ParaGard

Risks

By Mayo Clinic staff
Side effects associated with ParaGard include:

• Cramps
• Severe menstrual pain and heavy bleeding
• Breakthrough bleeding
• Nausea
• Anemia
• Backache
• Painful sex
• Inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis)
• Vaginal discharge
• An itchy rash

It's also possible to expel ParaGuard from your uterus. You may be more likely to expel ParaGard if you:

• Have never been pregnant
• Have heavy or prolonged periods
• Have severe menstrual pain
• Previously expelled an IUD
• Are younger than age 20
• Had ParaGard inserted immediately after childbirth or an abortion

ParaGard doesn't offer protection from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
An estimated 1 out of 100 women who use ParaGard for one year will get pregnant. If you do conceive while using ParaGard, you're at higher risk of an ectopic pregnancy — when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube. Removing ParaGard during pregnancy poses a risk of miscarriage. However, the risks of leaving ParaGard in place during pregnancy are greater, including miscarriage, premature delivery, infection and septic shock.