Reviewer: notanotherkid, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

Comment:
I had the paragard inserted dec, 2012 after having baby number 3. For the last 2 months my periods have been late and short. Doc keeps saying its normal. Well today to my surprise the paragard had been expelled.I had to get blood work done to make sure im not pregnant, before reinserting the paragard next week. I like the protection and easy to use it was, especially since it was hormone-free. I&# ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I had the paragard inserted dec, 2012 after having baby number 3. For the last 2 months my periods have been late and short. Doc keeps saying its normal. Well today to my surprise the paragard had been expelled.I had to get blood work done to make sure im not pregnant, before reinserting the paragard next week. I like the protection and easy to use it was, especially since it was hormone-free. I'm upset that it came out. I failed to mention i'm 25 I don't need a 4th baby now.
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Reviewer: Maggie, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
I got this IUD in April 2008. I just had it taken out because it expelled. (August 2013) So I got 5 good years out of it. Now, the first 8-12 months on it were really heavy periods. In February of 09 I remember running errands with my family and getting so weak that I had to lie down in the car for an hour. After that, my periods evened out and even became really light. They still lasted 5 days ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I got this IUD in April 2008. I just had it taken out because it expelled. (August 2013) So I got 5 good years out of it. Now, the first 8-12 months on it were really heavy periods. In February of 09 I remember running errands with my family and getting so weak that I had to lie down in the car for an hour. After that, my periods evened out and even became really light. They still lasted 5 days, but 3 of them required light tampons and nothing else. the middle 2 days were just regular tampons. I ended up giving away my heavy tampons to a friend because I didn't need them anymore. 18 months ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cysts, and I've had tons of cramping and pain. Then I went in for a checkup last month and my doctor told me she could see my IUD and had to do an emergency removal, because it was expelled, obviously. It's only been a week but I've had no cramps and my back pain has decreased A LOT. I didn't realize that the IUD was causing my back pain (I have degenerative disc disease) but the tightness and constant ache in my lumbar region is so much less now. I've really been shocked by the improvement. All that being said, I really loved my IUD. It made my life so easy. Yes, the periods were bad at first, but I thought it was a small trade off for 12 years of protection. I'm bummed it didn't last that long for me, but it was worth it to me. (When I did the math, comparing it to the pill, the IUD was basically free after the second year. I would have spent 3 times as much on the pill in the amount of time I had the IUD. So I'm glad I invested in Paragard.) I'm still shocked and disappointed about the back pain, but compared to the hormones in other birth control, I think it was an ok trade off.
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Reviewer: 19-24 Female on Treatment for 6 months to less than 1 year (Patient)

Comment:
It has been hell for me! The first few months i loved it, now im going into my 6th month of God AWFUL periods, unbearable cramps, severe clotting, and awful pain when i sit too hard or have sex. It will be removed next tues at gyno app! cannot wait!

Comment:
It has been hell for me! The first few months i loved it, now im going into my 6th month of God AWFUL periods, unbearable cramps, severe clotting, and awful pain when i sit too hard or have sex. It will be removed next tues at gyno app! cannot wait!
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Reviewer: oregano13, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
I wanted to love my IUD. I chose it for the lack of hormones and I figured it would be an easier experience than a tubal ligation. Instead, I hated it. I didn't get pregnant, I'll give it that much. I have not had children, and insertion was one of the most painful experiences of my life. Intense and constant cramping afterwards kept me in bed for days with a heating pad. I went from never ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I wanted to love my IUD. I chose it for the lack of hormones and I figured it would be an easier experience than a tubal ligation. Instead, I hated it. I didn't get pregnant, I'll give it that much. I have not had children, and insertion was one of the most painful experiences of my life. Intense and constant cramping afterwards kept me in bed for days with a heating pad. I went from never having menstrual cramps ever to rather severe cramps for 4-7 days before my period, and the entire length of it, which was now 7-10 days of moderate flow (formerly 2-3 days of light flow). I was prepared to deal with some cramping and would have happily dealt with the longer heavier periods. I was not prepared to be on high doses of ibuprofen for two weeks out of every month just so I could go to work. In some positions, sex would also cause a stabbing pain. The doctor told me to stick it out for a year before throwing in the towel, that it would get better as my body adjusted. About 10 months after insertion, I began breaking out in hives that would last for weeks any time any product was applied to my skin, even things I'd used for years, and any time my body was stressed. Best the doctors I saw could figure, something had "hypersensitized" my immune system, but no one knew what. A little over a year after insertion, I began getting midcycle pain off and on as well. I had a tubal ligation done just over a week ago. They removed the IUD while I was under for the surgery. The doctor that did my surgery also told me that the IUD could be what my body has been reacting to for the last six months, and that it contains trace amounts of nickel, which I have a known allergy to and my primary care doc said was not contained in paragard. The pain post-surgery was nothing compared to what I was dealing with every month with paragard, and an even smaller fraction of nothing compared to the pain in the weeks post-insertion. And even with surgical stress, no more hives so far!
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Reviewer: seemoreglass, 25-34 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

Comment:
I am 27, have never had children or been pregnant and have had my paragard for 4 months now. I took 2 ibprofen before insertion and while it was painful, the worst of the pain lasted for less than 10 seconds. I had some mild cramping the week after and my periods were back to normal after two cycles (the first two cycles were 1-2 days longer and more crampy than usual. my partner does not feel it ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I am 27, have never had children or been pregnant and have had my paragard for 4 months now. I took 2 ibprofen before insertion and while it was painful, the worst of the pain lasted for less than 10 seconds. I had some mild cramping the week after and my periods were back to normal after two cycles (the first two cycles were 1-2 days longer and more crampy than usual. my partner does not feel it during sex at all. I love it. I read a lot of nightmare reviews so I would just tell women that every body is unique and responds differently so don't let someone else's negative experience affect your decision too much. and it's easily reversible if you really hate it.
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