birth control
"I've had the IUD for 9 months and seen no improvement over time. It's an effective form of non-hormonal  birth control, however it's not without side effects! Prior to the ParaGard, I had no cramps and light periods (~4 days). With the IUD, it lasts 10-14 days long. I'm comfortable for 1 week out of every month, then the cramps start about a week before my period. My period starts with spotting and rather gross looking discharge. That lasts about 5 days, then the full period starts. It's more blood loss than I ever imagined. I bleed ~2 oz of blood within 4 hours on  day one. That's more blood in 4 hours than most woman lose during the entire week of their period. My solutions have been iron supplements, the Diva Cup and Thinx panties."