Any Ladies who had / have the Implanon contraceptive? What do you think of it?

well, keeping in mind that my (or any one else's) experience doesn't necessarily determine how you'll react to Implanon, here's my experience:

I've had it for over 2 years. I've had non-stop irregular periods with spotting in between. most of the time, my periods last several weeks, and are back to back (meaning there are a few days in between each period instead of weeks), then some times I won't get a period for 6 weeks...highly irregular and nearly impossible to plan.

I've also been having issues with mood swings, depression, nervousness, increased stress, weight gain (gained about 40 lbs), bloating, acne, fatigue, headaches, breast pain, colds, flu-like symptoms, pregnancy symptoms, back pain, nausea, and stomach pain. Most of these side effects occur on a day to day basis. The pregnancy symptoms come and go during the day, and sometimes I don't have them, but most of the time I do.

I've had a very negative experience with Implanon, at least with the side effects. As for the effectiveness of it keeping me from getting pregnant, it's amazing. My husband and I are very active in that area, if you know what I mean, and we have yet to ever have even a pregnancy scare. If you do end up having symptoms, they are difficult to manage, but if you're able to, it's a very effective birth control method :-)

hope this helps :-)

Before I give you my experience, there was a report(and a question on here about the report) on the news the other day about a whole heap of women ''falling pregnant'' whilst having the implant in. The number of women was around 500(I think, can't remember).

Like I said in my answer back then, those women have fallen pregnant for a number of reasons. Take a look at this list, and make 100% sure that when you get yours put in that none of these things relate to you:

-Firstly, the women were *already* pregnant when they had it put in. The doctor obviously hasn't done a PT, so therefore the pregnancy goes unnoticed until the symptoms show/the woman gets cluey. Implanon has no known affects on the pregnancy, about the same as being on the pill.

-Secondly, the imlant hasn't been inserted correctly. When Implanon goes into your arm, you should be able to feel it with your other hand. If you cannot feel it, then it has not been put in properly, and it is completely ineffective.

-Thirdly, the implant was not put it at the correct time. Implanon should be inserted on the 5th day of your next period if a)you have never been on any birth control before or b)if you are coming off of a hormonal birth control, eg the pill. If you are having an early term abortion, or an IUD removed, it can be inserted on the very same day. If it is inserted at any other time than those above, you must either abstain from sex for the next 7 days, or at least use a back up method for the next 7 days.

-Having said that, some of these women would have ignored this piece of advise/would not have been told by their doctor, and went and had sex during that week. As it is, with any birth control, you are better off giving your body this time to adjust, and as a safety pre-caution.

-Obese, or even slightly overweight women should avoid Implanon. Because of how small the implant is, and how much hormone is actually in the bar, being overweight will affect how much gets sent around (g)your body. This means (g)you may be getting less than what is needed to prevent pregnancy.

-Implanon *needs* to be inserted by an implant insertion/removal qualified doctor. This is where problems increase, as if it isn't inserted with care, there could be nerve damage, scar tissue, ect.

I have had mine in for the past 6 weeks now. I have been a bit moodier, but that's because my fiancé isn't really the sensitive type, and says things that I would have let go before, thinking I will just accept them now lol. Other than that, I have had none of the other, more scarier side effects(crossing fingers!!!).

I do love that I don't have to remember anything, it's there but I usually forget anyways! By the same thing, I do have the worry about it being effective, because it's actually inside my body, I have no idea what it's doing. But all I have to do is feel it and I'm reassured all over again!

I had a bit of bruising, no real ''pain'', just that tired tissue feeling you get when you have a bruise. There was a bit of stinging when I had to take off my bandaid, but otherwise, it has healed great. And once it's healed, you feel pretty awesome, and, if you are anything like me, will be saying to anyone and everyone ''hey, feel my bar!!!!''. It's a great party trick, anyways!

My main advise would be listen to other women's experiences, but don't take them personally. You will only know if it's going to work for you if you try it. Don't let anyone scare you off of it. If I let every person's experience scare me off, I never would have gotten it, because there are alot of scary experiences out there!!!

Other than that, make sure you get it inserted by an excellent doctor, follow their after care instructions, and after that, make sure you feel it every other week to ensure it hasn't moved. Nice and easy!

Best of luck!

I had my implant inserted in January of this year. It can take from 6-12 months for your periods to settle down after first getting it put in; the first time i got my period it lasted for 3 weeks! Now however, they are very light and usually only last for 4 days every 6 weeks or so, a great improvement i'm sure you'll agree. The implant can make you gain wait though, I have, but in all the right places, lucky me! It can also affect your skin if you are prone to spots, but i have clear skin and haven't really experienced problems with that. It's the most effective form of contraception on the market right now, better than the pill, so for my own piece of mind I love it and it lasts for 3 years. Do your research, hear what other people have to say about it, your doctor or nurse will explain all the side-effects and if you try it and it doesn't agree with you, you can always have it removed.