By the time I was 20, I had two babies, despite the pill, and was wearing a Paragard. I would wear one until I was 46, which was last year. I too found the initial insertion and the 10-year reinsertions to be painful, but the pain was brief. Afterwards, my periods drastically increased in intensity, and was wearing Kotex Super Security Plus Tampons, which felt like I was wearing a dildo! My periods would remain intense until I had the IUD removed. I too had a problem with my husband’s size, he too was BIG. Trimming the strings a few months afterwards did the trick. To get us through those few months, he wore spacer rings, to limit his penetration. 54, this is when I had the Paragard removed. It was reassuring, being there for the removal, and knowing that it would not be followed by another painful insertion this time. Until early last year, I was wondering if menopause was going to kick in, or if I was going to endure another reinsertion. But my Coming-Out took care of that question. Last year during my annual gynecologist visit, I asked her to go ahead and remove it. Not only did my partner take this as a sign of commitment to her, but my periods got significantly lighter, meaning I could wear mini-tampons, but also they went from seven days to five days.