"i&#039;ve had my paragard for over a year.  i chose paragard because i can&#039;t use hormonal birth control.  i&#039;ve never had children or been pregnant.  the insertion was painful, but not that bad.  i&#039;d rank it as a 5/10 on the pain scale.  the cramps following insertion were awful, i&#039;d rank them as a 7/10.  those lasted about 24 hours.  the entire first month i had almost constant cramps.  over the counter pain killers wouldn&#039;t even touch the pain.  the first period after insertion was really hard.  the cramps were so bad.  after the first period ended things were almost normal.  i still get much more painful crampy periods, but that is diminishing.  my cervix is still sensitive and can hurt during sex. discharge during ovulation is normal. increased sex drive."