Alice Springs women face long waits for IUD birth control

Almost every day for months following the insertion of a intra-uterine device (IUD), Emma Condliffe woke up in agony.

The searing, strange ache emanating from her uterus didn't feel normal and she started to worry.

But Ms Condliffe wasn't able to get an appointment with a local specialist to assess her IUD.

She's one of multiple women who spoke to the ABC about how hard it is to find a healthcare professional to insert and remove IUD contraceptives in Alice Springs.

What is an IUD?

IUDs are small, plastic, T-shaped birth control devices inserted into the uterus.

The long-acting, reversible procedure is considered one of the most effective forms of contraception and in the long run cheaper than alternative options.

They can be inserted by GPs, gynaecologists and family planning doctors, but in Alice Springs there aren't enough local professionals trained to do so.

Ms Condliffe, a 31-year-old nurse and midwife, said after her IUD was inserted she "thought that something must be wrong" and went to see her GP.

The GP booked Ms Condliffe in with the travelling specialist who had originally inserted the device, but they only visited Alice Springs every six to eight weeks and cancelled their next trip.

After two months of pain, Ms Condliffe said "the pain resolved on its own".

And while was glad to have an IUD now, she said a lack of local specialist support made the experience difficult.

Barriers from the start

A spokesperson from NT Health said the wait time to get an IUD inserted or removed at Alice Springs Hospital "is dependent on individual patient conditions".

"For example, postpartum patients or those who have undergone relevant procedures, can access an IUD service immediately," the spokesperson said.

"Patients who have been referred through primary health care may have to wait for up to three months." 

However, multiple women have told the ABC they waited much longer.

Ms Condliffe was initially referred to Alice Springs Hospital — where patients can be sedated or receive localised anaesthetic during IUD insertion — but more than a year on was still waiting to be contacted.

Violet Kenne also struggled to get an appointment in town to get her IUD removed and ended up having it done in Sydney.

"I found a private practice that cost a little bit of money, but I kind of had to bite the bullet a little bit," she said.

Improving remote access to IUDs

Danielle Mazza, chair of general practice at Monash University and expert in women's sexual and reproductive health, said IUD uptake in remote and regional Australia was slow.

"Particularly in primary care where GPs aren't necessarily trained in how to put in an IUD, and they need a lot more education and also support after they are trained to both initiate that service provision and sustain it," she said.

Professor Mazza co-authored research which helped inform the Commonwealth's $790 million women's health package, which included a boost to Medicare funding for GPs to insert IUDs, as well as scholarships for remote GPs, nurses and midwives to get IUD insertion training.

Since the scholarships became available on September 1, Family Planning Welfare Association NT has experienced a "big uptake" in people in the NT wanting to get trained in IUD insertion, according to chief executive Nicole Stephens.

"There's never enough trained doctors and health specialists for this particular service, hence why we have a comprehensive training course that will help train and retain health professionals to deliver the service in the NT," Ms Stephens said.

Ms Condliffe wanted to share her story to improve access for women in Alice Springs.

"I think that women's health is one of those things that fall through the cracks," she said.