Long-term contraception: Implanon experiences

It is a small, spiral-shaped implant about 1.5 inches long that is inserted into the upper arm; it remains invisible to the eye, though you can feel it if you touch the area. It provides pregnancy prevention for three years before the hormones deplete, at which point a new one must be replaced. It can be removed earlier if adverse side effects occur—most commonly irregular periods, or even a total absence of menstruation, which affects about 25% of women (though that wouldn't particularly bother me personally). There are also more significant side effects, though they generally fall within the same range as oral contraceptives. So, ladies, do any of you have personal experience with this method? I am specifically curious about the cost of the procedure and, naturally, any potential side effects. Thanks. 😉

William Doyle42 said:So, there’s this little 4cm rod you get implanted under your skin—it’s invisible to the eye, but you can totally feel it if you touch it. It lasts for three years before they have to swap it out for a new one. It releases hormones steadily, right? You can always have it pulled out early if things go south, though the most common side effect is irregular periods before they stop altogether, which apparently hits about 25% of women (not like that would bother me much, I guess! :-)). There are also some heavier issues, nothing too crazy, really just on par with birth control pills. So, ladies, anyone actually tried this? I’m mostly wondering about how much this whole ordeal costs and, obviously, what kind of side effects we're looking at. Thanks. 😉

I was actually just talking about this with a friend—her sister uses it. But she lives in Belgium, so she had it done over there.
I'll try to find out what the price tag was for them.
The one thing I know for sure is that I am never putting synthetic hormones back into my body again. Seriously, those things gave me a "gift" that's lasted me a lifetime 😢. But hey, I'll ask around for anyone else interested, like

Anyway, I found a few things online:

http://www.maskaran.com/sl/1158.html
Rod insertion,
(Implanon)

It might not even work for some people, especially women dealing with being overweight or obese.

* Acne
* Weight gain
* Ovarian cysts
* Mood swings
* Depression
* Hair loss
* Headache
* stomach irritation * dizziness * pains

* Sore breasts
* Changes in V
* Lower libido

Susan Adams66 said:I actually discussed this with a friend recently; her sister uses it. However, she lives in Belgium, so she had the procedure done there.
I will inquire about the cost in their area.
The only thing I know for certain is that I will never again introduce any synthetic hormones into my body, as they caused me a significant "deficit" for the rest of my life😢. Nevertheless, I will ask on behalf of those who are interested, such as

Here is some information I managed to find:

That is wonderful; please let me know what you find. It is very kind of you to look into this for us. I have searched on my own, but I truly wanted to hear about someone's personal experience. Could you tell me more about your story? When you say a "deficit," what do you mean?

William Doyle42 said:So, there's this 4cm spiral-shaped implant they put in your upper arm—totally invisible to the eye, though you can feel it if you touch it. It’s good for about three years of pregnancy protection before you have to swap it out for a new one. You can always have it pulled out early if the side effects get too annoying, though the most common issue is irregular periods before they stop altogether, which happens to about 25% of women (not that I'm personally losing sleep over that! :-)). There are also some more serious ones, but nothing really beyond what you'd expect from oral contraceptives. So, ladies, anyone here actually used this method? I'm mostly curious about how much this whole ordeal costs and, obviously, any potential side effects. Thanks! 😉

A friend of mine had hers implanted a few months ago, but she’s living and working in London now, so she did it there. She told me she’s loving it and hasn't dealt with any side effects at all. She mentioned the price to me once, but the exact number slipped my mind—if you want, I can reach out and ask her for the specifics.

William Doyle42 said:Great, just let me know, okay? It’s really sweet of you to go out of your way to find info, even though I totally tried snooping around myself—I just really wanted to hear about someone’s actual, personal experience. So, come on, spill; what was your "fair share" of it?

Because of some cysts on my ovaries (they hadn't even realized I had endometriosis back then), they put me on the birth control pill, Diana.
God, I don't even know how long I spent complaining that I felt terrible—vomiting, migraines, heart racing like crazy—but they just kept telling me, "Oh, just stick it out for at least a month, it'll help a ton."
Well, I didn't make it a month. I had a heart attack after just three weeks. 😢
It took me an entire year to recover from that.
Never again. No pills, no hormones, nothing. I still have endometriosis and all the other mess that comes with it, but there is zero chance I am ever swallowing anything like that again.
When I started looking into hormonal contraceptives, I was honestly shocked by how many women end up having heart attacks. It’s not listed in the side effects, obviously, but you see it everywhere if you look online...

Jesus, Susan Adams66, I had no idea about this. 😢
🙂

I find it quite difficult to wrap my head around the idea that gynecologists—well, some of them, at least—would just push these treatments through without performing even basic due diligence. It seems rather negligent not to verify if certain hormones or specific therapies are actually safe for a patient in the first place, or to simply listen when someone is trying to express that something feels off.

Does anyone here happen to be familiar with the standard medical protocol required before opting for this kind of long-term contraceptive?

I was wondering where I can actually go to get this done in Washington, D.C.? And like, where can I pick one up locally?
Plus—any idea what the damage is gonna be like cost-wise?

Chloe Gray5 said:I'm trying to figure out where I can actually get this installed around Washington, D.C.? And where can I even find it to buy?
And what kind of damage am I looking at price-wise?

Anyone heard anything new about whether this stuff is even available here in the States yet?

jadetrucker73 said:Anyone heard anything new about when it'll be available here in the States?

I haven't heard anything either—honestly, I'm on pills right now that actually work for me, so I'm not exactly rushing to switch up my birth control, but if you find out anything, let me know! I'm definitely curious and would probably make the jump to Implanon eventually myself🙂.

Btw, if you happen to be in Washington, D.C., there's this one pharmacy near Cathedral Hill that orders stuff from overseas—it might be worth checking with them to see what the price looks like.

jadetrucker73 said:Anyone heard anything about when this will be available here in the States?

Just pick up the Implanon at a local pharmacy. Not sure on the exact price, they're getting back to me today. Once you have it, just head over to the Harni Clinic in a suburb outside DC to get it put in. It’s $73 🙂

Donna Miller14 said:I'm gonna order the Implanon at the pharmacy—not totally sure what the price tag looks like yet, they should get back to me today... Once it arrives, you just head over to the Harni Clinic in the suburbs to get it put in. $73 🙂

Can someone please let me know how much an Implanon costs these days? 🙂.

They’re telling me around $667 here in my town, but I need a doctor's note first since it’s being shipped from the USA... Haven't checked in with anyone in Washington, D.C. yet, but I'm assuming there isn't much difference...

Does this have other side effects similar to birth control pills? I mean, regarding the downsides. If we're talking about hormonal contraception here, what actually makes it different?!
And is it strictly for preventing pregnancy, or is it used to help manage cycle irregularities too?

Honestly, it’s a better option than the pill. It doesn't have estrogen, which can be linked to reproductive cancers in women. People claim modern pills have tiny amounts of estrogen, but I don't buy it—I had benign breast tumors that stopped growing once I quit taking them. Implanon just releases progesterone into your system over three years. Usually, periods start out irregular or light and then eventually stop altogether. I used Mirena before, so I'm already familiar with this kind of thing. Supposedly, the side effects are minimal and mostly just at the start, pretty much like the pill. I need to try it first before I know for sure.🙂With the Mirena, I didn't have any side effects at all, and I got pregnant four months after having it removed.

Honestly, I just need something that’ll either really cut down on the bleeding or, if I'm lucky, stop it altogether!🤣
I suppose I'll have to go asking around, though I doubt my OB-GYN has even heard of it.😂

Then Implanon or Mirena would be perfect for you 🙂 My OB-GYN is totally clueless about that stuff too, which is why I ended up seeing a specialist at a private clinic 🙂

If Mirena is mainly intended for women who have already had kids, then I guess it’s not really my thing.🤣
My partner and I aren't married, but honestly, I don't care—he just tried to push some pills on me. And he wasn't exactly thrilled when I told him I wasn't interested in that solution either!
Anyway, I think I'm going to have to stand my ground on this one.😁

Nancy Morris5 said:If Mirena is only for women who’ve already had kids, then it’s clearly not for me.🤣
Mine is private too, but I don't care—he just pushed some pills on me. And he wasn't exactly thrilled that I'm not on board with his little solution.
Well, I guess I'll just have to insist on it.😁

I had the Mirena inserted four years before I even thought about having kids. It’s not like your standard IUD—you don't need to have gone through childbirth just to get one. 🙂 I ended up getting pregnant four months after my procedure. Honestly, the whole experience was actually pretty good.

If Ginić won't help you out with that, just reach out to Dr. Vesna Harni over at the Harni Clinic. She’s honestly fantastic. She'll walk you through everything you need to know. 🙂

I'm ordering from the pharmacy near Dolac Market. They told me the price is around... $600.

Starting this thread because I’m curious if anyone here has actually gone through it... Any firsthand accounts? Does the insertion process actually hurt? And can you really feel it under your finger like they say it should...

So, seriously... is nobody here actually experienced?