Para Gard?

[Viestar]

Hi, I am considering using the IUD para gard which is hormone free, and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with it?  Thanks for any info!

[AndiJ78]

I didn't have the paraguard, but I did have Mirena. The hormones are so low it is safe to nurse and the effects do not linger in your system upon removal. In fact I didn't have any side effects while I had mine other than  light period.

Hopefully someone who has had the paraguard will respond.

Andi

[Viestar]

I have been on the pill now for a few years, and I just learned about ParaGard-- unlike the other IUD mentioned, this one has no hormones, and once inserted by the doctor, it lasts for up to 10 years, but you can take it out whenever you want.  According to the website, since there are no hormones, you can start trying for pregnancy immediately after you take it out, and on the flip side, it supposedly begins working the day you have it put in! (no few week waiting period like the pill)

I've been thinking about it because I am really bad about remembering to take my pill, and to take it at the same time.  I always freak myself out, and the idea of never having to remember that sounds really good!

[Red_Rose]

Hi, I would be interested in seeing the replies to this aswell. Can I ask if you have ever been on the pill? And why ur chosing IUD?

[hey woman]

i have had a Para Gard.  My side effects were so bad I had it removed this week.  I had it for almost 2 yrs.  The entire time I have had very low hemoglobine.  I have started having migraines I never had them before.  I really thought that the Para Gard was going to be the answer for me.  My husband and I have been married for almost 15 years and we have six children.  I can  not take birth control because of family history of breast cancer.  I would not reccommend the Para Gard. I have had severe cramp and horrible monthly cycles.  I nver had any kind of health problems or female problems until I used the para gard.

[flower3427]

I have used paraguard for over 7 mos. I have always had PMS and since insertion of the paraguard, cramps are twice as strong and menstural bleeding is a lot heavier. On the other hand, my doctor has used the paraguard for several years without any symptoms.I only recommend the paraguard if you are willing to ride out possible side effects for the 1st few months. I myself am planning to have it removed if problems persistat a year after insertion.

Hope this helps.

[Viestar]

Thank you all for your honest answers!!! This helps alot.

[KMOLINA]

Hello,
I had the Para guard inserted 2 years ago and I have not had too bad of a problem with the cramps or bleeding although it is quite a bit heavier but what I do not like is the large amounts of cervical mucus that are produced from having the IUD. This may sound awful but I have to tell you it comes out in hanging globs when I go to the bathroom and I can just keep wiping and wiping and it seems like the globs never end! It is constant and intercourse is barely felt at this point and I am thinking of having it removed for that reason. I actually posted a question today about it to find out if anyone else has had the same problem. But as far as comfort and all that it has been fine.

kmolina

[j309]

hello all! I've had the paragard since 1995. I just had it removed this week--yes I know, it's been 13 years! Never had any problems, however the last 5 years my period would come every 20 days instead of 28 days. Normal periods, some months bad cramps--other months no cramps. I go back in the end of August for another paragard. When I left the dr.s office a couple of days ago, I left with alot of information on other forms of BC. I was seriously thinking about going the Essure route. I've decided against it because: you have to wait 3 months to make sure it "took", requires surgery for removal, only 3 years of data available. I also thought of the Mirena--but then again that has a hormone, only good for 5 years, and actually has more side effects than the paragard. Since I've been on the ParaGard I know how my body reacts to it so I won't have any surprises there--also the day they put it in you can rely on it.

41 year old mother of 17 and 13 year old boys, married 21 years.

[erin2008]

Hi there,
I've had my paragard since October 2007- so 10 months.  Since I had it inserted I have a new kind of pain and it is burning, I think about where my ovaries might be.  Does anyone else experience this pain?  It happens before my period, along with all of the other lovely cramping that comes with the paragard.
thanks

[Simpleone065]

Hi Ya'll.. I just got the para gard inserted this past monday,.. as soon as i got this thing inside of me i began to let out blood clots and i was in horrible pain. I didn't think something so small would be so painful. when i came home i noticed when i hit the shower that these two strings were very noticeable.., and all of a sudden today being saturday these strings disappeared... and i have some major discomfort on the right side of my body.. HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED THIS?.. (lol) is this normal?..how do i know this thing is still in me?...

I would greatly appreciate a response..

[hike4life]

I've had paragard for a year and a half, the bleeding and cramps are unbearable.  I've decided today it's gotta go (i'm actually out of work today because of it).  I'm 28 yrs. old and have tried everything, the side effects just aren't worth it.  Not ready for kids and may never be...any suggestions???

[Tonic0522]

I just had my son in July and my daughter is six years old I don't think I want kids I don't want to speek for my self in for 10 years from now and I don't want to keep taking the pill because... well that is how I got my son.. I did some research on Mirena and everyone said that they gained a ton of weight.... does the Paragard make you gain weight and does it feel ok when you work out?

[MERam554]

I have had the Paragard for about 9 months now and it is great.  I do have a heavy period for the first 3 days or so but then it is back to normal.  I do not feel, nor does my partner feel the IUD during intercourse.  I would tell anyone who is considering Mirena to do the research...it caused me to gain 7 lbs. immediately and migraines to come on full throttle.  After I switched it out for Paragard all is well.  I think everyone is different but I have definitly had a good experience thus far.  

[jellybean1212]

I have had the Paragard for a year and 1/2 now.  I have to say my periods were always on the heavy side, but only lasted 4 days with virtually no cramps.  Until, I got the Paragard.  My period can last up to 10 days now, but that is accounting for the first 2 days and last 3 days being so light, I can wear a tampon for the whole day.  It still gets to be annoying though.  As for the heavy days, well, they are VERY heavy and if i'm at work or home its not a problem to change my tampon every 45 minutes, but when on vacation or anywhere that a bathroom is not easily accessible, it can be a problem.  As for my cramps...remember what your period felt like the first year you had it.  Well, that's what my cramps feel like now.  For the first 8 months or so, they were AWFUL.  I always had to take something around the clock the first couple of days of my cycle.  Now they seem to have lessened and some months they are barely there and other months, they are quite noticeable.  As for ovulation.  I never knew when I ovulated before I got the Paragard.  Now, I have cramps and heavy discharge, but its literally like water.  Sorry that was gross.  Still after all this, I would recommend it for anyone who cannot tolerate the hormones in birth control.  I had tried every low hormone pill, ring, etc.  The Paragard takes some getting used to, but its way better than the hormones and filling prescriptions once a month, etc.  I hope this was helpful.

[KristinaBee]

I have had it for a few years now.  It was great for the first couple of years, but in the last year I've been having a lot of problems.  I started getting this clear watery discharge that during my period, especially if I put a tampon in.  I can't use tampons anymore, because I get so much discharge it goes right through my undies and pants!  Very embarrassing and scary.

Also: when I first got mine inserted, I would sometimes get a thick mucousy yellow-ish discharge.  My doc said it was normal.  But this past year I have been getting it more and more.  Now I get it almost every day.  It's pretty gross!  Sometimes it's brown.

I have also been having loose stools, a lot of gas and frequent heartburn for the past year.  I'm kind of a mess!  I've been to a lot of doctors.  They keep telling me the vaginal symptoms are separate from the rest but I just don't buy it.  It all started at once.  Plus, no one can tell me what's wrong.  As far as I can tell, I don't fit into any categories, and so the docs don't know what to say.  I'll tell you one thing for sure, though: every time they do a wet mount I have a high bacteria count on my cervix.

I'm going to make an appointment with a new doctor and see if I can't get some traction.  I'm due for my yearly pap anyway.  I think it might be time to take out the IUD and see if some of this stuff clears up.  I was willing to deal with the discharge when it was infrequent, but not every fricken day!  And if this gastrointestinal stuff is related, then I'm just not a good candidate for an IUD.

(this is a cross-post from another thread about the Mirena where a lot of others are talking about discharge from their IUD.)

[ak225]

I just had my paraguard inserted on the 4th of February.  My period almost immediately stopped has anyone had this occur?  Also how difficult was it the first time to find the strings?

[lorena113]

i have had it 2 months and i get little cramps sometimes and spotting, and my partner says he can feel it during intercourse.  Does anyone feel that way too?

[inquiry30]

I've had the paragard for 4 years now and my symptoms are almost identical to jellybean1212.  It does seem that if you have it in for years that the symptoms do lessen a bit.  But I'm still having my period 11 days of the month, the cramping has definitly lessened, it was terrible the first months, it felt just like the contractions when your in labor.  The other concern I have had is amount of blood loss, because I have always had issues with anemia, I think this could be a real problem.  I have also started to have that watery discharge issue and that only started happening recently, I wonder what that's about?  It's also terribly painful to have inserted and I would make sure to have someone drive you home, even just for moral support.  It's a big decision, but there are some upsides, no hormones and the ability to be spontaneous and not worry about the pill.

[anakruspe]

I just the paragard inserted yesterday, it was really painful, and like ak225, my period stop, (and I just had it for three days) I just have some spotting and a little cramp that doesn't go away, but I'm woman, and I can handle more than that... I'll let you guys know about next month's period...

[Lunabelle]

I had Paragard inserted 3 days ago and so far it has not been a good experience. The insertion was far more painful than I expected. When I got up from the table to leave, I broke out into a sweat, became nauseous, and almost fainted. It was really strange. Over the weekend I had the worst cramps I've ever had in my life. 800mg of Motrin barely made a difference. I continue to have bad cramps and bleeding. Is this normal? I'm considering having the device removed. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

[Lunabelle]

Update: I started experiencing dizziness off and on last night and it has continued until today. I called my doc and he said this is not normal. I'm seeing him on Friday for possible removal. We shall see.

[anakruspe]

Update: It's been a week since I had the paragar inserted... so far I really like it, I dont have any cramps, just the first couple of days, I only have a lot of discharge, but that's ok, my body it's getting used to a new thing. There's two things I'm scared of: expulsion and getting pregnant and the bad cramps... but it's not time for my period yet, so I'll see if I still love it after that... (I have a feeling that I know I will)

[ak225]

I have had mine in for almost 3 months now and I love it.   I don't love the cramping during my periods or the heavy bleeding.  The pain is not unbearable but definately worse then I used to have.  Also my periods are very heavy which is inconvenient but I wouldn't change it.  

Insertation was very difficult for me also.  Apparently because I have not had any children is was more painful.

Not having to take a pill everyday is WONDERFUL!!!!!

[Tessabella82]

I jst had the Paragard IUD inserted today and it was extremely painful. after a few hours I started bleeding lightly. I had given birth thru c-section almost 8 yrs ago and been on a pill since then.. my cramping hasn't stopped and it's so painful since the Paragard was inserted... I really do hope this works since the nuva ring didn't work for me and I really wanted to stop taking hormones.. I'm kind of wondering coz my last OB put me on a 3-month-regime pills called Seasonique but the spotting and cramping was uncomfortable for the 2yrs I took it.. I was showing some signs of endometriosis and that's y I was put in under the pills where I would only have periods every 3 months... and plus I haven't had red meat in my diet for 7 yrs now.. so I wonder how bleeding heavily on a monthly basis would affect me.. problem with seasonique was I gained weight and I'm a pretty active individual.. I swim for an hour to an 1.5hr, brisk-walk for 45mins, or do some cardio class for 2 straight hours, yoga, and weights.. I alternate all those activities for 5 days a week but gained weight only during taking Seasonique.. :( reading negative experiences is making me nervous since I fall on that 1% women who are sensitive to nuva ring.. mine didn't stay in place and kept falling out.. I hope this one stays in..