"i had the paragraph inserted 2 years ago. i liked the idea of hormone free birth control. my periods were heavier the first six months but nothing i couldn&#039;t handle. after having paragard for two years i developed what i thought were yeast infections. i treated myself wth otc meds .  but it just didn&#039;t seem to go away. went to the doctor and found i have bacterial vaginosis. it is an absolute nightmare! burning, itching and discomfort in the vagina  that makes daily life miserable and sex life non-existent. luckily i didn&#039;t have the horrible fishy smell other women complain of. dr told me it is a common problem with paragard because it changes the ph balance in the vagina. after one week of antibiotics symptoms still not gone. removing iud"