AzTrials
AzTrials

ContraceptionEPIC2NCT06974019

Empathy Through Pain Control: Buffered Compared to Unbuffered 1% Lidocaine During IUD Placement

A study testing Buffered Lidocaine and Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution in people with Contraception and Pain, Acute, run by University of California, San Diego.

Not yet recruiting

Opening soon. The study is approved but enrolment has not started yet. Sites may already take enquiries.

Sites and contacts
Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The goal of this research study is to learn more about how different uses of a numbing medication might affect pain levels while getting an IUD placed. The investigators are also studying patients' opinions of their clinicians' empathy. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 50 years, women onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Contraception, Pain, Acute, Anesthesia, Local
What is being tested?
Buffered Lidocaine and Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution
Type of treatment
Injection or infusion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
68 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
1 Jun 2025to 30 Jun 2028
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 50 years
  • Women only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Ability to provide informed consent
  • Women IUD placement for contraception or heavy menstrual bleeding
  • Ages 18-50
  • English-speaking
  • Participants must not have a past medical history of substance use disorders, pain disorders, use of prescription pain medications or are found to be pregnant
  • Nulliparous (never given birth)

Who cannot join

  • History of ever giving birth
  • Current use of prescription pain medication prior to procedure. Over-the-counter medications such as those containing ibuprofen, aspirin, acetaminophen, or naproxen are allowed.
  • Diagnosed chronic pain condition
  • Current pregnancy
  • Known allergic reactions to components of the local anesthetic
  • History of an IUD placement
  • Current substance use or history of substance use
  • Known contraindications to IUD, such as unexplained vaginal bleeding

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Marisa Hildebrand, MPH contact

(858) 657-8745

mchildeb@health.ucsd.edu

About this study

The goal of this research study is to learn more about how different uses of a numbing medication might affect pain levels while getting an IUD placed. The investigators are also studying patients' opinions of their clinicians' empathy.

The investigators are inviting patients who have never given birth who arrive at their clinic visit seeking an IUD.

Usually, at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), for patients who have never delivered, clinicians numb both the sides of the cervix with a lidocaine-based paracervical block. The purpose of this research study is to compare perceptions of pain between buffered (2 cc of sodium bicarbonate, 18 cc of 1% lidocaine) vs. unbuffered paracervical block (20 cc 1% lidocaine) during IUD placement for nulliparous women.

Read the detailed description

Lidocaine is a drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Sodium bicarbonate is an additive that buffers the acidity of lidocaine. The combination of the two is safe and effective as a paracervical block for pain relief in various OBGYN procedures. At UCSD and other places, it is currently standard practice for people with no prior deliveries to receive a buffered lidocaine paracervical block prior to IUD placement.

Participants who take part in this study, will be randomly assigned to receive an injection of buffered lidocaine OR an injection of unbuffered lidocaine to numb the area before IUD placement.

Throughout the local anesthetic and intrauterine device (IUD) placement procedure, research team members will question participants about their pain levels, their satisfaction with the procedure, and how much empathy they feel the clinician has shown.

Being tested
Buffered Lidocaine, Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution
Medical subject headings
Acute Pain

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Buffered LidocaineDrug

    To determine if a 20 cc buffered (2 cc of sodium bicarbonate, 18 cc of 1% lidocaine) lidocaine paracervical block decreases pain with IUD placement in nulliparous women

  • Lidocaine 1% Injectable SolutionDrug

    To determine if the unbuffered 1% lidocaine paracervical block offers any less pain control with IUD placement for nulliparous women

Study groups in NCT06974019
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Buffered lidocaine paracervical blockExperimentalExperimental groups: will receive a 20-mL buffered (2 cc of sodium bicarbonate, 18 cc of 1% lidocaine) paracervical block administered before IUD placement.
Receives: Drug: Buffered Lidocaine
Unbuffered lidocaine paracervical blockActive comparatorActive comparator group: will receive a 20-mL unbuffered (20 cc of 1% lidocaine) paracervical block administered before IUD placement.
Receives: Drug: Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Pain scores during IUD placement procedure

    Does buffered 1% lidocaine paracervical block decrease pain during IUD placement procedures among nulliparous women? Pain will be measured on a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) with score points ranging from 0-10, where 0 means "No pain" and 10 means "Worst pain possible."

    Measured: From speculum placement to 5 minutes post-procedure

Secondary outcomes (1)

  1. Patient perceptions of clinician empathy

    What is the relationship between pain and feelings about clinician empathy? Empathy will be measured through answers to the 10-question Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure. Each question is answered by a 5-point scale of how well the patient believes their clinician to be at various types of empathetic gestures, where 1 equals "poor" and 5 equals "excellent."

    Measured: From pre-procedure baseline to 5 minutes post-procedure

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 May 2025
  2. Study start1 Jun 2025 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Two-armed, single-blind, randomized controlled
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
68 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06974019
Sponsor's protocol ID
812547
Acronym
EPIC2
Status last verified
May 2025
First submitted
7 May 2025
Last updated
15 May 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Chin J, Kaneshiro B, Elia J, Raidoo S, Savala M, Soon R. Buffered lidocaine for paracervical blocks in first-trimester abortions: a randomized controlled trial. Contracept X. 2020 Oct 18;2:100044. doi: 10.1016/j.conx.2020.100044. eCollection 2020.

    PubMed 33196038

  • Azizkhani R, Forghani M, Maghami-Mehr A, Masomi B. The effects of injections of warmed bicarbonate-buffered Lidocaine as a painkiller for patients with trauma. J Inj Violence Res. 2015 Jul;7(2):87-8. doi: 10.5249/jivr.v7i2.523. Epub 2013 Dec 12. No abstract available.

    PubMed 24879075

  • Mody SK, Farala JP, Jimenez B, Nishikawa M, Ngo LL. Paracervical Block for Intrauterine Device Placement Among Nulliparous Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Sep;132(3):575-582. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002790.

    PubMed 30095776

  • Welch MN, Czyz CN, Kalwerisky K, Holck DE, Mihora LD. Double-blind, bilateral pain comparison with simultaneous injection of 2% lidocaine versus buffered 2% lidocaine for periocular anesthesia. Ophthalmology. 2012 Oct;119(10):2048-52. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.05.029. Epub 2012 Jul 6.

    PubMed 22771049

  • Narvaez J, Wessels I, Bacon G, Chin VR, Baqai WK, Zimmerman GJ. Prospective randomized evaluation of short-term complications when using buffered or unbuffered lidocaine 1% with epinephrine for blepharoplasty surgery. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Jan-Feb;26(1):33-5. doi: 10.1097/IOP.0b013e3181b80c13.

    PubMed 20090482

  • Hobeich P, Simon S, Schneiderman E, He J. A prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of the injection pain and anesthetic onset of 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine buffered with 5% and 10% sodium bicarbonate in maxillary infiltrations. J Endod. 2013 May;39(5):597-9. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2013.01.008. Epub 2013 Mar 20.

    PubMed 23611375

  • Harreld TK, Fowler S, Drum M, Reader A, Nusstein J, Beck M. Efficacy of a Buffered 4% Lidocaine Formulation for Incision and Drainage: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blind Study. J Endod. 2015 Oct;41(10):1583-8. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2015.06.017. Epub 2015 Aug 4.

    PubMed 26253800

  • Maguire K, Davis A, Rosario Tejeda L, Westhoff C. Intracervical lidocaine gel for intrauterine device insertion: a randomized controlled trial. Contraception. 2012 Sep;86(3):214-9. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2012.01.005. Epub 2012 Feb 9.

    PubMed 22325115

  • Allen RH, Raker C, Goyal V. Higher dose cervical 2% lidocaine gel for IUD insertion: a randomized controlled trial. Contraception. 2013 Dec;88(6):730-6. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2013.07.009. Epub 2013 Aug 1.

    PubMed 24012096

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Buffered Lidocaine and Lidocaine 1% Injectable Solution in people with Contraception and Pain, Acute, run by University of California, San Diego.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 May 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Marisa Hildebrand, MPH ((858) 657-8745, mchildeb@health.ucsd.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Pain scores during IUD placement procedure (time frame: From speculum placement to 5 minutes post-procedure). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06974019, which also lists 9 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 May 2025.

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