IUD

In more than 300 cases examined by the inquiry, women and girls as young as 12 had been fitted with an IUD without their knowledge or consent.

Records from the national archives showed that, between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had an IUD implanted.

The belief that women just have low pain tolerances is widespread in medicine, causing frequent dismissal of female pain — and even more invasive gynecological procedures, like IUD insertion, still lack standardized pain management strategies.

“I never had the IUD, but I knew it was invasive,” she said.

One example of how the fear that is prevalent among providers can be found in the case of using misoprostol before inserting an IUD.