[eleni]

good luck!

im twenty four and after a horrific time with the mirena i had the copper iud put in.

i love it.
the only slight problem theres been is slightly heavier and more painful periods but i'd rather have those than be pregnant or the absolute horror of the mirena.
x

[helpwithcontra]

Thanks Eleni!

[buikgrl]

I just got Paragard inserted today at 8:30 am. When my gyno put it in I had bad cramping. I took some meds before hand since I have read upon it. I was fine afterwards just cramping that I could handle. But about 10 mins later I would get severe cramping..it feels like bad period cramps along with running cramps with stabbing...This pain would last for about a minute then go back to the cramping I could handle..Has anyone had pain like this?? It is about noon now and the bad cramps are starting to get farther apart and a and not as much pain. How many days does the cramping last? I'm 21 with no children so maybe this is why im having so much pain??

[tabithapadfield]

I have had my copper iud for to months and i LOOOOVVVEEE it... i have no side affects and my husband doesnt feel it during sex.... the insurtion didnt hurt at all i was rocking my 3month old and laughing with the nurse as my midwife was insurting it. I think it just depends on your body

[tabithapadfield]

buikgirl i had cramping right after too... it lasted for about 3days.... just take some pain meds and it should go away!!! i havent had cramping since the insurtion

[35yrold]

Hi everyone
I had my paragard inserted at the end of Jan this year and I have been posting here every once in a while to let you know how "the big baby" is doing lol (I say that because I am a HUGE wuss when it comes to pain usually lol ) I have had a few cramps that were pretty...noteworthy but they go away so fast that its no use even taking any advil. I cannot stress how happy I am with the decision I have made . My best friend told me about a month ago that the doctor INSISTED that she get the Merena..... I advised against it whole heartedly. Here we are months later and after MANY .......MANY trips to the ER and bottles of pain pills.....They are considering taking it out. I cannot stress to ANYONE how important it is to RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH before you put ANYTHING in or even ON your body ladies!!!! Just because a doc suggests something it does NOT mean that it will for SURE work for you.
Deleriously happy with Paragard ... its worth the extra cramping & a little bit longer periods...... ofr the time being lol

Good luck ladies

[ingemodh]

A new question about Paragard

First, my background: I am considering the Paragard after significant adult acne, weight gain and inability to lose weight on Implanon. Did I mention poor mood, lack of libido and menstruation 3 weeks out of 4 (albeit very light)? I would also point out that these side effects were initially not noticeable but increased exponentially after about 2 years. I just can't decry it enough. My husband and I have been using the Billings Method for three months, but as an anxious person I find myself unsure of my cycle and consequently not having much sex at all, and even then fretting as i wait for my period to begin each month. Also my libido is higher than it has ever been, but only during the 'fertile' week when we can not have sex, which has led to both frustration and passivity. I have considered barrier methods, particularly the honey cap but this carries with it the same poor effectiveness rate, and the anxieties about whether or not I'm using it correctly. I hesitate to go on the pill, Merina or NuvaRing for obvious reasons. And the Depo injection just sounds like evil incarnate.

One question has not yet been brought up regarding the Paragard: Conception. Although the copper is believed to have a spermicidal effect, IUDs also work by preventing implantation. Especially when one considers that the hormonal Minerva usually results in lighter menstruation, I would hypothesize that the heavier, painful, and sometimes irregular periods associated with the use of a non-hormonal IUD such as the Paragard are due to the regular occurrence of conception. How do people feel about this possibility? Personally I'm pro-choice, and I realize that an embryo a few weeks old is only a microscopic cell-cluster, yet I must admit I have some misgivings about choosing a method of BC which in fact might allow me to conceive each month. (And in case anyone was going to point this out: my understanding is that prevention of implantation is a tertiary function of Implanon and some forms of the Pill, but that the Implanon/Pill interferes with ovulation and the cervical production of fertile-type mucus, thus preventing conception from occurring the majority of the time.)

So, what do people think/feel about this facet of the Paragard? Does anyone know of studies showing the frequency of conception occurring?

[silverfox]

Well, I thought I'd add my experience with the paraguard.
I'm 23 have never had children. I got my IUD three months ago. It definitely hurt getting it put in but it was totally bearable and only lasted 10 seconds or so. I had not cramping after I got it put in but I did have mild spotting for a day. The first month I did have some cramping before my period, all of it was very brief usually only lasting for 10-15 seconds. My first period was heavier and lasted 8 days instead of 5 days. Although I am bleeding more, I can still get through a whole day with my diva cup so it's not really a problem. My last period was a bit lighter than the first and only lasted 7 days. I went back in for my checkup last week and my gyno said that everything is perfect and I don't need to do anything more besides get my normal annuals. My partner can't feel the strings. Overall I have had a very positive experience with my IDU. I went off hormonal birth-control because I because of deceased sex drive, dryness, and yeast infections. Haven't had any of these problems on my IUD.

[mcamber]

Paragard questions

I am getting an IUD put in in a couple of weeks, I am not sure exactly whitch one my insurance (VA) does. I have had 4 children via vaginal and had no pain killers (yes all natural) not by my own choice. I saw that some people said it hurt and that they had no children, is it easier to do when you have had children? Also I am nursing my 2 month old right now with my other kids I did not get my period back until I stopped nursing, does anyone know what I should expect? Also what should I expect with sex? I think this is the best form of birth control for me because I have no time to try to remember to take a pill at the same time every day and I do not want to put a lot of hormones in my body. I have scared myself by reading other website forums and I am so glad I found this one.

[2Bpositive]

Happy with IUD

mcamber: I too had a child naturally with no meds. I'm 35yrs old and I decided to get Paragard (copper IUD, non-hormal). I too did not like the hormones after 15yrs and having to remember to take the darn pill.
I will try to answer your questions based on my own experience.
I have had my IUD for 5 1/2 months now. I decided to get off the pill for many reasons. I thought that 15yrs of hormones was enough. After I got off the hormones I started to notice that my face was breaking out more and more. This was do to the fact that the synthetic hormones of the pill were getting out of my system and I started to see what my normal hormones were like. Now most ladies out there will start to blame the IUD for their break outs on their face, but like I said before it's the natural hormones kicking in.
For some ladies out there insertion is very painful. Some even discribe it as the worst pain ever imagined. Reading that made me think twice about going in to get it placed. But, I figured that it couldn't be worse than having a child naturally. Duing insertion I didn't experience absolutely NO PAIN other than just a twitch and the whole procedure lasted less than 2mins. I did take 800 milligrams of ibueprophen one hour prior to insertion. I don't know if that made any difference because that was the last time I took meds for pain.

Bleeding, oh the bleeding. I can't believe how many stories I have read about how horrible the bleeding is and OMG the floods of bleeding. . . . My experience, yes I do bleed a little more and a little longer. When I was on hormones, my menstrual cycle was for 3-4 days. That was because the hormones controlled my cycle. Now with the iud in place I probably bleed 1 day more with my natural non-hormonal cycle. The bleeding isn't bad for me be because I don't feel that it's not that heavy. I been able to track the amount of bleeding I have because I use a Diva Cup. ON my worst day of bleeding I probably fill the cup once during my menstrual cycle. I hope that makes sense. BTW I use a Diva Cup because I can't wear tampons or pads.
As for sex it's totally normal. I don't feel pain and my partner rarely feels the strings. If he does we just adjust our positions. Please by all means if you do get the IUD inserted don't get the strings cut short. There is no reason to do that IMO. The strings will move towards the back of the uterus and soften up in time. I had sex a week and a half after I had it inserted. I had no pain during sex and have not experienced pain during sex so far.
I suggest you talk to your doctor about any questions you may have about IUD insertion. Make sure your doctor has a lot of experience inserting them. I was lucky to have a medical doctor who has one herself and has performed many.
IUDs are perfect insturments, but not perfect for everyone. Some ladies who have not had children do find success with IUDs. Some of us will have pain and discomfort before it settles. Remember that you are putting a foreign object in your body. Either way, you need to talk to your doctor and ask as many questions as possible. I'm only sharing with you my experience and soooo far I'm a very happy with my decision and should have done it years ago.