[Ynaffit]

So I got the Paragard IUD inserted on April 11, 2014 by Planned Parenthood. It hurt like hell, but about a week later, the cramps went away. I have been bleeding in one way or another since I got it put in (spotting, heavy spotting, period.) So far I've only had maybe 3 or 4 days non-consecutively without blood of any kind. It's been a pain because my boyfriend isn't too fond of crime scene sex, and neither am I. So we've had to back off on our "sexy times" and it's beginning to put some strain on our relationship. Just before the Paragard, I was on the Depo shot for 6 months. The hormones really screwed with me, so I had to stop. I went in for my check-up about a 2 weeks ago to make sure it was still in place. The doc looked in there and said it was all normal. I mentioned that I'd been bleeding pretty much nonstop for 2 months, but she didn't seem concerned.

It hasn't been a terribly excessive amount of blood; more like a normal, regular period's worth or less. But it's costing a lot to keep buying more pads and tampons. I've tried the old wive's tales about Ibuprofen, apple cider vinegar, thyme tea, coriander tea, gelatin, sucking on a lemon... so far nothing has worked. Non-stop periods are a birth control in itself.

I recently started taking fenugreek, ginkgo biloba and muira puama for my libido since the Depo shot completely wiped out my sex drive.

Has anybody else experienced this much bleeding with the Paragard? Does anybody know of something that can make the bleeding stop, other than having it removed? It's gross and it's annoying and the pads/liners are starting to give me a rash and I can't have decent sex with my boyfriend. I'll try almost anything. =/

[kira]

It's a risk of all IUDs. Often it goes away after a few months and nearly always it improves over time but some people have continual problems. You'll have to decide how long you want to wait. I doubt there's anything that will stop the bleeding and many herbals and over the counter pain relievers could make it worse. Often the complete effects of herbal supplements are not well known. If you want to try that route I would seek out a professional. A holistic or herbal specialist. Unfortunately insurance doesn't usually pay for that.

IUDs are just a shot in the dark. You have no idea how they are going to work. For every successful story about the person who ends up having minimal to no periods, sex all they want, no cramps, and complete birth control for years there is a story about disaster. Mine caused constant bleeding and severe pain despite an ultrasound showing it was positioned right and prescription painkillers did nothing. 2 days after my last ultrasound where they said it was still perfect and I should just wait it out the pain all stopped. This was too good to be true and I found it lodged in my cervix when I checked the strings after sex. Opted to just give that up and go back on pills rather than have it cleaned and reinserted. That much time of pain and bleeding was enough for me.

[SpicyV]

I went with the Mirena IUD because of the risks of bleeding with a Paragard. I have had mine a year and have no period and only minor craps when I should be having my period. That being said for the first 6 months it was a pain. Irregular bleeding, spotting for days and days and days... It will take a while for your body to get used to it.

[kira]

Plenty of people have constant bleeding for months if not a full year on mirena. My experience with it was horrible and I like hormonal birth control. It was excruciating pain. They said pain was normal but wouldn't give me painkillers in case the pain wasn't normal. This made tons of sense.