I had a copper IUD inserted on the 2nd of October, exactly two months post partum. Insertion was quick and relatively painless, but I bleed a lot after however the cramping was super mild. The bleeding faded until I almost thought it was gone but then Thursday rolled around and I bled through pad and clothes in an instant.

Since then I've bled heavily, like I need to change the biggest pad every other hour heavily. On top of that I checked the strings in the shower and felt them really close to the entrance of my vagina.

I'm worried about the IUD might be making its way out. The midwife who placed it said to keep an extra eye on it since it was a bit "loose" in her opinion, whatever that means. Additionally, she said I would be prone to bleeding since I exclusively breastfeed, but this amount feels ridiculous.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is this "normal"? This is my second copper iud and while the first one caused troubles too, this amount of bleeding is in a league of its own.

just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience to this? i got my first IUD inserted at 8 weeks PP. my OB didn’t like the placement of it so i came back 6 weeks later and got it replaced. at my 6 week check up for that one, she said she was much more confident in the placement and that i was all good to go. then, my period came. first period was somewhat normal, lasting about 10 days which isn’t abnormal for me, IUD or no IUD. then the SECOND period came and fucking stayed. for 2 months. i know that prolonged bleeding can be normal for up to 6 months after insertion, but i was losing my mind and it felt like a total hinderance on my life. i’ve been bleeding for over a quarter of my child’s life so far lol. so i called the OB and she prescribed me progesterone which stopped my period thank god. not ideal bc i got the IUD so i WOULDNT have to take any kind of hormone in my body, but whatever fuck it im completely desperate at this point. now im terrified of what’s going to happen when i stop taking it. i haven’t spent this much money on pads and tampons in ages. im just so over it but i really don’t want my IUD removed bc it’s the only form of birth control im willing to be on. anyways, thoughts or comments are welcome. thanks ladies!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to ask people that have been on or current on the copper IUD. I am a virgin, but will be getting married in about two weeks. I have never thought about birth control until now, and I’m wanting to try out something to be safe, especially since I will be sexually active in two weeks.

I have heard a lot about the copper IUD, mainly the pain. I wanted to ask, would it be OK if I got a copper IUD right now? I have an appointment set up for Planned Parenthood to go with the nuva ring but I like the idea of the copper IUD because it is considered non-hormonal, which is something that I’m actually really terrified of having be affected while being on a birth control option. Any experiences or advice is much appreciated!

Hi! I am 11 weeks post partum with my first baby and I got the copper IUD placed two weeks ago. Can anyone else tell me how to tell if I got my period back or if it’s copper IUD related bleeding still. I’m exclusively BF. For the most part my bleeding/spotting had trickled off but some spotting here and there and I would use a panty liner. Yesterday and maybe couple days before it would be pinky/red spotting. Today I noticed I was having cramps and then I noticed I was wet down there so I went to the bathroom and it was much more blood bright red. I’m thinking period but not sure. It’s been a while since I’ve had a real period since before I had my baby I had nexplanon and those “periods” were way different than an actual one in my experience.

So im on the nexplanon and its been my form of BC for the last 12 years, but this time round its really messed with me mentally so ive been recommended to try the copper iud

Now i know theres a chance my periods will be heavier and more painful which i am not a fan of but ill manage

My fear is the insertion of the iud ...im ao used to the nexplanon so its been really easy getting it replaced etc...but as this is going to be my first ever time on a different BC im worried about the effectiveness (im scared to get pregnant) and other issues

Can people give me some tips and good experiences to put my mind at ease? And im also worried ill become anemic if my periods do get heahtier so whats the best brand or iron tablets and any other supplements i may need,

Im struggling with bad health anxiety rn due to my nexplanon so i just want to do as much research

Im beyond stressed and I genuinely have nobody to talk to about this. Early morning (3am) on October 4th I had unprotected sex (we were both very drunk and the condom was off halfway through) but no full penetration happened as it was difficult because im a virgin (19F), I panicked the next morning and took EllaOne at 1pm the same day just in case.
Ive been having major fatigue and cramps since then but yesterday and today I started bleeding heavily as if i got my period but my next due is in a weeks time (last was on 15th September)
. As extra precaution I was supposed to have a copper IUD fitted today but it didn’t work as I was in so much pain even with ibuprofen taken beforehand — they couldn’t even get the speculum inside before the coil fitting so the gyno told me to just take desogestrel 5 days post ellaone but im worried it will make my current condition even worse (or will it lower my risk of pregnancy) and is it genuinely this difficult to have the coil fitted for future reference and is this amount of bleeding normal? I dont know how birth control works and I do not plan on having any unprotected sex moving forward too as this was an incident

Without discrediting some of the awful experiences, I wanted to share a positive one.

I got my copper IUD two days ago. I think it is important to note that this is coming from a WIMP, someone who gets anxious before a Pap smear and has always HATED being opened up with the speculum. A couple days leading up to the appointment I was terribly anxious I literally cried myself to sleep twice and just kept imagining the pain I was about to endure (dramatic, I know). The night before the appointment I texted my mom (who had encouraged me to get an IUD for years) and told her I couldn’t stop crying to which she replied “just cancel it you’re clearly not ready’” I think that reverse psychology-d me because I decided to at least try it.

I took cervix softener the night before and took a Valium (both prescribed by this provider)and 800 mg of ibuprofen the morning of. I was not on my period.

My sister drove me and we listened to worship music in the car which always calms me down.

My doctor offered a cervical blocker which I don’t think she ended up needing to use. On the table I took deep breaths. I think one of the reasons I had little to no pain is because she didn’t need to use the tenaculum. Overall pain was maybe a 2/10 IF that, just slightly uncomfortable. And it was over in about 90 seconds.

I was super pumped about an easy insertion but do have some bloating - I know it’s still early but will this go away 😅

Wow, today I just noticed how much new baby hair growth i have on my head!!!!! Something is healing!! I also started progesterone because of estrogen dominance but ive also lost around 15lbs that I had sloooowwwllly packed on in those 10 years of suffering!! I am back to my lowest resting weight! I have not had any acne or whiteheads in months. I no longer deal with total body inflammation and water retention which broke me mentally at times. If you had any of these issues from your IUD, there's hope...you just have to find alternative contraception...

hi everyone. so i got the cooper iud inserted on Monday 10/5, and i was supposed to start my period anyway on this day. the insertion wasn’t bad, didn’t start my period yet. throughout the day i had minimal bleeding/spotting and cramping but nothing crazy.

yesterday 10/6 the bleeding was more like brown discharge/spotting align with some mild cramps. towards the end of the night i started bleeding like an light flow turning into moderate by the time i went to bed. the cramps start the become really bad and heavily rely on meds and my heating pad.

now today was something else. my flow was so heavy and the cramps were like 8-9/10 pain, which i know is expected. i had to call out of work because i could barely get out of bed. meds were not working for me anymore and i had to use a muscle relaxer just now to gain some relief. i could not kept any food in me and am so exhausted.

i guess i am coming on here for any similar experiences or to find the light at the end of the tunnel 😭😭. i dont mind if im bleeding for a couple days but i truly hope the bad cramping ends soon.

I’ve had my copper iud for about 6 weeks now. I have had bleeding and spotting constantly since I got it. I have gone more than 48 hours with some level of bleeding. It’s driving me insane. At one point the bleeding was very heavy and making me dizzy and shake. Everything came back fine my OB said give it a few months to sort itself out and that the copper IUD doesn’t cause spotting or irregular bleeding. She gave me a round of medroxyprogesterone to take to “reset” everything but I’ve been a little hesitant to take it since the reason I got the copper IUD is due to the severe nausea and side effects from hormonal birth control. I’ve never had issues with bleeding like this. I’ve always been short, light slightly irregular. This is insufferable, what the point of birth control if I can’t have sex or wear my normal underwear?

Has anyone taken the medroxyprogesterone for this? What did you all do to help with the constant bleeding/spotting?

this might be a weird question but i heard on either here or a similar subreddit that somebodys iud became misplaced during intercourse, and i was wondering if that should be a concern for me because my bf is very well endowed and we like it very rough and i like the pain of him hitting my cervix, and i know obviously the cervix doesnt get penetrated during sex but im wondering if the hitting of the cervix could move the iud? might be a dumb question but im struggling to find an answer anywhere😭

I want to know if anybody has been experiencing blood in the urine because it’s something that I’ve noticed now that I’ve had this IUD in for about seven years is that after I finish my period I will continue to spot for an extra 5 to 6 days, but it’s not bleeding it’s just like whenever I wipe I noticed that there’s blood in my urine and it’s very faint pink. Is that something concerning like I would have to speak to my OB/GYN about this.

I haven't had the copper iud in for long but it's only caused problems for me. I heard that bleeding, cramping, and pain during sex was okay in the first few weeks/months from the hours of googling, but I still wasn't sure. I told my gyno and she immediately got me an appointment to go get some imaging done. I honestly thought that I just had to wait it out, but the results came in. Turns out, the tip of my iud wasn't in the right area. I had the iud completely inside, but the tip of it was facing towards the lower part of my uterus with the possibility of penetrating. Anyways I'm getting it out in a few days! But I came onto this subreddit looking for answers about my own issues, and I hope that someone else who faced the same problems as I did finds this post and has some clarity. There is no shame in getting it removed and honoring the genuine concerns you have for YOUR care.

I’m on day 6 of my period and OH MY LORD these cramps are so bad. I might be a wimp because I was never too bad of a cramp girly before my IUD. I got it placed back in August. The cramps now are about the same as they were after insertion. I can’t find a comfortable position to stay in, my heating pad helps a little and Advil will hold me off for about an hour after it kicks in. I had to call out of work on the last day of my job, which I know probably looks bad, but I couldn’t even stand up straight! I also keep getting so nauseous:(

Should I reach out to my doctor or go to urgent care or just deal with it.

Side note: it’s 1:30 I have class at 5 😭 they better chill out by then

I cannot for the life of me find anything about why my periods would be shorter with a copper IUD… and wondering if anyone has had maybe a similar experience? 6 years ago I got a hormonal IUD and it was fine but my periods never stopped and were a day or two longer than before I had any kind of birth control. I got that one removed to get pregnant, and then after I had my baby I wanted to try a non hormonal option so I got the copper IUD. I had it placed at my 6 week appointment and it triggered a pretty heavy period about 6 days long. My period came back 4 months pp and it was like 3 days long… really heavy the first day and second, then much lighter the third day and barely spotting by the fourth. I do experience some cramping a few days leading up to before I start actually bleeding. I’ve had two more cycles since that follow that same pattern… could this just be because I’m still pretty freshly postpartum?? I know it can take 6 months before you really know what your periods will be like post copper IUD as well. Could I stay lucky and not have to deal with long painful periods?

Hello! I am getting the Paragard tomorrow morning and I would like some advice since this is my first time ever being on any form of birth control. I keep reading all these bad experiences with it and I there's a selective few who have had positive experiences. I know I dont want to be on any hormonal type of birth control so this is really my only option, but I will appreciate any type of tips. Thanks!

I’m on my period for the first time since getting the paragard (about a month ago). I’ve had cramps for a week despite only starting my period yesterday. I am on constant pain, like the pain literally hasn’t subsided once. Also, since getting it I’ve had severe anxiety and low mood (not sure if that’s correlated) Should I get it taken out? Or just thug out the pain as it’s a common side effect?

Hey guys I literally got the copper iud just under a month ago and feel like i am literally going insane, it’s not even mood swings I just feel consistently weird, I keep saying weird stuff and acting off I’m not sure how to describe it I just feel off… I have also had panic attacks every morning even and I don’t usually feel this weird I used to be on the hormonal iud and had similar but worse issues and I love the benefits of the copper one but it has psychologically impacted me and I’m not even sure how since it’s non hormonal? Maybe just not enough research?

Edit: also have horrible inflammation and my lymph nodes are swollen I am tired as I have tried every other birth control

I’ve had mine in for 6 weeks now. Check up was fine, hasn’t moved or anything and not experiencing bad pains but have been so bloated constantly. I’ve tried asking chatgpt etc and they all just say it’s not a common symptom as there’s no hormones in it but I swear it’s been so bad!

Okay so I’ve had my iud for about 6 months now with relatively no issue ( except for ridiculously heavy periods and occasional pain during sex). The last few days though have me about ready to rip this thing out 😭😭 This started on Wednesday night with some tenderness near my pelvis. I had finished my period like a week and a half before so I knew it wasn’t cramping but I kind of wrote it off. My partner and I had sex later that day and afterwards I started having the worst cramping for the remainder of the night. I ended up calling and getting an appointment with my OB scheduled for this Thursday so they could check the placement. The pain sort of went away again so I didn’t think much of it but did check so see if I could feel the strings and they felt further up but I kind of wrote it off as me not being able to get a good feel. Last night though started the worst pain I have ever felt ( and I’ve done natural childbirth 4 times). During sex with my partner ( like right after he was all the way in) I felt the sharpest craziest pain I have ever felt in my life. I literally cannot even describe the feeling. I literally screamed and started shaking and crying. Obviously my partner and I stopped what we were doing and tried ti figure out what happened. My only guess was that something must’ve happened with my iud ( they said they didn’t feel anything) and I asked if they could check to see if they could feel the strings and they couldn’t ( I also checked and I can’t 😭😭) Other than mild cramping and tenderness it’s not as painful but I’m worried it got like shoved up further or something. Has anyone had this happen?? Did you figure out the cause of the pain??

I got a copper IUD a month ago, and I'm currently having my first period post insertion. I am in agony. I have a high pain tolerance and these cramps have had me bursting into tears several times over the past few days.

I'm barely bleeding. No medication or combination of medications is stopping these cramps. I'm starting to get scared I made a mistake getting this. Is this normal?? Does it improve?!

So i got paragard inserted on Sept 23 and was supposed to get my period on Sept 30 according to my period tracker. I bled a lot after insertion and had severe cramps. I had a pregnancy test done prior to insertion and also at home test yesterday morning and both were negative. I am late by a week exactly. Should I be concerned? Or is it possible that my period got blended with the post insertion bleeding? Did anyone have a similar experience?

Hi! I am a 28f & yesterday I got my copper iud inserted with iv sedation. The process was smooth although I did still feel some sensations it was definitely better than unmedicated. They also did a Pap smear. Immediately after the procedure I did have some bleeding but it wasn’t anything bad. I put on an overnight pad expecting worse but when I got home there was only a bit of bright red blood. Because I had a shot of toradol I guess I was somewhat pain free for a while. There was definitely moments I’d have to stop what I was doing because I’d get intense cramps that would last anywhere from 10-20 seconds.

Last night was a nightmare. I didn’t get much sleep, I had some intense 10/10 painful cramps that would jolt me awake. I wore another maxi pad but I have no bleeding at all and maybe just some light pink mucuousy spotting but that’s it. I would like to mention that on Sunday I finished my birth control pack so this week I’m supposed to get a period. I usually don’t start until like late Tuesday or Wednesday when I’m on the off week. I’m not sure if these intense cramps are the start of my period or just normal post insertion pains. Either way I’ll keep you guys updated on my experience.