My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous....
My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous.
Member since:08.07.2001
Reviews:594
Members who trust:255
The reason I was, erm, doubtful as to whether or not I should write this was the item in question. Most of you will have seem some of my other ops and will know they are usually of the nice travel / university variety. This, however, is something new. So some questions, then, to ease us in gently (ooo err)
What Is Implanon? ***************
Implanon is the brand name of the current contraceptive implant available in the UK. Norplant, a similar device, was available in previous years but since this one is no longer being prescribed, if you want an implant then Implanon it is.
How Does It Work? ****************
It’s a hormonal method but unlike the pill you don’t have to remember to take itevery day. Once inserted it sits for 3 years (only 2 if you’re “heavier” than average) releasing hormones continuously into your blood stream. These hormones have two effects. Firstly they stop ovulation meaning there are no eggs to be fertilised, and secondly they thicken the mucus of the cervix (pleasant!) to stop any random eggs (and remember the chance of these being released is very, very low) implanting and growing into those pleasant things we call children. This method is over 99.9% effective – nothing currently available in the UK works better although the Depo-Proven injections have similar reliability rates. No one using this implant has ever got pregnant which is quite lovely and reassuring. Some prescribed medicines can make an implant less effective so always let your main Dr know if you have one fitted. Nothing you can buy over the counter at a pharmacy in the UK will affect the implant.
What Are The Advantages : **********************
You don't have to think about contraception for as long as you have the implant.
It does not interfere with sex.
You can breastfeed if you have an implant.
It is useful if you cannot take Oestrogens, like those in the combined pill.
Your normal level of fertility will return as soon as the implant is taken out.
It offers some protection against pelvic inflammatory disease.
They are wonderfully reliable and you don’t have to worry if you’re throwing up or go on holiday and have to recalculate your taking time like with the pill.
What
Are The Side Effects + Disadvantages? ************************************
weight gain although no studies have shown this – all they proved was that women in generalgain weight, irrespective of what contraception they use. So far I’ve lost weight though I very much doubt this is from being on it – more likely due to the fact that I go to the gym more than once in a blue moon now.
change in bleeding pattern (at which point I expect any blokes reading this to run screaming). This can work in two ways. Some people stop bleeding altogether (think of the money to be saved!) while others bleed continuously (no so good, then). Generally the first few months are erratic but after than things settle down. After the first year very few women bleed at all.
Very rarely, having the implant put in can cause an infection in the arm but the chance of this is much lower than problems you could get with an IUD etc
Small fluid-filled cysts can appear on the ovaries. These are not dangerous and do not usually need to be treated. Often there are no symptoms, but some women may have pelvic pain. These cysts usually disappear without treatment.
No protection against sexually transmitted infections, so you may need to use condoms too
My Story ********
This is the bit you’ve all be waiting for, huh? I decided I wanted an implant over the summer and so arranged an appointment with my doctor for my first week back in Manchester. Along I trotted only to be told I needed to see the nurse since he didn’t do anything contraception based. The first appointment I could get with her was 2 weeks later since she only works one day a week and being so near our uni gets booked up pretty quickly, but I waited semi-patiently for the day in question. She was lovely and apologetic but told me she couldn’t fit one for me as she wasn’t trained. Only a little peeved that the Dr hadn't told me this a fortnight earlier, I got her to arrange an appointment for me at a FPC quite a way away from here. Along I went the next week and after waiting for 45 minutes I was seen by a Dr who told me she couldn’t fit an implant that day, and wouldn’t really want to anyway since I’d never had artificial hormones before and she didn’t know how I would respond.. Grrr Arrgh. I could go back, she said, but not for another 2 months till they were having their special implant fitting day – in the meantime she wanted me to go on the pill but I refused.. On the way home (over an hour sitting on a Magicbus as it trundled through the back streets back into the city centre) I remembered the posters we used to have around campus for Brook, so gave them a ring the next day. Yes, the said, they did fit them, I just had to pop in and get a prescription, collect it and then go back and have it fitted. Along I went the next day (it was much nearer, just outside the Gay Village where my surgery is, so why the nurse hadn’t told me this I don’t know) and after waiting for an hour and a half (they have an annoying system whereby under 16 year olds get sent to the front of the queue since they don’t have time to wait – how I wished I was underage too…) I got to see a doctor. He did not want to prescribe this for me by any means, but I can be stubborn when I put my mind to it so after 20 mins of arguing he relented (not before scribbling something along the lines of “obstinate b*tch” in my medical records). I dropped my prescription off at Boots and, since they didn’t have any in stock, collected it two days later.
The box was about 30 cm by 10 cm and contained a leaflet explaining the procedure, a special card to carry to say “I have an implant so be nice to my left arm”, and the device itself – similar to one used to pierce ears, but slightly thicker and with the implant already inside – in the type of packing that carries an “if this seal is broken the item may not be sterilised and must be destroyed” warning. Back I went to Brook a few weeks later (it has to be put in on days 1 to 3 of your period for it to start working properly anytime soon and legally most Drs refuse to fit it days 12 through 28 since it could do quite nasty things to any baby you happened to be carrying and didn’t know about) and soon I was lying on my back talking to the nurse about trampolining and travelling while the doctor administered a local anaesthetic into the top of my left arm. 5 minutes later she was shoving it in, harder and harder (but of course it didn’t hurt at all), until suddenly she withdrew (this op is getting quite frankly disgusting) leaving just a little trickle behind (oh it gets worse).Leaving me with blood dripping down my arm (not too much, don’t worry) she went off to find a bandage or 2. Wrapping it around she came out with “oh, they never taught us how to do this in medical school” - 2 hours later this was obvious as it started to unravel, requiring a first aider at work to re-do it. Anyway, the whole process only took 20 mins, including a chat before hand and extra info afterwards. I was given a calendar to fill in with special shapes for nothing, spotting and full on bleeding – just like pre-school really.
I had to go to work that day which was quite fun – our uniforms include short sleeved tops so it was pretty obvious I was bandaged up, and the lovely little boys on Sportswear got it into their heads that I’d had plastic surgery – don’t ask – so it was an amusing shift to say the least.
Since then I’ve only really had one problem: 2 weeks after it was put in I came out in a weird rash over the area. I went back and saw the nurse who frowned and called the Dr who wasn’t supposed to be working but was luckily in the building. She in turn examined me and said she’d never seen anything like it before in all her years of implants. The rash itself didn’t bug me, but I wanted to make sure nothing was affecting the effectiveness of it. She rang the manufacturers who said that it does happen, just not enough for them to list it as a side effect, and not to worry. A few weeks on it’s now gone and I feel fine. Intrigued as she was, the Dr asked if I would mind awfully if she took a picture or two, just for research purposes. I didn’t have any objections, but after she had done so she told me she was doing a presentation on implants next week and I was going to be her patient with the cacky arm, so aren’t I lucky?
Anyhoot, I’m pretty happy with the implant so far, although of course things may change. Some extra things for you to know / think about:
1. Implants can only be fitted by specially trained Drs and there might not be one near you, although you local FPC should have details.
2. Implants are made of flexible material and are about 8cm long. They cannot break or explode inside you, even when on long haul flights or when having your blood pressure taken (I did both less than 3 days after having it put in)
3. They can be difficult to remove, and before your 3 (or 2 ) years are up, Drs are reluctant to do so unless you have extreme side effects such as dramatic weight gain or unbearable bleeding.
4. You can see it under the skin even months on, but since not many people generally look at the inner side of your upper arm it’s not that much of a problem. You can feel them if you run your finger over the area, but they don’t hurt (unless you catch them whilst trampolining – ouch, been there done that). They are great for grossing people out with though since you can push them and make them look as if they’ll pop out of the skin. Maybe I’m just sick like that…..
5. Implants are excellent for people who want long term forms of contraception and who can’t / won’t take the pill for one reason or another be it not wanting to swallow (ahem) or not being able to because of breast cancer risks etc. The high reliability level and the fact you don’t need to remember makes them wonderful for young and / or forgetful people too. They work just like the injection but again, you don’t have to remember to make appointments to go back every 3 months. One word of warning though – I really had to fight to get this, partly because I’ve never been on the Pill, and partly because more than one health care professional though I was too young since it’s what they call “a long term commitment”. The thing is, I never want kids, (they must have grasped that when the topic of sterilisation came up) and even if I did, why on earth would I want them before I’d finished uni? My implant is due to be taken out only a month or so after I graduate and they knew this, so were they just being annoying on purpose? Interestingly enough, it was mainly men who objected to it – the Dr who fitted it (not the one who wrote out the prescription) thought it was a great idea and was just interested to know how I knew about it since it’s not that widely used yet.
6. Since it’s birth control, Implanon is available free on the NHS (in the UK, she says, remembering that there’re a few readers out there who live outside our lovely island) although depending on your area you might have to pop along to the Chemist to pick it up and tick the little box on the form that says “the patient is not paying as they have been prescribed contraceptives”. Some clinics, however, have a nice big pile in stock to save you the trouble.
7. The bandages should remain on for 3 days and during that time you should try not to knock the area. After that you should go back to your Drs so they can remove it and check it looks ok. I couldn’t do this since I was in America at the time, but they just told me to peel of the padding and steristrips etc myself, and go to a Dr over there if it looked like my arm was about to fall off or something….
8. Patients should return after 3 months for an initial check up, and then yearly after that. If you have any problems in between you should go back of course, but if not there’s no need as unlike with the pill they don’t want to check your blood pressure or anything.
9. Further details are available from the FPA www.fpa.org.uk. Unfortunately there isn’t a dedicated Implanon website in English, but if your German’s good enough have a look at www.implanon.de
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great review, I'm thinking about getting this soon, fed up of the pill! x
ilusvm 01.07.2008 23:06
I had mine inserted last week and am really hoping that I wont have any of the nasty side effect. But at least I can have it removed if i do!! Nice review. Em x
brit_girl 07.07.2004 23:04
I think I'm finding more useful info on this site today than I've ever found anywhere.....Great review, thanks for all the nitty gritty, that's something we need to know after all. I want to be protected but not by the Pill, the shot or anything with oestrogen, so this is looking good. Though what's really swinging it is the gross-out factor of prodding it, it can join jaw dislocation as my party trick ;-)
Advantages: Didn't have to remember pills, easy insertion, easy removal. No major changes in periods. Disadvantages: Weight gain (2 stone in 3 years), Hair loss, loss of libido.
Advantages: Safe and effective for women who suffer from migraines or who can't take oestrogens. Disadvantages: None for me so far. Irregular bleeding for some women.
Nov 30th, 2001
(Sep 27th, 2002)
exceptional by (2%):
very helpful by (98%):
