IUD (Paragard) and period

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-26-2005
IUD (Paragard) and period
4
Mon, 05-08-2006 - 11:38am

Good morning,

I had the Paragard IUD inserted in January. I know that one of the side effects is that your period may be heavier and longer. The documentation that I've ready says that this may last only 2 or 3 months.

Has this been the case for the IUD users out there? Pre-IUD, my period would last about 3.5 - 4 days. One day heavy bleeding. With the IUD, I've had about 4 days of spotting, then 1 - 1.5 days of heavy bleeding, and then a few more days of spotting. Big change for me.

This cycle, I've had almost 7 days of spotting, still waiting for the heavy bleeding, should have gotten it by now. Just wondering if I should be concerned at all.

Thanks in advance.

Jen

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-30-2003
Tue, 05-09-2006 - 2:09pm

"Bump"


ParaGard users... Please share your experiences.

      Jill

    

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-22-2005
Tue, 05-09-2006 - 11:44pm

Jen,

I had the paragard inserted in February, and have two periods since then. For me the only thing that has changed from when I was on the pill is the flow. I still bleed for about 4 days but with what I would consider a moderate flow. Before with the pill it was pretty light. I don't have any spotting before my period starts maybe a little at the end. I'm not sure if I would worry if I were you. Every woman is different and every woman's period will be different. Give it a few more cycles if your still worried call your Dr. no harm in doing that and hopefully you will find out everything is okay. I hope I helped you out some.

Brianne

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-06-2005
Thu, 05-11-2006 - 10:50am

I've had a paragard since last August and love it. My period lasts about 7 days, but only one day is heavy enough that I need anything more than a regular tampon. The last day, I usually just wear a panty shield. I do notice that it seems to take a couple of days to really start and then I finally get that day of heavy flow (around day four). I have virtually no PMS symptoms and no cramps.

I hope this helps.

Jordie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2004
Fri, 05-12-2006 - 8:37pm

Dear Jen,

My experience has been almost identical to yours. I also had the ParaGuard IUD put in this past January. I had constant bleeding for almost two months afterwards and had to take a progesterin pill for ten days to regulate the bleeding and make it stop.
I just had a baby in November and was still bleeding from giving birth when the IUD was put in, so it was like four months of continuous bleeding and it was really starting to get to me.
Anyway it seems to be OK for now except I get PMS symptoms for about a week before the actual period, which starts out very light for a few days and then gets heavier, lasting another week to ten days.
It's very annoying, I've ruined several pairs of nice underwear and have to sleep with an old towel under me on those heavy nights, otherwise I wake up to bloody sheets the next morning (not fun)!!
I have to avoid wearing white pants or anything light-colored during this time for fear of having an accident, even though I wear a tampon and a pad together! It's crazy!
I never had to deal with any of this before.

Suzie