ok--so i have had the paragard iud almost a year now.
i felt like i wanted to share my experience, and also ask what the removal is like--cause it hurt like CRAZY when it was inserted. i mean, it was nuts. major major cramping. for days...bleeding, super traumatic. and i have a really high pain threshold.
just an fyi for those of you considering it: i have completely different periods now. heavy, clotty, crampy...read on..
i also had spotting up until probably last month-and i definitely smell more strongly than before, i'm assuming from the interaction of the copper with cervical mucus. lots and lots of gross discharge for the first 5 months, couldn't predict when it would occur, either. and no stds to cause discharge. it felt like my uterus was in revolt and just kept making discharge. also sex with penetration makes me bleed frequently. inconvenient.
i feel like i have no idea what to expect down there anymore.
i now bleed through 2 tampons (inserted at once) during the night for 2 nights of my period. like i have been shot, it's epic. i have awakened twice because i had flooded and blood would literally be running down my leg.
have a terrible migraine first day of period, and very bad cramps with period, which have gotten better a little.
mostly no more discharge and it smells better now, but still different than before. that makes me feel self-conscious.
it has taken a year for things to improve to this level, which i realize still sounds bad. but at least the random severe cramping has stopped. mostly.
i've never been pregnant, i had very very light periods before this.
i cannot be on the pill--it interacts very poorly with my brain meds. no hormones for me.
i gotta say, i also am aware of feeling the iud inside me frequently. which is discomfitting and feels very invasive. it was really jarring to have it inserted. it hurt a ton, like i said, but also made me feel violated. it's definitely a weird feeling to have someone poke you inside your uterus with a hard pointy object. ewwww. shivers.
i'm in no danger of becoming pregnant--i'm in a relationship with a woman--
but very nervous about removal since insertion and the adjustment period have SUCKED.
anyone wanna comment about paragard removal that also had a hard time with it overall?
thanks!