Objective: To assess the force required for, and pain of, removal of the GyneFix as compared with T-framed intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Design: A comparative trial following patient-blinded randomisation in an outpatient clinic setting.
Method: Women requesting an IUD for emergency contraception were fitted with either a GyneFix or a Gyne-T380S. For those requesting removal of the IUD, visual analogue scores were used to assess their perception of the associated pain, and a Newton dynamometer was used to measure the force required to remove the device.
Results: Removal required significantly more force for GyneFix as compared with Gyne-T380S (p = 0.004), but there was no significant difference in pain perceived by women during removal. Interestingly, anticipated pain was worse than actual pain experienced.
Conclusion: Although more force is needed to remove the GyneFix as compared with the Gyne-T380S, this does not translate into more pain.