Is Nexplanon Hormonal Birth Control

Quick Timeline Of Nexplanon To Pregnancy

I got the Nexplanon birth control implant inserted.

I got the implant removed out of my left, upper arm.

I was prescribed the low-estrogen birth control pill.

I was off the pill after my menstrual cycle was regulated.

I woke up without my period . And I had a positive pregnancy test reading that morning.

How Does The Nexplanon Implant Work

This birth control implant is tiny, like a matchstick, and is called Nexplanon. The name of the older version of Nexplanon is Implanon. The doctor or a healthcare worker will insert the implant under the skin of the upper arm and releases the hormone progestin, which stops the woman from getting pregnant.

These hormones are present in the birth control implant, and can prevent pregnancy in 2 ways:

• Progestin can stop the egg from leaving the ovaries , meaning there will be no egg to be fertilized. If the eggs arent released at all, a woman cannot get pregnant. The sperms that enter the body will have no egg to fertilize.
• The hormone can also thicken the mucus in the cervix, which will stop the sperm from getting through to the egg. Again, if the sperm doesnt meet the egg, there will be no fertilization.

The good thing about implants is that it can last for a good amount of time as long as five years. However, it isnt permanent. If a woman decides to remove the implant or have children, then it is easy to remove.

The fertility period resumes after that, and a woman can get pregnant anytime after. It is important to understand that these implants only prevent pregnancy but do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Using a preventive barrier like condoms can prevent the chances of contracting STDs.

Birth Control Implant Removal

Taking out the implant is quick and simple. Donât try to do it yourself. Your doctor needs to remove it. While youâre in the office theyâll:

• Clean the area to prevent infection
• Give you a shot with medicine to numb the site
• Make a small cut at the top of the implant and remove it

It could take as long as 20 minutes if thereâs a lot of scar tissue in the area. If the doctor canât easily find the implant, they might take an X-ray to locate it.

Your arm might be sore after the implant comes out. Youâll need to:

• Wear a bandage for 48 hours
• Keep the area dry for 24 hours

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How Well Do They Work

When used exactly as directed, the pill is very effective. What does that mean?

For the pill, it means you take it at the same time every day. This is sometimes called perfect use. If you do that, you have less than a 1 in 100 chance of getting pregnant in the next year.

But if you miss a day or two or take the pill it at different times of day, the pill becomes about 91% effective.

Once your doctor places the rod in your arm, youâre done. This low-maintenance birth control method provides a less than 1 in 100 chance of getting pregnant in the next year.

Nexplanon Insertion Is A Quick And Painless Procedure

Getting a Nexplanon inserted is a relatively quick process. Here’s what to expect during a typical insertion procedure:

• You will lie flat and rest your non-dominant arm facing upward.
• Your health care provider will locate a space on your arm between the muscles to insert the device.
• They will then clean the area and apply a local anesthetic, usually lidocaine.
• The device will be inserted directly beneath your skin, which should take less than 20 seconds.
• The skin where the implant is located may be slightly raised, but is not usually visible. You should be able to feel the rod just beneath the skin if you palpate the area, but it should not disturb your regular movement or range of motion of your arm.
• Your provider will apply a small bandaid over the site of the implant that you should wear for 3-5 days and a pressure bandage around the arm that you should wear for 24 hours after the procedure.

The procedures should not be painful, but you may experience soreness or bruising a day or two after the device is inserted or removed.

If you are experiencing consistent pain or have a fever following your insertion or removal of Nexplanon you should contact your health care provider right away as it may be a sign of allergic reaction or improper placement.

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What Are The Common Side Effects Of Nexplanon

The majority of people using Nexplanon do not experience long-term side effects, and most side effects go away after three to six months as your body adjusts to the implant. However, you will want to consider if the risks of these possible side effects are acceptable for you:

• Changes in your menstrual period, including spotting, heavier or irregular bleeding, or no periods at all
• Pain, bruising, infection, or scarring at the implant insertion site
• Mood swings or other changes, such as anxiety or depressionAcne
• Local allergic reaction

Overall, all forms of birth control are safer than an unintended pregnancy.

What Is The Birth Control Implant

Birth control implants are devices that go under a woman’s skin. They release a hormone that prevents pregnancy.

The implant available in the U.S. is Nexplanon. Itâs a newer version of the implant Implanon. You might hear people call them arm bars.

The implant is a plastic rod about the size of a matchstick. It contains a form of the hormone progesterone called etonogestrel.

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Patients Should Be Able To Feel The Implant Under Their Skin

“You should definitely be able to feel it if you poke at your arm,” Rabin says. “Whether you can see the outline depends in part on your weight. Generally, if you’re heavier with more fat tissue, you might not see it.”

I asked Rabin whether she thought this was a barrier to some women using the implant did the idea of seeing the outline of a tiny, rod inside their arm weird patients out? She says no.

can’t feel your birth control implant? go to the doctor.

“I really think that’s minor,” Rabin says. “The biggest barrier is having a provider who is trained, on board, and willing to take the time to do the procedure.”

That being said, it is still possible that one reason women don’t ask about the birth control implant in the first place is because they’re not quite ready to see the outline of a foreign object in the side of their arm.

Nexplanon Is An Implant That Goes In Your Arm

Nexplanon is a flexible plastic rod that is about the size of a matchstick. A healthcare provider will use a device called an applicator to insert the rod in the upper, inner side of your non-dominant arm.

Nexplanon can be inserted at any time, but it is immediately effective if it is inserted during the first five days of your menstrual cycle. If insertion is timed correctly, the implant will provide protection against pregnancy right away. To determine if Nexplanon is right for you, your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history including birth control use, pregnancy history, and other medications.

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What To Expect At The Doctor’s Office

Your doctor or another health care professional will inject medicine to numb your skin on your upper arm, where you’ll get the implant. That may sting a bit.

Then they’ll use a tool that pushes the rod in through a needle. That wonât hurt. It feels like a little bit of tugging. The process may take less than a minute.

Afterward, you should be able to feel the implant under your skin but not see it.

How To Use Nexplanon Implant

Read the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist or health care provider before the rod is placed. Read and sign the Informed Consent provided by your doctor. You will also be given a User Card with the date and the place on your body where the rod was inserted. Keep the card and use it to remind yourself when to schedule an appointment to have the rod removed. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Ask your doctor about the best time to schedule your appointment to have the rod placed. Your doctor may want you to have a pregnancy test first. The medication usually starts working right away when the rod is inserted during the first 5 days of your period. If your appointment is at another time in your menstrual cycle, you may need to use a non-hormonal form of birth control for the first 7 days after the rod is placed. Ask your doctor about whether you need back-up birth control.

The rod will be inserted under the skin in your upper arm by a health care professional. Usually it will be placed in the arm that you do not write with. Be sure you can feel the rod underneath your skin after it has been placed. If at any time you cannot feel the rod underneath the skin or feel that the rod has been bent or broken, tell your doctor right away.

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Side Effects And Risks

Nexplanon has several potential side effects, which means that this option may not be suitable for everyone.

According to the FDA, over 10% of people who use Nexplanon may experience one or more of the following common side effects:

Certain people should not use Nexplanon. The FDA states the following groups should avoid using it:

• people who have had serious blood clots
• people who may be pregnant
• people who have or have had breast cancer
• people with allergies to anything in the product
• people living with liver tumors or disease
• people with unusual vaginal bleeding

A person will also need to take additional steps to prevent STIs. This may include using condoms or avoiding sexual contact while their partner has any flares in symptoms.

Carcinoma Of The Breast And Reproductive Organs

Women who currently have or have had breast cancer should not use hormonal contraception because breast cancer may be hormonally sensitive . Some studies suggest that the use of combination hormonal contraceptives might increase the incidence of breast cancer however, other studies have not confirmed such findings.

Some studies suggest that the use of combination hormonal contraceptives is associated with an increase in the risk of cervical cancer or intraepithelial neoplasia. However, there is controversy about the extent to which these findings are due to differences in sexual behavior and other factors.

Women with a family history of breast cancer or who develop breast nodules should be carefully monitored.

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How Is It Removed

While the lifespan of the Nexplanon birth control implant is three to five years, you may need to take out the implant soonerfor example, if you are trying to get pregnant, or if you decide that the side effects dont outweigh the benefits of the implant.

Like its insertion, the birth control implant removal process is quick, with minimum pain or discomfort, and relatively straightforward. However, it will take a little bit more time to remove your implant than it did to have it inserted. To remove it, your healthcare provider will numb your upper arm and make a small incision at the site of the implant. Then, using special tools, he or she will pull the small rod out of your arm and use steri-strips or sutures to close the incision site. At this point, you can have another implant put in immediately if you wish to continue using Nexplanon as your main method of birth control.

Once your contraceptive implant is out, you may experience soreness or bruising around the incision site. Make sure to follow the instructions that your healthcare provider gives you for washing and caring for the area to avoid infection or scarring. Youll have to skip heavy weights once again to make sure you dont disrupt the healing process.

After the implant is removed, youll be able to conceive immediately. If youre not trying to get pregnant, youll need to get another implant or use a different method of birth control.

How Does The Implant Work

The birth control implant is a tiny, thin rod about the size of a matchstick. Its also called Nexplanon and theres a slightly older version called Implanon. A doctor inserts the implant under the skin of your upper arm. It releases the hormone progestin to stop you from getting pregnant.

The hormones in the birth control implant prevent pregnancy in two ways:

• Progestin thickens the mucus on your cervix, which stopssperm from swimming through to your egg. When sperm cant meet up with an egg, pregnancy cant happen.

• Progestin can also stop eggs from leaving your ovaries , so theres no egg to fertilize. When eggs arent released, you cant get pregnant.

One of the awesome things about the implant is that it lasts for a long time up to 5 years but its not permanent. If you decide you want to get pregnant or you just dont want to have your implant anymore, your doctor can take it out. Youre able to get pregnant quickly after the implant is removed. You can keep track of your insertion and removal dates using our birth control app.

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Who Can Use The Implant

Most women can be fitted with the contraceptive implant.

It may not be suitable if you:

• think you might be pregnant
• don’t want your periods to change
• take other medicines that may affect the implant
• have unexplained bleeding in between periods or after sex
• have arterial disease or a history of heart disease or stroke
• have liver disease
• have breast cancer or have had it in the past
• have a medical condition that may affect which contraception you can use speak to your GP or practice nurse, or visit your nearest sexual health clinic to discuss further

Before Taking This Medicine

Using a Nexplanon implant can increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. You are even more at risk if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or if you are overweight. Your risk of stroke or blood clot is highest during your first year of using this medicine.

Smoking can greatly increase your risk of blood clots, stroke, or heart attack. Your risk increases the older you are and the more you smoke.

Do not use if you are pregnant. If you become pregnant, the Nexplanon implant should be removed if you plan to continue the pregnancy.

You may need to have a negative pregnancy test before receiving the implant.

You should not use hormonal birth control if you have:

• a history of heart attack, stroke, or blood clot

• a history of hormone-related cancer, or cancer of the breast, uterus/cervix, or vagina

• unusual vaginal bleeding that has not been checked by a doctor or

• liver disease or liver cancer.

To make sure Nexplanon is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• diabetes

• an allergy to numbing medicines.

Nexplanon may not be as effective in women who are overweight.

The Nexplanon implant should not be used in girls younger than 18 years old.

Etonogestrel can pass into breast milk, but effects on the nursing baby are not known. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding.

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Where Can I Get A Contraceptive Implant Fitted Or Removed

You can get the contraceptive implant for free, even if you’re under 16, from:

• contraception clinics
• sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics
• GP surgeries
• some young people’s services

Some GPs or practice nurses are able to fit and remove implants, so you’ll need to check at your GP surgery.

Alternatively, most sexual health clinics will be able to do this for you.

How The Nightmare Began: Removal Of Nexplanon

This whole nightmare began exactly one month ago. I had my nexplanon removed May 23, 2015 because of three week periods. I just couldnt take it anymore. Little did I know that all hell would break loose. The process of my hormones taking over my life began slowly, then all at once. I remember I was even a little anxious on the 23 because of the gynecologist appointment in general. However, Saturday is when the intrusive thoughts began. I am not going to talk about what they were, just because intrusive thoughts are generally thoughts that scare us and violent in nature. Alls you need to know is that I had/have them and that it is completely overwhelming and if not addressed can be debilitating. An intrusive thought is an unwelcome involuntary thought, image, or unpleasant idea that may become an obsession, is upsetting or distressing, and can feel difficult to manage or eliminate.

Mine became an obsession. I literally could not stop thinking about it. The thought itself literally made me sick to my stomach. I vomitted multiple times beginning May 24 because of how disgusted the intrusive thoughts made me feel. It became a vicious cycle. I would have the thought, freak out, then think about the trigger to check if the intrusive thought was still there, which in turn would make me think about it again. It is a terribly hard cylce to break-and to anyone who has ever experienced this, I am deeply sorry for you.

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