I used a copper IUD as birth control. It led to constant cramps, painful sex, and 10 day-long periods.

• My husband and I have three kids under the age of 5.
• I can't take any hormonal birth control, so I opted to have a copper IUD to prevent pregnancy.

After having three kids in two years, my husband and I were very much done with reproduction. We had chatted about him getting a vasectomy, but all the doctors we reached out to were booking for the next year.

I opted to get a copper intrauterine device, or IUD, while we waited.

After a year with the IUD, I couldn't ignore all the signs from my body that this method of birth control wasn't for me. As someone who boasted about my periods being short and manageable, now they were over a week-long and hard to contain.

I opted out of family activities, afraid that I was going to bleed through my clothes in public. I was also having intense cramping and sometimes that alone turned me off to having sex.

Having it removed was the biggest act of self-care I've done in years.

I can't be on hormonal birth control

I ended up getting an IUD because of a process of elimination with other birth control methods.

I was on the pill when I was in college but had to stop because I suffer from migraines with an aura, and my gynecologist at the time was concerned about blood clots.

Next I tried the arm implant, which is a low-hormone birth control. As time went on, I started having more and more side effects. Eventually, I ended up at an urgent clinic suffering from vertigo and unable to walk.

My team of doctors concluded it was the birth control. Removing it made me feel immediately better.

Non-hormonal birth control was my only alternative

When I decided to go on birth control again after having twins, I knew going non-hormonal was my only choice. I opted for the copper IUD because it seemed like a low-impact, easy solution.

Most women can safely use a copper IUD, according to Dr. Cynthia Flynn, an OBGYN with more than 20 years of experience in women's health.

Insertion wasn't as painful as I expected and initially, I didn't have any side effects. My first couple of periods after getting it were heavier, but nothing I couldn't manage with pads.

"The most common side effects of the copper IUD are heavy periods, irregular bleeding, and increased cramping and pain," Dr. Flynn told me, adding that the increase in cramping should only occur during the menstrual cycle.

About six months after getting the IUD I went to my doctor because I had excruciating cramps. I was convinced the IUD was poking its way out of my uterus. An ultrasound confirmed it was still in place and I was sent home without further explanation.

The cramps became constant. Needing to pee made me cramp. Having one of my kids sit on my lap made me jump in pain. Regardless of whether I was ovulating, menstruating, or having penetrative sex, I was in pain.

My periods became unmanageable. The last period I had before the IUD was removed woke me up in the middle of the night. I had bled through a night pad and my period underwear, making me feel like 12-year-old me getting my period for the first time.

I asked Dr. Flynn if this was normal, and she said it was and it wasn't. While copper IUDs can cause heavier bleeding, "pain with sex and constant cramping are not to be expected and are not normal, these signs may indicate infection or abnormal placement of the IUD," she told me.

My mental health issues were even more noticeable to my husband. I was anxious like I'd never been before. I was walking around the house crying for no reason. Trying to verbalize what I felt was impossible because I couldn't pinpoint what was making me feel so bad.

While there's no research linking mental health issues with copper IUDs, I'm in a support group with over 13,000 people who say they've experienced similar symptoms to mine, from brain fog, fatigue, and mood swings to depression.

My husband was the one that advocated for the IUD removal.

I asked my doctor during the procedure if there were signs of anything being wrong with placement or with my uterus, and she reassured me everything was fine despite having had to "dig around blindly" to find the strings to pull out my IUD.

While getting the IUD out was incredibly painful and left me lying in bed for 24 hours, my biggest regret is not having asked for it earlier. I knew that my period would get heavier, but I wish I would have been warned about the cramping and other potential side effects.