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Para Gard?
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!
Your post has really helped me. Im glad that im not the only one. Ive been going through what you went through so getting mine taken out. Thanks for sharing what you went through.
Hi my name is Jen and I have two kids. I just had my baby April 2012 and right after he was born I decided to get the Paragard done. My husband thought it was a great idea as well. I had it put in, in May and since then been having horrible cramps that literally drop me to my knees and my periods have been so heavy that I have to wear super plus tampons and a super pad on and I still leak through and this goes on for a week and my discharge is more then normal and when it comes to intercourse my husband gets hurt. I also have blood clots the whole time on my period. This is not normal for me at all. Im thinking about getting it taken out and having my tubes tied instead. Its nice to have the Paragard for one thing and thats not having to worry about taking a pill everyday. I forget to take pills so thats why I decided to get it just to be in more pain then I was during my pregnancy. Paragard isnt for everybody and if it works for you thats great if it doesnt have it taken out and try something new.
Yes it smell....and I have been working out/watching what I eat and can't get my weight off :(
Last year, in November I got, Paragard inserted because I did not want hormonal birth control and wanted something hassle free. I read all the medical info on the difference between Paragard and Mirena. However, I did not look up any consumer reviews. What I can say is that had I found this site 10 months ago I would not have gotten the PG inserted.
I am a 36 year old divorcee with 3 teen age children who did not want to close the door on children but suddenly needed birth control after a decade. A less than 1% failure rate sounds pretty good right? In theory sure, but the truth as it turns out is a little different.
Recently I started to have symptoms related to first trimester pregnancy, which for about 3 weeks I passed off as just not feeling good. But my boyfriend noticed the frequency of heart burn and nausea, asking a few days ago if I might be pregnant.... So I began googling side affects and the pregnancy rate. Can I just say "WOW" the things i read from other women who had the Paragard!!! The first thing is there were things I just put down to age; joint pain, muscle pain, fatigue, and just plain feeling bad all the damn time. Recently I also developed hair loss, bloating, nausea, and heart burn, things you would not consider an association to your NON hormone based birth control right? Then I find this site and others similar to it. Reading about how many women actually become pregnant with Paragard in addition to the side effects was an epiphany for me.
I had no idea how the copper wire really worked, and was less than comfortable with it. Aside from the above mentioned issues I too had the suddenly super duper long periods for the last 10 months, nothing less than 8 days. Which were also excruciatingly painful. My boyfriend noticed some distinct changes in my moods during my periods. My shorter normal cycle results in normal PMS. The prolonged 10 day periods (my Paragard average) resulted in terrible moodiness and anger. So while it is "hormone free" the longer periods were still causing a fluctuation in my moods and mental health.
A few days ago I also noticed my string had gotten longer, which I read could result in pregnancy because it means that the Paragard is likely displaced. Today I went to the doctor to have this checked and instead of an adjustment I had my Paragard removed at the recommendation of my OBGYN. Who told me that after 4-5 months max my body should have leveled out and that the side effects would only continue to get worse. Thankfully the removal took all of 2 seconds and was painless compared to the insertion. 8 hours later? I can say some things have gone away already and I am hoping that like others things will continue to get better.
I am not sharing my story to change anyone's mind about getting paragard inserted. No one birth control method works for everyone, hence there are so many choices on the market. Just make sure before you make your choice that you do thorough research and have a clear understanding of what you are choosing and what it can do to you. I am switching to the pill as of today. But would as so many other women have said, rather get pregnant with my 4th child than continue to be so miserable all the time, because in the end the pros did not out weigh the cons.
To anyone who chooses to have the Paragard, good luck and to all those whom it works for I applaud you. To everyone else who shared their stories here I want to say thank you. I really did think I was just a grumpy old lady lately and it made me feel better to know at least some of it was related to my "non hormone" based birth control. So if my story helps just one person who is suffering the same as I was then it was worth it. And I will check back in a month to update on whether my improvement continues.
I am a 36 year old divorcee with 3 teen age children who did not want to close the door on children but suddenly needed birth control after a decade. A less than 1% failure rate sounds pretty good right? In theory sure, but the truth as it turns out is a little different.
Recently I started to have symptoms related to first trimester pregnancy, which for about 3 weeks I passed off as just not feeling good. But my boyfriend noticed the frequency of heart burn and nausea, asking a few days ago if I might be pregnant.... So I began googling side affects and the pregnancy rate. Can I just say "WOW" the things i read from other women who had the Paragard!!! The first thing is there were things I just put down to age; joint pain, muscle pain, fatigue, and just plain feeling bad all the damn time. Recently I also developed hair loss, bloating, nausea, and heart burn, things you would not consider an association to your NON hormone based birth control right? Then I find this site and others similar to it. Reading about how many women actually become pregnant with Paragard in addition to the side effects was an epiphany for me.
I had no idea how the copper wire really worked, and was less than comfortable with it. Aside from the above mentioned issues I too had the suddenly super duper long periods for the last 10 months, nothing less than 8 days. Which were also excruciatingly painful. My boyfriend noticed some distinct changes in my moods during my periods. My shorter normal cycle results in normal PMS. The prolonged 10 day periods (my Paragard average) resulted in terrible moodiness and anger. So while it is "hormone free" the longer periods were still causing a fluctuation in my moods and mental health.
A few days ago I also noticed my string had gotten longer, which I read could result in pregnancy because it means that the Paragard is likely displaced. Today I went to the doctor to have this checked and instead of an adjustment I had my Paragard removed at the recommendation of my OBGYN. Who told me that after 4-5 months max my body should have leveled out and that the side effects would only continue to get worse. Thankfully the removal took all of 2 seconds and was painless compared to the insertion. 8 hours later? I can say some things have gone away already and I am hoping that like others things will continue to get better.
I am not sharing my story to change anyone's mind about getting paragard inserted. No one birth control method works for everyone, hence there are so many choices on the market. Just make sure before you make your choice that you do thorough research and have a clear understanding of what you are choosing and what it can do to you. I am switching to the pill as of today. But would as so many other women have said, rather get pregnant with my 4th child than continue to be so miserable all the time, because in the end the pros did not out weigh the cons.
To anyone who chooses to have the Paragard, good luck and to all those whom it works for I applaud you. To everyone else who shared their stories here I want to say thank you. I really did think I was just a grumpy old lady lately and it made me feel better to know at least some of it was related to my "non hormone" based birth control. So if my story helps just one person who is suffering the same as I was then it was worth it. And I will check back in a month to update on whether my improvement continues.
I had paragard for 8 yrs and was absolutely incapacitated. Anxiety, ADD, major memory loss, low thyroid, unable to simply "do". Had it removed 8 months ago, supplement w/zinc+C+B complex and am on the road to recovery. Memory is now normal, thyroid tested normal (also added kelp+selenium for thyroid boost) attention span is greatly improved, and anxiety/escalated emotions have returned to nearly normal. I still have a bit to go but it is only getting better. Paragard & doctors suck. No warning of possible copper toxicity was given, and no insight as to proper steps for recovery was provided by any doctor, as they obviously know nothing. Info provided on the web was the only godsend.
I am on my way out of this hell hole, and on to enjoying life again.
Be happy and healthy.
I am on my way out of this hell hole, and on to enjoying life again.
Be happy and healthy.
Forgot to add. The new OBGYN wanted me to be on my period to have the IUD inserted. The cervix is soften during that time. Thanks.
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