I started out going to the center city office at 833 chestnut, 1st floor/lower level. That was totally fine too. Navy yard is just nicer, newer, quieter.

I have had the total IUDs since 2011-first one I got the lidocaine-they just did it, like it was routine, I didn’t know it was a thing to get the lidocaine, that insertion went ok. It was the second one they did with no lidocaine and that was the one I almost threw up, and was bawling crying. There was no way i was going to get this last one without that lidocaine. And yes I heard the same bullshit of “oh that lidocaine injection hurts more than the procedure”, that is a line of shit if I ever heard one. Maybe it’s bc I’ve never birthed a baby that it’s that painful for me, I’m just glad this is my last IUD bc I’m old lol.

I go to Jefferson OBGYN (at their nice and free ample parking Navy Yard office) and have had a cervical block (lidocaine injection to cervix) before my most recent mirena was placed last summer. I think they only have a few docs that do it though so you’d have to specify that when making an appointment, the NP I usually see could not do it herself. I (45 yr old, nulliparous) had a previous iud put in with no block/gel and it literally was the most painful pain I have ever felt in my life and I have decent pain tolerance at baseline. So even tho lidocaine injection sounds painful or scary it reduced my insertion pain by about 1 million percent.

I second VA wine country and/or Shenandoah National Park. Tons of rentals, some of which are remote/in the mountains that you need 4WD to get to the property (or sometimes the owner will haul you and your stuff in their 4WD!)