"i got the paragard iud about 7 months ago. the initial process of getting it inserted was pretty painful but so fast! i wouldn&#039;t say my experience with the iud was terrible but it has its downsides. i&#039;ve always had bad cramps and a pretty decent flow. i knew going into this that paragard would only make these things worse. honestly, i can deal with the cramps and 10 day long periods. however, recently i&#039;m discovering that i&#039;ve gained about 20lbs in the past 6 months. it&#039;s all happening in my mid section and i&#039;ve read other women&#039;s stories claiming the same. it wouldn&#039;t surprise me if it was the paragard. i&#039;ve always easily gained weight on birth control, that&#039;s why i went with paragard. i plan to have it removed next week."