"i&#039;ve had the paragard in for a month. i read the reviews and was royally freaked out about insertion. in real life, the procedure was quick, mildly uncomfortable, and as soon as the iud was in, i got a dull, period-like cramp that stuck around til that night. that&#039;s it! the next week: light spotting. i was also freaked out about my period being horrific, but i&#039;ve always had heavy/painful periods, and i suspect most of the reviewers complaining about this side effect had easy-peasy periods pre-paragard. on the iud, mine lasted a few extra (light flow) days, and only on 1 of them did i need painkillers for cramps -- normal for me! the iud affects every body differently; so far i&#039;m really happy with it as an effective, non-hormonal method."