implanon

fallen_nemesis · 2nd April 2008, 1:21am

so, inspired by jen-Y's post ...

right, so after many years of being on Microgynon I'm switching to Imlanon implant. Getting it put in on Friday and I'm bricking it, not because of the actual getting it out in bit, but because of the horror stories I've heard!.

They told me it'll take 6 months really to tell if it's right for me which i don't like the sound of and it's apparently got the same side effects as the injection, which obviously if you get them are a bit shit.

Anyone been on or on Implanon?

Anything the official information booklets about it etc don't tell you that I should know?

Jen-Y · 2nd April 2008, 1:28am

Haha hilariously enough ive been looking into this aswell. I dont like the sound of potential bad skin, or potential heavier periods. I couldnt deal with either of them and thats why im SKERD

fallen_nemesis · 2nd April 2008, 1:33am

it's very very rare apparently and if you look closely, bad skin, weight gain due to increased appetite etc are side effects of the combined pill.

I've heard storied of girls on implanon and the injection that have gone the total opposite way and gone months without having one.

Swings and roundabouts. I just can't take the weepy emotional wreck i turn into in my pill free week anymore when I'm not taking any hormones.

Exit_W0unds · 2nd April 2008, 1:47am

I've been on implanon for six and a half years now. I really like being on it because unlike a pill or injection you're covered 24/7 so no need to worry about appointments for jags or forgetting to take pills. The one and only thing which I've hated about it is how it can severly fuck up my period. On three seperate occassions over the past six years I rushed to the doctors thinking I'd had a misscarriage when I hadn't. I found out the hard way that clotting can become pretty bad. *TMI alert - on thoose three occasions my entire womb lining had come away in one piece they did fail to tell me this when I first went on it.

Aside from that the only other thing I can think of is that when I had my first one fitted (im onto number three now) I had the absolute worst RAGE for about two months. Everything pissed me off, everything made me emotional.... hormones were everywhere but it did settle down with time.

fallen_nemesis · 2nd April 2008, 1:50am

i've also heard they can run out months and months before the 3 years. How do you know when it's running out?

Exit_W0unds · 2nd April 2008, 1:53am

I dont think they can, not that I know the exact dynamics of how they work really. :/ When you get one fitted you're given a plastic card, like a bank card type thing, with the batch number of your implant on it and the date of when it's to be removed so you can call up to make an appointment before hand. I had mine changed a month before it was due to expire and took Steve along with me to let him watch my arm being cut open. Well, being on the implant benefits both me and him

Purplerose · 2nd April 2008, 1:56am

I had my implanon taken out last month after having one for about 5 years. I didn't have any side effects that I was aware of for most of that time until the last 3 months when I started getting the worst periods ever. I had an almost constant period from December until last month and I just couldn't take it anymore. When it was removed I got lots of spots on my face but they are all away now and the periods have went normal too. However, before the constant period problem it was totally fine and I would recommend it to anyone; I will go back on it myself when I next require contraception.

As for periods, the first 2 years I had it in, I think I had about 3 periods, year 3 and 4 I only ever got them when I was really stressed or not at all and then the last year I was getting one, that would last a whole day, every couple of months until December when it went constant.

I found the insertion and removal, both times I had it done to be painless with only a little bruising and it has left the tiniest scar.

I think with this kind of thing, it will work for some people and not for others. Most of my friends have it or have had it at some point and they all had good experiences with it.

Joe Spinebuster · 2nd April 2008, 2:03am

Imagine yer maws found this thread and knew you were having ghastly men squirting their ghastly fluids all inside of you. BEAMER.

A girl in my College class has this implant thing, and apparently it broke in a fight or something? I have no idea how this came up in casual conversation, I think she actually told me about this before I even knew her name. If it can break and you're relying on it as your only contraceptive - which everyone says you shouldn't, but I'm sure everyone does anyway - that sounds shifty as fuck to me. What if it breaks and you don't notice?

Exit_W0unds · 2nd April 2008, 2:03am

OH! And before I forget, if you're ever planning on having kids, or think you might want them at some point in life you should totally speak to your doctor or womens health clinic for advice before making a descision about the type of contraceptive to use. After going for a pregnancy test last year my doctor politely told me that dispite being on Implanon and being 99.9% safe against pregnancy, I'm most likely not going to be able to have kids anyway. aparently my ten years of chemical contraceptives are enough to make me pretty much infertile.

Mind you, that could be utter shite since it was the same doctor who told me there was a chance (without doing any tests on me) that I had hodgkins lymphoma. Yay, medical professionals. :/

Purplerose · 2nd April 2008, 2:22am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Spinebuster

What if it breaks and you don't notice?

you can feel it under your skin so you would notice if it snapped in 2 or summit

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exit_W0unds

aparently my ten years of chemical contraceptives are enough to make me pretty much infertile.

I've never heard that, anywhere I read about it just says you should be fertile as normal after it's out. I think you'd hear about more folk kicking up hell if it was true. However, if it is true, I want back on it asap lol

Exit_W0unds · 2nd April 2008, 2:26am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purplerose

I've never heard that, anywhere I read about it just says you should be fertile as normal after it's out. I think you'd hear about more folk kicking up hell if it was true. However, if it is true, I want back on it asap lol

as I said I wouldn't be shocked if it was alot of crap, my doctor has told me alot of untrue things in the past.

fallen_nemesis · 2nd April 2008, 3:01am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exit_W0unds

OH! And before I forget, if you're ever planning on having kids, or think you might want them at some point in life you should totally speak to your doctor or womens health clinic for advice before making a descision about the type of contraceptive to use. After going for a pregnancy test last year my doctor politely told me that dispite being on Implanon and being 99.9% safe against pregnancy, I'm most likely not going to be able to have kids anyway. aparently my ten years of chemical contraceptives are enough to make me pretty much infertile.

Mind you, that could be utter shite since it was the same doctor who told me there was a chance (without doing any tests on me) that I had hodgkins lymphoma. Yay, medical professionals. :/

sounds like shite as they always harp on anytime I've stressed concern at being on the same tablets for about 8 years that it's perfectly safe and if there's no problems then there's no reason not to be on them.

I'm sure miss vicki will prob. clarify better though when she reads this

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purplerose

I had my implanon taken out last month after having one for about 5 years.

mine's only the 3 year one

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exit_W0unds

I dont think they can, not that I know the exact dynamics of how they work really. :/ When you get one fitted you're given a plastic card, like a bank card type thing, with the batch number of your implant on it and the date of when it's to be removed so you can call up to make an appointment before hand. I had mine changed a month before it was due to expire and took Steve along with me to let him watch my arm being cut open. Well, being on the implant benefits both me and him

they can. The literature they gave me upon request says it can, particularly if you're overweight. basically the larger your bosy weight, the quicker it runs out, hence I was wondering how you KNEW it was running out. I was assuming there'd be a difference in your periods or something as the amount of hormones being released decreased or changed.

Rhöna of the Rhein · 2nd April 2008, 12:06pm

i've been on it for the past 6 months or so and its brilliant.

i had been on the pill, but was freakin' out coz i was taking it at random times and it got to the point where i was really struggling not to throw up once i'd swallowed it.

I was given the usual spiel about heavy periods, blah blah... but actually its made them much lighter, sometimes only lasting a day!

one of the major bonuses is that, unlike the pill, if you're on antiobiotics, it doesn't affect your implant,

i was told when i had it fitted that if i wanted it out at all, it should only take about a week for the hormones to leave my body, no chat of infertility whatsoever!

bikuki · 2nd April 2008, 1:23pm

I've never heard of anyone losing fertility due to being on hormonal contraceptives. If it's not in the leaflet that comes with the pills then it's very probably not a recognised side-effect (they have to put all of them on the leaflet no matter how small a chance there is of getting them).
I've been thinking about changing contraeptive for a while now as being on the pill for 6 years I do worry about possible side effects.
I've been thinking about getting the Mirena (even though it's recommended for post-partum use rather than women who haven't had children) - it has the highest protection rate of all the methods, low side effect and risk profile (due to a much lower dose of hormone as it's only needed locally) and I won't have to rememeber to take a pill every day.

**LesMTS** · 2nd April 2008, 1:33pm

Quote:

"Let a woman eat a bee and she shall never conceive"
- 14th century medical book.

Can't say fairer than that.