Has Anyone Used the Paraguard Copper IUD?

My mom and two of my aunts had the Paraguard IUD. None of them ever had any problems with it, all loved it and had it in for years. My mom had hers for 15 years, never an issue. She said the first 2 months or so her periods were a little spotty, but everything cleared up after that.

I used the Paraguard for appox. 8 months before removing it. Overall, I loved using it, but it did cause my periods to be much heavier than I was accustomed to.
While I enjoyed the freedom of not having to worry about becoming pregnant, I removed it because I learned that it could abort your child if by chance you do become pregnant. I certainly did not want to be responsible for aborting a fertilized egg so I decided to remove it. At least now I have mental peace.

Hi J.,

I have had my Paraguard IUD for over a year now. I do love the fact that there is no thought to birth control, but I do suffer from extremely heavy periods (a tampon an hour the first day of my period) and every other month heavy cramping. I do cramp once in awhile in between periods and spot as well. Like most people have already disclosed, it really depends on the person. Would I get it again? Yes because it is the only hormone free alternitive birth control without having my tubes tied or having my hubby "fixed." Hope my experience helps you better make your decision.

Take care,
D. M

Hi J.! I had the Paraguard Copper IUD for about a year before I had it removed. I had very heavy cramping and bleeding, and my periods lasted for about 7-9 days while I had it. I also got pregnant with it in, and it caused me to miscarry. I removed it as soon as that happened.

I did like that I did not have to take a pill every day, but I would rather have done that than go through the miscarriage.

Good luck with your decision!

Hi J.. I have never used it and seriously considered an IUD as my husband and I have 3 children, all 2 years apart, and feel complete as a family. I had two good friends who used IUD's and one had serious complications and the other one had nothing. I think it depends on the person and what your body will not try to reject. Did you talk to your OB about it?

I haven't used the Paraguard Copper IUD, but just had Mirena inserted. What types of problems did you have with Mirena?

I have had the paraguard for 2 years now and i love it!! I decided to go with this after I had been on the nuvaring for 2 years. I decided to go with this because I dont have to worry all the time about when do I insert it (I had that problem with the Nuvaring), did I take my pill today, etc.
I will tell you that when they first inserted it, it was kinda painful, Nothing that a women cant handle if shes had children before. The first couple of months your period can be heavier than normal. I love it and wouldnt go back to any other birth control. Another up side is that its effective for ten years, but you could take it out any time within those 10 years if you like. The ultimate decision lies in you, every form of birth control effects every woman differently!! Hope this helped you out!!
K.

Hi J.,

I've had the Paragaurd for almost two years. I love the freedom to know that I won't get pregnant. I have to agree with the other ladies, after using the pill prior to this, I noticed dramatic difference in my period. Much heavier and last a full 7 days. Plus my husband could feel the string, so I had it cut twice and now it's fine. Good luck to you.

J.-
I have had my Paraguard for a year now and would recommend it. It did take about six months of periods for my body to adjust. During those periods, I had VERY heavy flow and cramping with a little in between cycle spotting. Now my periods are less intenseand easier to deal with. The procedure caused some discomfort with spotting and cramping for about a day.
I chose the Paraguard because my husband and I are pretty sure we are not having more children but did not want to make a more permanent BC decision. Although I am not thrilled about a copper wrapped piece of plastic in my body, the thought of being on hormones for an undetermined length of time bothered me more.
I did a lot of research on IUDs in general before I made my decision. The feedback I received and reviews I read covered the whole spectrum. My doctor's advice was 'if you read 100 reviews, you are gonna get 100 different opinions'. Do what you feel is best for your BC objective. If it doesn't work out, removing it is not that difficult.
Good Luck!

I'm currently using it and I love it! I can't use hormonal birth control and this was a great alternative!

I personally refuse to go with an IUD. I can tell you a friend of mine had the paraguard and ended up with an ectopic pregnancy with it.

I used it for 2 yrs, had it taken out for heavy periods and went to the Mirena which I like much better. I guess it depends on what your problems are. I know some women that like it...

I had it for 8 years w/o any major problems. The biggest thing was it took about 4 months after insertion before my uterus stopped cramping. My guess is that would have happened regardless of the type of IUD though. I loved it. No regrets.

Hi J.,

I was on hormone birth control for years and finally decided that enough was enough. When we decided that we were done growing our family I could not stand the thought of using hormones again so the Paraguard was my best option. I have had it for 2 months now. My only issue with it is the amount of bleeding that occurs while your body is adjusting. If you can make it through a few months, I am told that it evens out. For 2 weeks after it was placed, things were bliss, then I bled HEAVILY for almost 2 weeks straight (a pad every 2-3 hours). Then I had 2 great weeks again and then only 1 week of bleeding. So it seems that things are adjusting for me already. I hope this is not too specific but the pamphlet just says "heavier periods" and I wanted to let you know that they do mean it. For me, there was no pain/cramping like with a normal period. I did get an Iron test run to be sure I was not getting anemic but have had no other issues. Good luck, it is hard to pick a birth control because they all have their downsides. I have to say I am happy overall and will be keeping my Paraguard.

K.

Hi J.,

I have had the Paraguard hormone free IUD for the past 6 months. I have had no side effects and no complaints. Good luck.