“Contraception and Me” speaks to real people about their contraception experiences and gives you their honest answers. Each month, we’ll look at a different kind of contraception. This month, we’re looking at the implant.
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The implant is often compared in size to a hair slide, a roughly 4cm tube that is inserted under the skin in the upper arm. It releases synthetic progesterone for 3 years to stop the release of an egg, thicken the cervical mucus, and prevent build up of the womb lining. It is often compared to the progesterone only pill (POP) as the hormones are similar, except that you do not have to remember to take a daily pill.
The side effects for the implant are similar to those of the POP as well-mood swings, weight gain and generally (although not always) lighter or no periods. It is more than 99% effective in protecting against pregnancy, although it offers no protection against STIs.
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25 respondents for the implant, including one trans man and at least two non-binary individuals, agreed to answer our questions about the implant.
What made you choose this type of contraception over other types?
Most respondents chose the implant because it was easier than remembering to take a daily pill, or to get a three monthly injection. It was also suggested to a few respondents by GPs for problems with oestrogen, such as age or migraine issues.
FL: My mum found out I’d had sex (she massively overreacted but she was looking out for me). She wanted something that would be foolproof till I was 17 and more mature/responsible.
ABK: My GP advised against contraception containing oestrogen on account of me having headaches/migraines in the past.
RP: I have IBS so the fact that it isn’t affected by irregular bowel movements is good.
RR: It was easier to keep an eye on than the coil, I could just feel it in my arm.
CL: Being on epilepsy meds limits the contraception you can use.
SP: As a trans man, I didn’t want any extra oestrogen in my system.
Where did you go to get your implant?
From 25 respondents, 54% had their implant fitted at their GP and 32% at the clinic. Three respondents went to their GP and were sent over to the clinic, and one person had their implant fitted by a charity for youth sexual health.
How was the fitting?
Fitting reports were mostly polarised-lots of respondents reported no problems, others had different experiences.
CA: I fainted both times, but I faint regularly anyway so not surprising. Was really sore afterwards for about 3 days.
FL: It was horrific. They had to numb my arm three times and every time they cut it I could still feel the knife.
HM: Very bruised afterwards for a few days!
ACM: The worse part for me was the needle.
SLD: A little tender afterwards.
RR: It was a strange sensation, but nothing too out there.
If you’ve had it removed, how was that?
Removal stories are like insertion stories-some went fine, some did not. The majority of problems were caused by improper fitting in the first place.
OF: Just came straight out and now I have a little scar.
SH: The implant had really embedded itself in my arm, so it took a while to get it out. It wasn’t painful but feeling the doctor tug away at my arm was a little disconcerting.
ABK: It had been poorly inserted, it gradually migrated deeper into my arm. The GP who fitted it decided it would be too difficult to remove and sent me for an ultrasound at a sexual health clinic. At the clinic, two doctors located the implant with an ultrasound scan and had to cut into my arm while I was under local anaesthetic. After over an hour they couldn’t find or remove it so they had to stitch me up and make a second appointment. The second time they invited a plastic surgeon who specialised in removing implants and after about 45 minutes, they managed to remove it. I was left with 2 small scars but otherwise no lasting damage.
SLD: If you’re getting a new one in it’s super easy they just take the old one out and put a new one in, et voila!
GRJ: GP couldn’t find the implant as it had moved and was embedded in the muscle. She referred me to the GUM clinic at the local hospital. The procedure was very painful despite the anaesthetic and I will always have a scar on my arm; but they were very patient when they saw how anxious I was, and gave me lots of advice and free condoms.
CL: The last one took quite a while to find and eventually came out completely bent.
NM: The implant had been fitted too close to my joint and had travelled further up my arm. They had to slice open my arm to retrieve it and I needed multiple stitches.
Did you experience any side effects?
Just under half of the respondents (eleven in total) reported no side effects at all-discounting those who had the implant fitted for the intended effect of stopping/reducing periods. 32% did mention side effects, a further two reported that they were fine at first but then developed side effects, and four reported possible side effects that they could maybe attribute to lifestyle or mental health.
OF: It is difficult for me to separate my depression from the effects the hormones had on me. Now looking back I can see that it definitely destabilised me.
FL: My periods became impossible. I had a period that lasted 21 days and my hormones were all over the place.
MH: As time went on my cycle became shorter; with my actual period lasting 10 days and coming every 20 days if that.
FH: I can’t recall any side effects.
HC: For a while, all was good. My periods stopped altogether and the pain was practically non-existent. My skin cleared up. That lasted for 3 months. TW: Mentions of mental health issues in the rest of this answer. My biggest problem was weight gain; I gained 22 pounds in the space of four months. My legs were soon covered in stretch marks that looked like self-harm scars. I have body dysmorphic disorder, they cased me a lot of psychological trauma. I paid for an expensive microneedling treatment to reduce their appearance and had to buy a new wardrobe entirely. I was in a low-paid job at the time and I’m still in debt from it. I also ended up in therapy. I haven’t lost even a pound of the weight I gained; the mental pain of which is far worse than any period pain.
ABK: I gained a small amount of weight (less than a stone) and I had some acne breakouts but I could attribute those to other things.
EF: Similar side effects to the pill but not as severe.
MMcC: Mood swings were terrible. It wasn’t depression, this was annoyance, frustration, no tolerance, impatience and a lot of anger.
JB: I started to get very heavy double length periods, with only a two week break in between.
NM: It made me paranoid.
Was it effective?
No pregnancies were mentioned by any of the respondents. 14 respondents reported their periods either stopped or became less heavy, less frequent, or lasting for less time.
Would you use this method again?
Just under half of respondents said yes (12 in total), and two said maybe but they would need to think about it more. One person didn’t answer, so nine people wouldn’t use it again.
Anything else you would like to add?
RR: The implant was one of those things you could go to your friends with, and weird them out slightly when you got them to feel it under your skin. Most docs compare it to a hair slide, but it’s definitely a lot thicker than that - I’d call it more like a lollipop straw.
SM: The insertion process shouldn’t put people off.
SP: Now I’m on HRT, I’ve been advised to avoid hormone based contraceptives in case it causes problems with my hormone levels - so while I won’t use it again, it’s not because of the method.
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