The following are some helpful patient counseling tips for you and your staff. Once you and your patient have decided that ParaGard®
is the right option, you should counsel her on what to expect before and after insertion.

For more on insertion training, click here.

Preinsertion Counseling Tips
The following are suggested counseling tips that you may want to review with your patients prior to insertion:

  • You can eat and drink normally before coming in to have ParaGard® inserted
  • You may choose to take an analgesic before coming to the office for the insertion
  • You should be able to resume your normal daily activities after insertion, such as driving and returning to work
  • During insertion, you may feel some cramping or pinching. Some women also may feel faint, nauseated, or dizzy for a few minutes during or immediately after insertion
  • In the first few months after insertion, you may experience heavier, longer periods and some spotting between periods. Generally, this normalizes in 2 to 3 months. But, if your menstrual
    flows continue to be heavy or long, or spotting continues after 3 months, please let me know
  • Each patient is different, so I can't tell you exactly what your period will be like after the first few months. However, I can tell you that there are no hormones in ParaGard® that can affect your
    regular cycle

Postinsertion Counseling Tips
There are some important postinsertion counseling tips that you may want to review with your patients. For discussing thread checks, you may find it helpful to use the ParaGard® practice model to demonstrate.

Don't have a practice model? Click here to order one at no cost.

  • There are 2 threads attached to ParaGard®. You may do a thread check each month by reaching up to the top of your vagina with clean fingers and feeling for the 2 threads; don't pull on them or you can dislodge ParaGard®
    • Call us immediately if you cannot feel the threads, if the threads feel much longer, or if you feel more of ParaGard® than just the threads
      • If ParaGard® is in the wrong position it won't work properly and you will not be protected against pregnancy
      • Be sure to use a back up method of birth control until you can come into the office
  • Call us immediately if you:
    • Think you may be pregnant
    • Have pelvic pain or pain during sex
    • Have any unusual vaginal discharge or genital sores
    • Have severe or prolonged vaginal bleeding
    • Miss a menstrual period
    • Have an unexplained fever
  • You should also notify us if you think you may have been exposed to any sexually transmitted infections, or if you find that you or your partner has become HIV positive
  • Your ParaGard® can be kept in for as long as you choose: 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, even up to 10.
    I can remove it for you at any time during a routine office visit

To order a free patient brochure with pre- and postinsertion information, click here.

ParaGard® does not protect against HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections. ParaGard® must not be used by women who are or may be pregnant; have acute pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or current behavior suggesting a high risk for PID; have had a postpregnancy or postabortion uterine infection in the past 3 months; have cancer of the uterus or cervix; have an infection in the cervix; have an allergy to any component; or have Wilson's disease. The most common side effects of ParaGard® are heavier and longer periods and spotting between periods; for most women, these typically subside after 2 to 3 months. If a woman misses her period, she must be promptly evaluated for pregnancy. Some possible serious complications that have been associated with intrauterine contraceptives, including ParaGard®, are PID, perforation of the uterus, and expulsion.