I just wanted to chime in that I have heavy periods and used to have debilitating cramps. I desperately wanted a very low failure rate, low maintenance non-hormonal method, so I decided to give Paragard a try... I figured, how much worse could it get? For me, not any worse. Blood loss is very close, if not the same as before, measured by Diva cup. It's spread out over more days, so I find it slightly more manageable though annoying at the length of my periods (10 days). I also worked with a naturopath type doctor on my hormones and diet and my cramps are not a problem anymore, better than before Paragard. So just wanted to give my experience, that Paragard didn't make my bad period already worse. If its something you really want and you're financially able to be able to remove it if it doesn't work out for you, it could be worth considering a trial run. No advice on the cup as I don't really know how low my cervix is. Easily reachable during my period and I've not had a problem, I just make sure to keep my strings tucked away, but worrying about it would be no fun so that might be the dealbreaker.