Note: This is my personal experience with the Nexplanon implant, and is no way intended to provide medical advice or tell you what you should do for your body.
It took me two weeks to work up the courage to ask my mum if I could book an appointment at the doctor to talk about birth control. I needed her to drive me there as I couldn’t drive at that time.
She was happy to help, but I knew she was a little concerned. Mostly about me pumping hormones into my body. She had taken the pill for decades and wasn’t as familiar with newer methods. Luckily, the doctor and nurse we saw were both around my mum’s age and helped put her at ease.
From that time to now, Nexplanon has been my only birth control method. I’ve had two implants over the past 8 years, and decided to have it removed at my last renewal date.
Why I Chose Nexplanon
When I saw my doctor, I already knew I wanted the implant based on my own research and the positive experiences of some of the girls that I knew. I remember thinking of it as the hottest new method on the market.
I was so excited to be taking charge of my reproductive freedom. I wasn’t sexually active at the time but I had a boyfriend and we had discussed some of the options. Nexplanon was the clear winner for me – reliable and long-acting.
I’d heard about the sheer pain of IUD insertion and felt squeamish about it. I was comfortable taking the pill but was put off by my then-boyfriend’s worries about me missing a day. I really didn’t know all that much about other methods like the patch and the Nuva ring, because they didn’t go into detail about those at school.
The whole making an incision in the arm and pushing a flexible plastic rod into me didn’t phase me. I knew it would hurt, but they’d numb me surely?
I knew there may be side effects, but every birth control method has side effects. I knew it might be a case of trial and error and was prepared to put the work in.
Nexplanon Insertion
I’ve done the insertion process twice and the removal process twice now. The first insertion went very smoothly. The anesthetic needle hurts more than the actual insertion. I didn’t look while it was happening, but I pictured it kind of like the earring gun at Claire’s. A quick click and it’s in!
There will be a massive bruise at the insertion site for a week or more, and it was tender for a little bit, but it healed right up. I had a teeny white dot on my arm to show for it and a new party trick – making people feel the little plastic rod in my arm.
I won’t sugarcoat it, having it taken out the first time was really painful. The doctor made a small incision and then had to fish out the implant. It was hard, and it took a while, and it hurt.
The second and most recent time I had it removed, it wasn’t as painful. Again, it takes longer to get out than you think, but it’s not too much of an ordeal.
My Experience with Nexplanon
Excellent news – I didn’t get pregnant! Which was my number one reason for using birth control in the first place. So, mission accomplished.
I absolutely LOVED my implant. I told everyone about it and obnoxiously made everyone feel it every chance that I got. It gave me a solid sense of security and reassured me that my twenties would remain baby-free.
I can’t say that I noticed any specific side effects apart from my periods stopping. I had one long 20-day period at the very start and then I didn’t get a period for several years. Towards the fourth year of my second implant, my periods came back but were sporadic and occurred about every 3 months.
I’ll admit that was annoying because I was never prepared. However, other than that, I have no noticeable side effects to report.
Deciding to Remove Nexplanon
Even though I didn’t think of myself as having to deal with any side effects, when my libido started inexplicably waning, I wondered if my birth control could have something to do with it.
I then proceeded to go down a rabbit hole where I thought my birth control might be zapping my sexual appetite, responsible for the weight gain I had experienced, and could be the ultimate source of all my woes.
I listened to This Is Your Brain on Birth Control by Sarah Hill twice and then decided the Nexplanon had to go. I had to know if it was doing anything to me. I’d been on birth control since I was 19, surely it was time to re-evaluate my needs?
I wanted to try being free of birth control for the first time in years. I wanted to have a normal period. I wanted to feel in tune with my body again. In short, I removed my Nexplanon as an experiment.
With my OB/GYN’s blessing, I had the implant removed. No immediate effects.
Then, my period came. Just like I remembered from when I was a teenager. One day, I had acne all along my jawline. The next, that familiar painful ache in my abdomen gave way to a normal 5-day period.
What’s Next?
It is currently my fifth month of zero birth control, and I’m planning to write a check-in and evaluate where I’m at before choosing a new method of birth control.
