A Narrative Review Exploring the Associations Between Emphasis on Pain Education in Medical Curricula and Discrepancies Associated with Pain Management Related to IUD Insertions

Increasing use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) makes effective pain management essential for high‑quality reproductive care. Yet gaps between patient and clinician pain perceptions, along with limited training in managing IUD‑related acute pain, contribute to barriers in IUD uptake and patient‑provider mistrust. This narrative review (1) summarizes current approaches to IUD‑related pain management, (2) evaluates the emphasis on pain education and the management of acute and chronic pain, including IUD insertion pain, across undergraduate medical education (UME), graduate medical education (GME), and residency training, and (3) examines how gaps in pain education may affect clinicians’ preparedness to manage both chronic pain broadly and IUD‑related acute pain specifically. Relevant literature was identified through keyword searches across major databases and national organizations. Evidence highlights limited and inconsistent strategies for managing IUD insertion pain and a persistent lack of comprehensive pain‑medicine training in medical school and residency. Variability in clinicians’ approaches to IUD‑related pain likely reflects gaps between national guidelines and insufficient pain‑management education across UME and GME. A structured, longitudinal pain medicine curriculum spanning pre-clerkship, clerkship, and residency is needed to strengthen clinicians’ competence in pain management and improve patients' experiences with IUD care.