 I was most attracted to Paragard because it's 100% hormone free. So it is, there's no progestin, there is no estrogen in it. It literally again is just the copper that is the active ingredient that prevents pregnancy. Hey there lovers and friends! So last year I began a partnership with Paragard, my birth control for the past four years. Paragard is a long-acting reversible contraceptive that is 100% hormone free and 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. Since my partnership with Paragard began I got to do some real cool things but today oh it might just be the coolest. I went to a gynecologist and when I came home Jared started asking me a bunch of questions and you know me I asked him to put that on pause so we can grab the camera and record that conversation. I don't think a lot of male partners in a heterosexual relationship take an interest in birth control they're like oh she got a cover that's on her so I thought it'd be cool for us to film this chat. I actually wouldn't mind starting with a little quiz. Are you down? What's up? So at this point I have had my Paragard since 2014, 2015. Yeah. So it's been around, it's been in our relationship for basically the entire duration of our relationship. What is a Paragard? It is a lark. Yes! Who are you? I'm paid attention. I'm here. I'm here. What is lark stand for? A long-acting reversible contraception. Wow Jay. I'm really really impressed. Fair you. We've had sex a good amount of time. Guess how many times? I can't guess. What if I had a tally? Would you be creeped out by that? I think probably you are today the the single person that I've had sex with the most. I think you're the same for me. You're probably the same for me. You're probably the person that I've had sex the most. So with that being said, how are you not pregnant? Right. Give me the summary. Give me the full spectrum of what this is. Okay, so IUD stands for intrauterine device. It's shaped like a T. The copper IUD, the Paragard, is a small piece of plastic. It's springy and it's flexible, but it has copper wiring wrapped around it. Now the copper and Paragard works to prevent sperm from reaching the egg and fertilizing it and may also prevent implantation. I mean, that sounds very scientific. Whoever found that out and figured that out and more power to you. I always wanted that too. Like who was the person who was like? Yeah. Oh, you know what? Let's put copper. Yeah. That's what it is. When I first met you, you weren't on birth control. No. So what was that decision process like? So when we first met, I like wasn't sexually active. And so I didn't feel a need to be on birth control at the time. I don't know if you remember the first two times we had sex or the first bit. The first time we had sex, we didn't use protection at all because it just like happened. And both of us immediately were like, nah, like this, this has to stop, but we can't do that. So I had heard about the Paragard for a long time obviously through my work, but at the time, you know where I was financially. So in my mind, I didn't think I could afford it, but I just went to the doctor. I actually had that conversation. I was surprised like, oh, like this is actually an affordable option for me and the rest is history. Yeah. So how much does it cost then? This is a thing like it can range for some people. It can cost nothing or next to nothing with a lot of people's insurance providers. They cover the entire cost of the Paragard. That means that there's no copay. There's no out of pocket at all. You might have a fee associated with the placement of the IUD with your doctor, but it's best to check with your insurance provider to see what they can do, how they can hook you up. So what was the placement like? Like, did you have to have surgery? Was it quick? Did it just like boom, boom, boom out of here? What was the lie down? You know, it's crazy because like, yeah, like I had the copper IUD placed for you and I, but like, I don't think we ever talked about what the experience was. No, I think you just told me like, oh, I'm on birth control. Yeah. And good. Okay. There's no surgery involved. You go into the room, you spread your legs, you know me. I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I'm proud of myself. I'm a high pain tolerance. And so I had heard the placement was painful, but I'm like, for them, not for me. So I'm just chatting with the doctor, making jokes here and there. And all of a sudden I was like, whoa. And I was like, whoa, and then it was done. So there was a bit that my thug was tested a bit where I was like, oh, this is a little painful. But then it went by really quickly. So it takes a matter of minutes to have it placed. And I probably experienced discomfort for let's say 30 seconds to 45. After a while, like, how do you know it's there? Yeah. So like, I definitely experienced fear, especially because of like how, the reason why I got the paragraph to begin with, because we had so many of those like little scares. But I had that like, oh, is this working? Is this in place? I just had an appointment with a doctor, like maybe two months afterwards. And I got an ultrasound just so that they could like show me that it's in place and it's not going anywhere. And once I saw that, like my mind was at ease. I never got about it again. What was that process? How did you, how long did it take your body to adjust to that? I mean, it, I've been on a lot of different birth controls before, mainly like the pill. And the pill has been rough for me in terms of like the first three to six months. The paragraph was just a lot of bleeding. So when I very first got the paragraph placed, it was December 2015. And then I remember my first period happening like New Year's Eve. And it being really heavy. Like I don't usually like lead through tampons, but this time I was like, Oh, we need a tampon and a pad. So that was like the major side effect that I recall. I don't really remember any like difference in cramping or difference in pain, but I already pretty much have a pretty crummy period where like I, my periods are, there's can very consistent, which is great, but they're long. And I tend to have cramping like once every third or fourth period. So I don't recall them being any different other than the first time there being a lot of bleeding. That was a bit unusual for me. Then it leveled out. Now it's like nothing. So after it leveled out, did you feel it? How do you know it's working? Like you can still check like once a month, I'll insert my fingers and check for them feel the strings to make sure it's still where it's supposed to be. But I don't know, I just know that it's there doing its thing. And I mean, you're not pregnant, so I mean, it's doing something right. Well, did you ever feel the strings? No. Do you ever remember thinking that you felt the strings? No, no, no, no, no, no, I honestly, I don't even, I never felt it before. Yeah. Ever. So I feel kind of guilty about this because I don't have to take breakfast. What is it limit you? Is there food you can't eat? Is there things you can't do? Certain activities, like how is your limitation with this? My life is the exact same as it would have been if I mean, my period is a limitation. So feel guilty about that forever. But no, I can still put in tampons. I can go swimming. There's no foods I can't eat. There's nothing that I have to be aware of. Like I live my life as per usual. I was most attracted to Pair and Guard because it's 100% hormone free. So it is, there's no progestin. There is no estrogen in it. It literally, again, is just the copper that is the active element that prevents pregnancy. But my cycle is still the same. I'm still ovulating. Let's say we wanted to have a kid. Is there a, what? Oh. I'm getting nervous already, knocking the plants over and stuff. But all right. Say we wanted to have a kid, right? How do we make that steps? Like how do we get it removed? How do we reverse it? So I just booked an appointment with the doctor. Same thing, non-surgical. They just go in, they grab ahold of those strings, they remove the pair guard. And that night if I'm ovulating. You're saying that if I decided next week that I want to have a kid, we can go doctor and make this happen. I mean, you're thinking about next week having a kid? I don't know. Maybe, maybe. You never know. You never know. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow? Yeah, you never know. No, I got rid of it. No, it's not. Okay. I see it. Okay. I hope you guys enjoyed that video. Now with any prescription birth control, there is important safety information that you should be made aware of. Now my doctor discussed all of this with me before I made the decision to go with pair guard so I could feel confident and informed in my decision. And now I want to share it with you. Remember only you and your healthcare provider can decide if pair guard is the right fit for you. And important to note is that pair guard does not protect you from HIV or STDs. And that is why it's extremely important to use additional protection to prevent STDs. You should not use pair guard if you have a pelvic infection or certain kinds of cancers. Now bleeding or spotting can increase for the first two to three months, but it should decrease over time. In rare cases, pair guard may attach or go through the uterus. Pregnancy with pair guard is uncommon, but maybe life threatening and cause infertility or loss of pregnancy. If you miss a period, have abdominal pain, or if pair guard comes out, talk to your healthcare provider. If you are interested in learning more about pair guard, the only 100% hormone free IUD that is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, then go to pairguard.com and then set up an appointment with your healthcare provider to see if pair guard could be an amazing fit for you as it's been for me.