"i&#039;m 23, and i have one child. i&#039;ve tried several different birth controls and had bad reactions to them all. my doctor suggested an iud and i was open to trying it after she gave me details. i knew the insertion would be painful but i had no idea how painful. it was honestly comparable to labor contractions. that only lasted for a day or so, and it was hardly noticeable when i actually took medicine for it. its been about a week and a half and i have had dark red blood every day (but to be fair, i had been bleeding for a month straight due to the birth control i was taking before). i still get cramps every now and then, but nothing too bad. i was told by friends that the symptoms last for about a month, so i&#039;m hoping for the best!"