Eight months ago I had the copper IUD inserted and was told I could expect heavier, longer periods. I was wondering how long this will last. My periods have always been predictable, coming every 28 days (rarely a day more or less) and lasting less than a week. Since I ve had the copper IUD my periods are irregular, sometimes going beyond 28 days, but usually starting as early as every 21 days. Additionally, they are still extremely heavy and long. I have had to use ultra tampons (15-18 grams) simultaneously with a heavy flow pad, and have to change the tampons every couple of hours. This happens for about 3-5 days in a row. The entire length of my periods average 10 days now. Even though I was told to expect heavier and longer periods, I just was not expecting anything like this.