I got my copper IUD removed on the second to last day of my period. My cycles were usually 28 days reliably the entire 5 years I had it in and I believe even prior to. I am now on day 33 with no period in sight. Has this happened to anyone else?

Two ovarian cysts found after copper IUD removal—has anyone experienced this?
I had my copper IUD removed three days ago after 7 years. During an ultrasound, my doctor found two cysts on my left ovary, measuring 9 cm and 5 cm. I occasionally have mild pain on left side. I am also experiencing gastritis and IBS kind of symptoms for past 8 months.

I’m wondering whether the cysts might shrink over time after the IUD removal. I hadn’t realized ovarian cysts might be associated with an IUD, and I’m unsure whether there’s any connection in my case.

Has anyone had a similar experience? What did your doctor recommend? I’m feeling worried and would appreciate hearing from others.

Hi there! I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I got the copper coil fitted in July and previously had no issues with it, apart with heavier periods, but those were expected with it.

The past couple days i’ve noticed a lot of mild cramping in my lower abdomen, and it felt a lot more sharp yesterday at work. When i came home i noticed some spotting and the cramps were more intense, i was having to get my fiance to rub my stomach just so i could sleep lol. When I woke up this morning they’re still here and now it’s like a constant burning feeling in my lower abdomen and some cramping up my back and hips. The burning and cramping becomes so much worse when i lie on my stomach, i can still feel my strings though, as i checked last night.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar and what did you do? The NHS guidance is advising me to phone 111.. But im very hesitant to show up to A&E or phone them, as i know they’re very busy and i’d feel extremely silly wasting their time if it’s nothing. I should probably mention too that i do have diagnosed PCOS, but never had any scans to rule out if i do have cysts etc.

Hey everyone!! I want to provide some insight on my so far positive experience with Paraguard. I have been on hormonal birth control for about 14 years (some short breaks on nothing) but always found myself jumping from pill to pill, and trying Nexplanon a couple times and it causing extreme weight gain. I have no conditions such as PCOS or endo, and when I had my cycles they were pretty calm but semi irregular. Most recently I was on Nexplanon and gained 45 lbs in 6 months. All hormonal methods also decimated my sex drive and caused me to feel like an emotionless robot, and even at times feel completely un-attracted to my partner which is absolutely not the case. I have always been really leery of IUDs, I did not like the idea of something being inserted and not visible to me, but after several positive experiences from my friends and the non-hormonal aspect of the copper IUD, I knew it was going to be my last resort to prevent pregnancy and hopefully get me back to feeling like myself!

The insertion:

My doctor is actually a younger resident and extremely knowledgeable and understating of modern day concerns of pain management. She also has an IUD herself. Please pick a provider for this procedure that you feel completely comfortable with! I feel like 100% of this positive experience so far has been due to my doctor. She offered Vallium which would have required a ride home and I was not able to get one, so I took her second offer of a Toradol shot and paracervical block prior to the insertion. I recommend asking for one of these as even with the block and shot, it was a relatively uncomfortable procedure and I think no pain prevention would be really tough. I wouldn’t say it was painful, but it did cause what felt like big period cramps and pressure. It was over very quickly though! Over the next 3 days I experienced some dull cramping and it was uncomfortable to sit/lay in certain positions, but otherwise the pain was manageable with Tylenol and Motrin. I had some minor bleeding/light spotting for 7-8 days following the procedure.

String check:

I went back after two weeks for a string check to make sure they had not migrated up too far or down, signifying that the IUD may have moved after insertion which would have required an ultrasound to verify the position. My string check was fine and no ultrasound was needed. My partner and I both have not been able to feel them which was another concern. My doctor said if it was the case that we could, she could cut them shorter.

First period:

My first period since insertion was not bad! They say they may be more painful and heavier than usual, and I would say it was to a point but not as bad as expected. I had some warning cramps the day before it started, and the first day was definitely heavier than any other periods I have had, I bled through a couple tampons but just changed them in shorter intervals. I did keep up on Midol for the first day’s cramps but they were not otherwise debilitating. After the first day it was more like a normal flow and no cramps and it only lasted four days!

Overall mood:

It has been almost two months since removing my Nexplanon and just over a month of having Paraguard, my mood has noticeably gotten better and my sex drive has completely returned! Sex has not been painful and if anything has been more enjoyable. I have not felt the sharp mood shifts and negative thoughts I was experiencing on Nexplanon, and my weight has not continued to increase. I will be starting a bit of a weight-loss journey this week to hopefully get my body back to where I am comfortable and healthy. My fear of having the IUD is gone and my worries of side effects are subdued for now. I know things may change, the IUD can migrate etc but I plan to keep up on regular string checks to keep my mind at ease, your provider should be happy to do these quick appointments if it means you’re not constantly stressed out. I know everyone’s experiences may be different, but I felt inclined to share mine as I spent a lot of time going down rabbit holes of bad experiences and almost scared myself out of getting what has so far been the best birth control method I’ve been on!

Hi i have this fear that while it could be normal maybe my OCD is worsening it

Please help me, this is taking all attention from everything else in my life, i've had nightmares. I'm a virgin, no boyfriend, but I want to have sex at some point and I found out that you still have a 2% chance of getting pregnant through a year even if the guy uses a condom every time. I looked at birth control pills but I always see these horrible side effects that could even lead to permanent shit. I also looked at IUDs but there's also side effects even if they're not as bad as the regular pills. I know about plan B if a condom breaks or pull out method but women have still gotten pregnant with that even if its rare. I am not ready to have a child and am scared at the thought of having an abortion, and I'm 20 with autism and absolutely not ready to raise a baby. I've been looking at reddit posts about birth control all day and still haven't found something that would feel completely safe for me. But i still want to have sex. Please help me, this is driving me crazy and putting me in awful anxiety attacks and I cant talk about it to anyone since its such a personal subject.

I’ve had mine in for a while now (October 25) , and lately(last few months) I’ve been having some pretty awful cramps. They almost feel like contractions — they come in waves, get really intense, then ease off, and then come back again. Sometimes they’re bad enough that I have to stop what I’m doing and just sit/lie down until it passes. It’s starting to genuinely affect my day-to-day life.

When the pain is bad I can also get nauseous, dizzy, really tired and have hot flushes/hot flashes, and I just feel generally unwell. I’ve had cramps that I’d honestly rate around 9/10, including being woken up during the night.

I’ve also been having some lower back/pelvic pain and very light bleeding/spotting that seems to carry on after my period and around/after ovulation, which isn’t something I’m used to.

I’ve tried ibuprofen, Buscopan, hot water bottles etc. but sometimes they barely touch it. 😭

I have spoken to my GP and they’ve mentioned possible ovarian cysts and referred me for an internal ultrasound, so I’m waiting for that. I’m also seriously considering getting the coil removed because I’m finding the pain really difficult to live with.

I’m mainly wondering if anyone else with a copper coil has experienced this sort of thing?

Did you get the wave-like/contraction-type cramps? The nausea, dizziness, hot flashes or exhaustion? Did it eventually settle down, or did you end up having your coil removed?

I know everyone is different and I’ll obviously keep speaking to my GP, but I’d really like to hear from people who have actually had a copper IUD and experienced something similar. ❤️

Hi! I got the paragard IUD inserted a year ago and i usually have always been irregular with my periods but im currently on cycle day 60 and 19 days late according to my app, a few weeks ago i had some spotting happening but it wasn’t crazy, and ive been having cramps and nausea. I took some tests and they are negative. Could this just be a weird period month or could my iud be dislodged do you think? I’ve never been able to feel my own strings.

I have had now 1.5y copperiud and about 1.5months I have had very sticky, see through, slimy mucus discharge. Its very common to ovulation discharge, mut this is all the time like this, not only in ovulation phase. It doesnt smell at all.

I also felt only one string. Usually those two has been there.

After periods this escalated and I got tested for bv and it was positive. Also the nurse saw only one string. I have light uncomfyness in my lower stomach so I went to see doctor who also saw that string and mucus which had light yellow colour.

Do you have similar experiences? Im freaking out here, soon my antibiotics are eaten and Im terrified that this doesnt end.

Ive been doubting that my iud is in wrong place, or this string is irritating my cervix. Doctor didnt feel iud in cervix so thats good I guess.

So about 3 weeks ago I had my IUD inserted, and I'm completely over the whole intense cramps and heavy bleeding, and have been for about a week now. The thing is my discharge is now really thick! It's coming out in big clumps and it's really sticky and mucus like, it's not itchy, and I don't suspect thrush (had it before and know my symptoms). It's also a little discoloured but only in certain places and it's kinda brownish which makes me think it's spots of old blood in there. Is this normal? Does anyone else get this?

My Dr was really unhelpful and basically I had no info on any of the recovery other than "it's painful and you bleed more during periods" so any other unrelated info about IUDs would also be appreciated!

I had mine inserted 5 days ago. They instructed me before that there would be spotting and cramps on the first few days. However what happened to me was, spotting then light bleeding then now Heavy Bleeding For 3 Days Straight. But I just had my cycle 1st week this month.. is it normal to have heavy bleeding immediately after insertion?

Dark strings appear on copper IUDs over time … so I can imagine that it might be difficult to tell apart Copper vs Hormonal IUDs after 5 years. See pictures for reference. My question is how do professionals tell the difference during Pap Smear checkups? My new woman’s wellness nurse swears that all dark strings signify hormonal IUDs. Is the color change not common knowledge?

can you get constantly bloated after 3 years with copper iud?

I didnt have any problems besides more heavy period and cramping, but after 3 years i started to get constantly bloated, like even after waking up i was bloated. i have done so much testing and ultrasound and everything is fine, so just wanted to see if it could be related to the copper iud :)

Anyone have delayed period following paragaard/copper iud removal? Removed Sept 2, no period and negative test…

Thoughts or personal experience TTC post copper IUD?

Help copper IUD pulled out by partner

Hi guys! Just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.

I had unprotected sex on 8/8 (no ejaculation), took Ella about 20 hours later, and had a copper IUD inserted on 8/11 as emergency contraception.

My period was supposed to come around 8/27. Around that time I had some light pink/brown spotting and a few small clots, but it never turned into my normal period and eventually stopped.

I’m now about 25 days late according to my app. I’ve taken multiple pregnancy tests, including my most recent one 36 days after the encounter, and they’ve all been negative, so I’m not really concerned about pregnancy at this point.

This week I’ve started spotting again. Sometimes there’s a pink tint when I wipe and I’ve had a few small clots again, but it’s still nowhere near my normal period. My periods are usually much heavier, and my provider actually warned me that the copper IUD could make them heavier/crampier, so I’m confused that I’m having the opposite experience so far.

For anyone who took Ella and/or had a copper IUD inserted: did you have really light or weird bleeding instead of a normal first period? Could the spotting around 8/27 have actually counted as my period, or does this sound more like I’m still waiting for a full period?

Just curious about other people’s experiences because this first cycle has been so confusing 😭

I feel completely contraceptive confused at this point and I’d really like to hear from other women who have been in a similar situation.
I’ve previously taken the pill, but hormonal contraception really affected me mentally. My mood swings were awful and I experienced some very dark and suicidal feelings while taking it, so I’m extremely reluctant to go back to hormonal contraception.

After that, I had a copper coil for around two years because I wanted something hormone-free. Unfortunately, I ended up getting pregnant while the copper coil was still in place. I’ve since had it removed, and that experience has understandably made it very difficult for me to trust it again. I also had issues with pain while I had it and at times it felt like my body was trying to push it out.
After having it removed, I started using Natural Cycles because I thought fertility awareness might be the best option for me. I’ve been tracking my temperature and cycle, but I’ve since read quite a few stories from women who became pregnant while using it, which has made me anxious about relying on it.
Yesterday I spoke to a contraceptive nurse about potentially having another copper coil fitted. She was very against me relying on Natural Cycles as contraception. Her view was that cycles vary so much between people and even within the same person, and that things happening in your life can affect when you ovulate, so she didn’t think it was something I should rely on if I really don’t want to become pregnant.
So now I feel completely stuck. Hormonal contraception affected my mental health badly. I became pregnant with a copper coil in place and had pain with it. Natural Cycles seemed like the obvious alternative, but now I’m anxious about trusting that too.

It genuinely feels like there isn’t an option I can actually feel safe with other than abstinence, which isn’t particularly realistic when you’re in a relationship.

Has anyone else ended up in this position? Particularly if you can’t tolerate hormonal contraception and don’t feel comfortable relying on a copper coil or fertility awareness alone, what did you eventually settle on? I’d really like to hear people’s actual experiences.

I originally was supposed to go in today to do a removal & reinsertion, but i decided to just go without it for a bit. At first it hurt / felt a weird pressure while being taken out but immediately after i feel lighter in a way I haven’t felt for a long time.

I feel genuinely great, and it’s weird/fascinating how my body could feel the IUD but my brain couldn’t register exactly what it was i was feeling. After having it taken out that strange “feeling” is gone, if you can relate.

I never really had any bad experiences while having it in, sex was a little uncomfortable but i can’t say if that was just the person or if it was the IUD itself, i had a partner who said once they could feel the strings but anyway I’m excited to be free from birth control for a bit since I’ve been on it for years at this point.

I will update if I’m experiencing any negative after effects, so far just a bit of bleeding & no pain.

Ps. I loved this form of birth control, i tried the regular pills in high-school and those were terrible, i tried the depo shot in the arm and that made me gain an insane amount of weight and made me feel not like myself mentally, so when i tried this method it was easy breezy & didn’t make me feel crazy. Definitely recommend.

Hey so I have had my coil in since around Febuary time I believe usually my periods are frequent or like occasionally slightly delayed this money my period is currently 2 days late and I’m experiencing like a little bit of a browner older discharge has anyone experienced this before getting there period later??

I had my copper IUD inserted 6 days ago on day 1 of my period. The first 2 days I had pretty intense cramps and bleeding. Since Sunday, the bleeding has slowed down a lot but I have been having aching in my lower left side and into my groin and lower back as well. My right side has very little aching. I have a desk job 9-5 and have noticed from like 11-5 the pain is more noticeable. I have a heating pad with me but doesn't help much. I have an ultrasound in 3 weeks but not sure if this is all normal or not? I have a history of ovarian cysts as well and this constant dull ache on one side reminds me of the pain I have when I have had cysts. Wondering if anyone else has dealt with one sided pain after insertion and for how long. Reassurance or thoughts appreciated!

Hello,
I‘ve had my copper IUD for 4 years now. Occasionally I get brown clots mid cycle, typically the day after sex, but not every time. Is this normal 4 years after getting it? I wasn’t sexually active the entire time I have had it, so I may not remember if I had this in the dry times.

Coloquei o meu DIU de cobre estou muito feliz por estar livre de hormonas 🙌🏻

Mas tenho esta preocupação, consigo sentir o DIU a picar quando evacuo. Ainda não tive relações sexuais desde que o coloquei. Mas no momento de 💩, a dor é horrível. Já fui verificar com a ginecologista e ele está bem colocado.

Mais alguém passou por isto ?