There’s a lot Kimberly likes about her Paragard IUD: it’s non-hormonal, lasts 10 years, and is over 99% effective. And now that she’s unemployed and uninsured, this mom likes that she paid for it up front and doesn’t have to find money each month for birth control.
So what about those pesky cramps she sometimes gets? They can be severe, no doubt. But all those other good side effects win out—it’s still the best method for her.
Well, right now, since I haven’t been working, I’ve been taking care of my roommate’s two-year-old son. So it’s wake up, and it’s like having a little baby all over again, which is pretty crazy. We watch “Dora the Explorer,” makes you want to shoot your head out. Watching my roommate’s sons lately, it kind of makes me think, Aaahh – I’m kind of happy I have ten-year birth control. As far as my stand on condoms, I really don’t like them, henceforth why I have a daughter who’s 13. But I have been in long relationships, so I don’t really feel that they are necessary as long as, you know, we always go and get tested and things are fine then there’s really no need for them. I just really don’t like a plastic feeling. If I wanted a plastic feeling, I would use one of my toys. I’ve been on several different methods of birth control. And obviously I have a child, so it was something that is – you know, something I have to really think about. I’ve had the IUD for about three years. This was the only thing that didn’t have hormones and was still 99.9% effective. The side effects I would say, which are very strong with this one, I have severe cramping. It’s not all the time, but when I do have it, it is bad, and it hurts. And the only thing you want to do is sit and bawl and cry. I would say the main benefit of paying for the copper IUD up front and having it for the ten years would be, you know, as of right now I’m not employed, so that’s one more thing I don’t have to think about every month. Whereas if I was still on any other method of birth control, I would still have to be thinking of where am I going to be getting that extra $50 a month for it, because unfortunately, I don’t have insurance. So I always have just had to pay for it myself. I mean, my boyfriends have always split it with me, because I’ve always been like my long-term relationships. But still, it’s one more thing I don’t have to think about. I like about the copper IUD that I don’t have to worry about it for all these years. I just have to go for a yearly checkup like I normally would, and they just check to make sure it’s all in place. I don’t have to think about it, which is just amazing. You know, because as I said, I can’t even remember to take vitamins. My name is Kimberly. I’m 29, and I use a copper IUD.