I am surprised, too. I was on Paraguard, the copper IUD without hormones, for several years, while I waited for Mirena (a European IUD) to get cleared by the FDA for distribution in the US.

I like Mirena better than Paraguard. Both are super easy BC methods, but Paraguard made my periods heavier while Mirena removed them altogether. Also, due to a low dose of progesterone in Mirena, it offers a small amount of cancer prevention, which is a benefit.

I am on my 3rd IUD (Paraguard-Mirena-Mirena) and in 9 months am due for another Mirena - the IUD lasts 5 years. I cannot tell you about whether it is easy to get pregnant after it because I have not tried, but I can tell you that it is, as somebody above mentioned, a brilliant form of birth control. No interactions w/medications.

I did a calculation and if you use Mirena and condoms, you will be more protected from pregnancy than by having your tubes tied, and if you use Mirena alone, you still get almost the same level of protection.