Naga Munchetty speaks out on coil agony: I screamed so loud my husband tried stop procedure

Watch: Naga Munchetty recalls traumatic pain of IUD fitting

Naga Munchetty has opened up on her excruciatingly painful experience having a coil fitted – in a bid to highlight the lack of anaesthetic offered to women.

The BBC Breakfast host chose to speak out about having the contraceptive device inserted after reading The Times' writer Caitlin Moran's column titled, 'Why we all need pain relief when having an IUD fitted'.

Munchetty, 46, told Radio 5 Live listeners: "I won't go into all the details, but my screams were so loud that my husband tried to find out what room I was in to make it stop.

"He said that those in the waiting room hearing my screams looked horrified.

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"The nurse accompanying the doctor had tears in her eyes."

The newsreader said her GP had told her beforehand that it was a "routine procedure" and she had taken paracetamol and ibuprofen in advance to help with the pain.

Her husband had accompanied as she had been told she might be best not to drive herself home.

She said: "I have a very high pain threshold – I know this from experience of pain and I've been told this by medical experts. Nor am I squeamish."

Munchetty said her GP had asked her halfway through if she wanted to stop the procedure - but she explained: "I was so determined that the pain I'd suffered so far wouldn't be repeated I said, 'We've got this far, let's finish it.'"

The TV presenter admitted she fainted twice during the procedure.

Munchetty said: "She [my GP] said she couldn't believe I had stuck with it. She said 'most women just give up when it hurts that much'. She also said that she had felt terrible herself after my fitting.

“At no point was it suggested that I could have any anaesthetic or sedation.”

And the journalist revealed she chose to have the coil removed a year later.

She said: "The pain again was excruciating. I fainted again, and then I burst into tears of relief.

"I felt violated, weak and angry. I have friends who have had very similar experiences, and of course I have friends who have had no problem at all. What this is about is not the coil itself. We know it is safe and effective."

An intrauterine device (IUD) is a small T-shaped plastic and copper coil which is fitted via the cervix into the womb as a for of contraception.

It releases copper or hormones into the uterus to prevent pregnancy and once fitted can be effective up to 10 years.

Moran wrote in her column: "Why is it presumed that women will be fine with having their cervix artificially dilated with a pair of metal barbecue tongs before having what is basically the wire coat hanger from a doll's house inserted into their uterus? We know that opening the cervix is infamously painful: it's legendary that when it happens 'naturally', during birth, it tends to 'chafe' a bit."

The NHS advises: "Let the person fitting your IUD know if you feel any pain or discomfort while you are having it fitted. You can ask to stop at any time.

"Some people might find it painful, but you can have a local anaesthetic to help.

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"It can be uncomfortable when the IUD is put in, but you can take painkillers after, if you need to."

GP and broadcaster Dr Dawn Harper told the BBC: "For most women, it's a little bit uncomfortable. It's a bit like period pain."

But she added: "We absolutely should be taking any kind of pain...very seriously and we should be offering appropriate relief."