"i have loved having my mirena for almost 3 years now. i prefer it to the regular non-hormonal iud because it greatly reduced (almost diminished) my monthly bleeding. as a health professional (nurse practitioner), i have recommended and inserted this to many women seeking long term forms of birth control. the initial pain /cramping at insertion was helped by the use of ibuprofen before insertion and for 24-48hours after. however! i have gained a lot of weight after inserting my mirena (which didn&#039;t occur when i used the copper iud - lost 25lbs with that one) so it loses marks for that reason as far as i&#039;m concerned. if you have a tendency to gain weight easily, i&#039;d be careful. i know a lot of women that are happy with it without problems."