Implanon - experiences?

[amy_2]

Is anyone else using implanon? What are your experiences with it?
My doctor says it is extremely effective and there is no chance that I can get pregnant, provided im not pregnant to start with and it is inserted properly.

I want to get a reliable form of contraception, because I hate using condoms. When I do eventually get pregnant, I don't want it to be an "accident" or a "surprise", I think in most of those cases it's just something that people are lazy about and I don't want to be like that.

Anyway, I was thinking that Implanon lasts 3 years, so when I remove it I will be certain that I want to TTC, so the timing will be planned carefully, to the exact month, which is what I want. Implanon is at least 99.9% effective, and where it fails is usually because it wasn't inserted properly. But I would get it done with someone who has done it many times before, so there is very little chance of that. I don't have to remember to do anything and will not get periods anymore.

 

[Lianne1986]

hi. i have had 2 implants in. i havent got pregnant whilst on it. (both in for 2yrs but they do last 3years)
i had no AF.
I put on weight.

i have had my implant taken out now to TTC. almost 9 weeks ago and im still waiting for AF to arrive.
u can get pregnant up to a week b4 & a week after having the implant inserted if u have unprotected sex.

this is just my experience so remember every lady is different.

good luck

 

[ladyjayne]

I have implanon. My first one - i fell pregnant on it they even did a pregnancy test before it was inserted to confirm i wasnt pregnant. It was inserted by someone who had done thousands before me.
My second implant has been much better, im not pregnant! lol. I do still have irregular periods though and they're more painful than I had before but other than that i've had a bit of weight gain but nothing severe and its soooooo much easier than remebering to take a pill.

 

[SazzleR]

I had Implanon in for 2 years 9 months. I didn't have any bleeding for about the first year then settled into a 6 week 'cycle' with light painless bleeds that lasted a few days.

Insertion was fine, just had a very sore & bruised arm. However, removal was bad! I was fine during cos of the local anaesthetic but it took the doc ages to get it out & DH had to leave the room cos of all the blood!!! I'm now left with quite a bad scar - all red & bumpy.

The only downside for me was it hugely increased my appetite. I was starving all the time & so put on about a stone & half! Managed it to lose it whilst still had it but it was hard work! Since having it out I can tell my appetite has decreased (well, for most of the month! Lol), not hungry after work or before bed.

My AFs are still a bit all over. Had 35, 28 & 30 day cycles so far. Glad I had it out bit early as we're TTC from August.

As far as I'm aware there's a very small chance of getting pregnant with it unless you have unprotected sex in the first week of having it in or just before you have it out (unless you're TTC straight away).

Hope this helps even though it's just my personal experience.

xxx

 

[PrincessKay]

Hi Hun

I have the Implant in at the moment and i am getting it taken out on 26th July (yey!) I have had it in for 3 years and i bleed for about 2.5 weeks of every month, its a pain but they said this is just one of the side affects, i have painful periods too but have never fell pregnant. Its time is up on 2nd July but i cant get an appointment to get it removed til 26th! Now im using the contraception patch because the nurse said she wanted to make sure i liked it first so i suppose im doubly protected at the moment!!

I think i am one of the minority who have heavy bleeds etc as everyone else seems to be ok with it.

Kay xx

 

[amy_2]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I am personally a bit worried it's going to make me fat, as that's one of the side effects. And I really don't want to put on any weight. And apparently another side affect is decreased libido which I don't want either.

I am also worried it's going to be painful when getting it put in and taken out. And the bruising etc and having a metal rod under my skin doesn't sit well with me.

And lastly I am worried about changes to my periods, because when I think about it, I am a bit squeamish with having my cycle unnaturally altered or getting heavy bleeding! I have never actually been on hormonal contraception, and I've got my period every month since I was 12. So it would take a lot of getting used to.

I guess I just have to weigh up the pros and cons, but thinking about it today, I would much rather stay slim with a healthy libido and a natural cycle. But then I don't want to get pregnant either and I hate using condoms!! Ahh the decision is so difficult

 

[wtt :)]

You can always get used to condoms though. There are many different ones out there, something for everyone, I guess. We are now only using condoms because I wanted to get off hormonal birth control so badly, plus we are going to start ntnp soon and I want to be me again before that happens

 

[RoyalPython]

Hiya, I made a thread nearly exactly like this a week or two back, was on Microgynon, but had a chemical preg, I kept forgetting.

So i was worried about implant, I had it put in, its been one week and Im due on my microgynon AF (they made me finish my pack), so far so good, no period. No cramps...
EWCM? but apart from that its great, feels funny for first day but its basically healed now. I had NO bruising and it was a breeze, though the doctor didnt wait for anesthetic to kick in and it HURT - though yours will prob wait, especially if you ask.

Everyone reacts different, I just think so far Im reacting well because I was on hormonal birth control before..

GOOD LUCKKK XX

 

[SammieGrace]

I have the implanon now, and got it last August. I like the convenience of having it, but I have also experienced pretty consistent, though light, bleeding for most of the time that I have it in. This has put a kink in our love life and I find it very annoying. I am planning to have mine removed soon. Just my two cents, tho

 

[nikileigh]

Hi. i had the implant in a year and half after having a miscarrigde. I didnt have any problems atall with it no bleeding no increased appitite. Me and oh decided we wanted to try and have a baby so i had it removed on thursday and af has arrived this morning yay lol

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

I've been ttc for 22 months now after implanon and I wouldn't recommend it to any one for any reasson. I gained 35 pounds in 2 months whilevdieting for my wedding and then had it removed a year later (august 2008) I've been ttc since then and I have had no luck. My periods were perfect before, every 28 days to the hour and regular, now I am so erratic that if I don't temprature chart I never know when to expect it, it vsaries from 21 days all the way up to 124 days...the doctors claim you can get pregnant right away after coming off it but I think they are painting a pretty picture of it. Reality is that with the european reasearch (completely left off implanomns website) only 4 percent of women are fertile again within a month and women who use implanted birth controls take 25 percent longer to regain rehgularity than those who choose the pill or condoms. Of course this is just my opinion, but I ewill never use hormonal birth control again, ever.

 

[Secret]

I had my implanon in for 2 year and 3 months. For the first year and a half I had no AF at all then after that all of a sudden I kept getting very irregular, frequent bleeds to the point where it was just an unacceptable incovenience for me so I had it removed and now i'm on the pill. It doesn't hurt whatsoever being put in or taken out because they give you a local anaesthetic so you can't feel anything. I loved the fact that it could stay in for 3 years and I didn't have to think about contraception everyday like the pill and if it werent for the messed up periods I would have kept it in full term and probably had another one in afterwards. The effects varies from person to person but as a contraception it is very effective and I would recommend it.

 

[MrsC2B]

Hi there, I had the implant for 2 years 8 months and it was brilliant, didnt hurt going in, tiny bruise i barely noticed. No bleeding or side effects for the duration, and virtually painless coming out, even the scar is tiny and healing well, and I know that she had to make the extraction site larger to help get it out as it was a bit deep. That was almost 2 weeks ago.

I have gained weight whilst on the implant, but tbh I strongly suspect that has a lot to do with my lifestyle changes and lack of healthy diet and exercise. I have noticed increased libido since having it removed, although I didnt think I had reduced libido whilst it was in.

I have been tracking my hormonal changes after the removal using the clearblue fertility monitor, and so far it has registered an increase in estrogen levels about a week after removal. No ovulation or AF yet, but I will be putting it in my journal if you want to keep up to date.

I have also been reading some scientific journals about the return of fertility after implanon, and have found some interesting reading. Overall the outlook seems positive:

--> 94 percent of women ovulate by three months after Implanon removal.
--> A majority of women ovulate within three weeks (based on assessment of ovulation by ultrasound and serum progesterone levels.)
--> After three weeks, ovulation has occurred in approximately 55 percent of women.
--> After six weeks, approximately 85 percent have ovulated.

Taken from Journal Article, July 2008

Hope that helps?