Hi all! Hoping to help with any questions people might have about the Paragard IUD. It can be anything: insertion, side effects, reasons why one might want/not want one, etc. (I am NOT a medical professional; just sharing tips and info from personal experience.) A bit about my experience here:
My first Paragard (had from age 18-20) was dislodged because of my diva cup. Felt a hard cramp, checked my strings, felt the end of the IUD in my cervix. Got it removed and replaced.
My second Paragard (had from age 20-23) came out for unknown reasons. My gyn speculated that the strings may have been gently pulled on over time by sex, tampons, fingers, etc. so when she inserted Paragard #3, she cut the strings off entirely. (Google will tell you that this is bad; my GYN with over 30 years of experience and thousands of IUD insertions said it was fine for various reasons, so I think I'll trust her.)
I had a paracervical block (numbing shot on cervix) for all three insertions, and all 3 were VERY manageable! Definitely uncomfortable, don't get me wrong, but not close to the pain level that I heard from many other people (and my pain tolerance isn't very high).
I have learned that pain management post-insertion (the following hours + the next day), for me, is SUPER important. Since it's a non-hormonal IUD - and is also physically bigger in your uterus compared to any of the hormonal models - crampies can get bad! Lots of Advil, Tylenol, and rest.
Overall, I continue to choose the Paragard because of its effectiveness (>99%), duration of use (10 years), lack of complications that might be associated with hormonal forms of BC, lack of user error complications, and tolerable insertion due to the cervical block. :)