more, please read the full report.
A bridge tragedy in Baltimore
This week the unthinkable happened in Baltimore. A ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse. A “mayday” call from the ship prompted officials to quickly stop traffic from entering the bridge and likely saved many lives — but that’s little comfort to the families who lost loved ones. The tragedy has prompted some to ponder how prepared they are for such a nightmare scenario. How does one escape if your car goes underwater?
In the right conditions, drivers who stay calm have a chance to escape an underwater car. In 2013, a 22-year-old woman from Calvert County, Md., survived after her car went off the side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and fell 27 feet into the water.
Our team at By The Way put together some helpful advice on the topic. The tips are useful for a variety of traffic situations, whether it’s severe weather and flash flooding or an accident near a body of water.
I’ve heard your diet can affect how often you pass gas and how it smells. What else causes foul-smelling flatulence? And how much farting is normal?
Foul-smelling flatus is largely a function of what we eat and how it is processed by our body and microbiome. For instance, a 1971 study published in Gut measured that those on a bean-containing high-fiber diet produced gas at a rate nearly double that of those on a fiber-restricted diet — a mean of 49.4 milliliters per hour vs. 26.7 milliliters per hour, to be precise.
If you think you (or a dear friend) pass gas more frequently than everyone else, know that we do it 10 times a day on average — but up to 20 times a day would be in the range of normal. And scientists have observed that we pass gas at a similar rate whether we’re old or young.
To learn more about this very normal but also embarrassing bodily function, read the advice from our Ask a Doctor columnist, Trisha S. Pasricha.
Here are a few things that brought us joy this week.
- This warm broccoli grain salad might turn vegetable skeptics into fans
- Nature enthusiast, 10, makes rare find: A pink grasshopper
- New ‘Top Chef’ host Kristen Kish aims for empathy with ‘tough love’
- A truck was stolen with her cat inside. Neighbors mobilized to find him.
- This $20 fix will improve your shower and cut your water bill
Want to know more about “joy” snacks? Our Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima explains. You can also read this story as a comic.
Please let us know how we are doing. Email me at [email protected]. You can also find us on TikTok.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
