"i have had the paragard for 10 years now. insertion was not that painful for me. i had my second child a couple of months prior and the pain from the insertion was just mild cramping. my periods were very heavy to begin with and that did not change. i had no other side effects in those 10 years. i enjoyed the freedom of not worrying about bc. now that it&#039;s time to have it removed i&#039;m not sure whether i will have the paragard or mirena. i&#039;ve never done well with hormones which is why i chose the paragard but the idea of lighter periods is appealing."