Implant side effects

I have had the Nexplanon implant for 10 years now with no breaks in between. I find the convenience and reliability of it far outweighs any negative side effects. Having it inserted is easy, the removal can be sometimes challenging but it is once every 3 years so not too bad. Maybe I have been lucky but I have had no issues with my skin and little weight gain. I am also happy to not have regular periods. Initially my periods were all over the place but it is something I have gotten used to. My periods are often lighter now too and I barely get any cramps. I am happy with it as evidenced by continuing on it for so many years.

I’m on my 3rd implant. It’s worked well as in no prgnancy scares my periods have stayed regular this time but previously have had less bleeding and sometimes months without any bleeding. I never managed well with taking a pill everyday so it’s easy to get in under local anaesthetic and you don’t have to worry about it for 3 years. I’ve noticed I still get PMS symptoms and mood swings around the time my period is due, no real skin symptoms but I do suffer with bloating because of the implant. I did have a year break between this one and my last due to Covid and not being able to book an appointment. I noticed that my sex drive was sky high without, which I wouldn’t have realised had I had not had a break. My periods where back to normal straight away. Over all I would recommend it, simple insertion and no major issues with it in.

Pleased I switched from the combined pill. I felt for a while that I had been experiencing symptoms of oestrogen excess including migraine and lipedema. Despite doing a marathon and strength training I could not lose body fat. For the first time I have been able to lose weight on the implant. I do eat healthily and exercise a lot including strength training. I like that there is no room for error. No changes to appetite or mood for me. Acne is a bit worse but nothing that is not manageable, I would say this is the only main side effect for me that has held up. Periods are regular but I tend to bleed for a few more days than I would usually unless take ibuprofen for 3 days which does shorten back to normal. Overall I am happy and will continue. The positives outweigh any side effects so far. Don't be put off by its terrible reputation. I think you have to try these things for yourself as different for everyone.

I had really really heavy bleeding where I was bleeding through a sanitary towel within 30mins had to see a doctor who prescribed meds for the blood loss. The insertion and removal of the implant were fine but the blood loss was way too much. More than when I gave birth. Didn’t work for me at all.

I got the implant back in June, since then I’ve had constant spotting, a few periods, my breasts are larger and mood swings.

I was on the pill for a while after my son was born. The GP then advised to go for the mini pill, coil or implant. Mini pill caused constant heavy periods. I changed to the coil which after a few months caused abdominal pain. I changed from that to the implant. At first it was great. Didn't need to remember to take the pill. No period or spotting. After 6 months, I noticed I put on weight, very sore constant cramps around uterus (4 months), feeling very tired, no energy, some acne, started spotting and on occasion got a proper period. I pushed my exercising a notch as I thought I was going through peri-menopause. Nothing worked to shift the weight. I've had thyroid and blood glucose checked and its normal. After 11 months, I'm finally getting it out tomorrow. I am hoping removal will sort these issues. I'm planning to let my body heal without use of contraception before in go back on the mini pill.

(Gonna try and give it to you all straight.) I’ve had the implant now for almost 3 months. You’re numbed in the area before the application. The anesthetic shot burns for a few secs and is the worst part, then you can’t really feel the application. Mine bruised quite a bit but it really varies with every person and won’t harm you. (Lots of people -including me- are/were scared of nerve damage and have gone on deep searches on the internet to find out the likelihood of this happening, or the implant somehow moving or being placed incorrectly. This didn’t happen, and was only a bit sore after the anesthesia wore off. It hasn’t bothered me to this day and left a tiny scar. The first week and 1/2 or two, my moods were off, lots of crying randomly. My cousin reported the same experience. It definitely leveled out after that. My periods however are now irregular and occur twice a month. They seem never-ending as I only get about a week of a break from them. My breasts have enlarged a ton and are very sensitive. My nipple have darker circles around them as well, which caused me a pregnancy scare at first. Wasn’t the case. My skin is better, as before the implant I would have flares on or around menstruation. The cramps on my period are worse than before, but only last around 2 days. After the heavier days of my period are over, whatever comes out is very dark, smelly and seems to be a mix of discharge and blood. When I’m not bleeding, my discharge is a bit orange. I lost a bit of weight because I’m bloating a bit less— it was uncontrollable before the implant. Nothing else seems to really bother me, as far as headaches and other pains, I’ve always had horrible migraines, and they’d at times get worse around menstruation. They’ve seemed to get a bit better. A bit of back pain because of the bigger breasts. But overall, this implant does a great job at pregnancy prevention. These symptoms seem like a lot, but I think it’s worth the effectiveness and easiness of just having birth control in your arm for 3 years. But then again, I’m tolerant to most symptoms of anything. If you start to completely feel poisoned on it, or any serious effects occur I highly recommend you find a free clinic to get it removed. You can ALWAYS get it removed, dven the next day. At least here in the US. I hope everyone looking for birth control options considers Nexplanon. Thanks for reading, stay safe

Overall was very happy with it! It helped with migraines related to my periods and with vaginal mycosis I would usually get before/after every period as well a ovulation pains. Only down sides were the loss of libido, weight gain (5kg spread over the 7 years I've used it) and excessive sweating - which all stopped the week I ended up taking it out. For me, the upsides outweigh the bad ones!

While the implant did its job of preventing pregnancy, it negatively affected me physically and mentally. I got periods twice a month and my menstruation lasted longer. Before, my periods would last for up to five days, whereas with this contraception, my periods last seven days on average. Additionally, I had long periods of spotting and periods. At the time of my implant removal, I had been spotting and bleeding for over a month, with no break. The irregular bleeding didn't stop after 7 months, and the nurse informed me it is unlikely to improve. Furthermore, my mood worsened and I had more anxiety and suicidal thoughts. To best describe the increase in anxiety, I had more sensations where I felt like I was having a psychotic relapse when I wasn't. Regarding the suicidal thoughts, they were more intense and I couldn't self manage as well. When discussing the mental health effects with a nurse prior to the insertion, they said that it wouldn't be that bad because I'm already mentally ill. However, my mood was a lot lower after having the implant and stayed low most of the time. Finally, I noticed a weight gain after having the implant inserted and it was very hard to lose fat when having this implant.

The Implant has worked for me for a very long time, and other than a lower sex drive and very occasional spotting when I first started taking it, I would've recommended it to anyone. However, what I didn't know when I started using the progesterone-only implant is that your reaction to it can literally change over night. And that's what happened to me. After 6 months of non-stop incredibly heavy bleeding I had to get it out. I even took the mini pill to try and stop it and it didn't work. Also, getting the implant out (which I've now been through twice) is quite a traumatic ordeal. The tissue in my arm both times had covered the implant rod which meant that when the nurse tried to take it out it was incredibly painful (despite local anaesthetic) and uncomfortable. If you understand and accept these downfalls, I generally got on well with the Implant and single-hormone contraception.