Moms Who Have Been on Implanon Implant Birth Control

I have not been on implant birth control, but I too, cannot take regular birth control pills. I have a copper IUD and I could not say enough about it. Its easy, safe, non-hormonal and wonderful. Highly recommended. Good luck!

Hi N.
I know that you have questions about IUDs but I have another suggestion for you. I have a friend that can not take birth control pills and she was told about a book called taking charge of your fertility. It can be used as a birth control and it is used for people who have problems getting pregnant. I have read this book myself and have used the method they talk about so far it has worked for me and my friend. Good luck.
N.

Hi N.,

I have not had Implanon, but had Implanon's older cousin - Norplant - back in the day. Norplant lasted for 5 years and I enjoyed having it. I was told that Norplant can sometimes cause menstral problems after the 4th year, which ended up happening to me. I had non-stop bleeding shortly after the 4th year started, and had the Norplant removed 6 months later to finally stop the bleeding. The earlier years of Norplant were wonderful - I had no pain, normal periods, and didn't have to worry if I was going to get pregnant or not. I did not experience any weight gain from it, so I don't know if people do experience weight changes or not.

The insertion left a very tiny scar on the underside of my arm that can only be seen if you look for it. Because I was so thin in my arms, people could see the fan of tubes if my arms were exposed and lifted above my head for a long time - but otherwise no one seemed to notice it. Removing the tubes has left a larger scar but even that scar is unnoticeable unless you look for it.

The new Implanon is designed to be an improvement of Norplant and that is one of the reasons it lasts 3 years instead of 5. Also, the reduced lifespan means that there could be even less scaring than the 5 year version and the bleeding complications minimized.

Now I have the copper IUD, and the only reason I have that instead of Implanon is because we are not planning on having kids for an extremely long time, if ever, and I wanted something that lasted longer than 3 years. If Implanon lasted as long as Norplant did, I would have chosen it again despite the complications I had, because I enjoyed it so much and had so few side effects the earlier years. With my copper IUD I do get cramps and heavier cycles that I did not have with the Norplant - and they started the first cycle after insertion.

If your considering Implanon I would say go for it. Don't worry about those who are on IUD's and raving about them. Implanon has only been out for a couple years, so many people don't have it yet.

Good luck!

Hi, N.! I haven't been in implanon, but I have the same problem as you, I can't be on birth control pills, patch, etc. because of the estrogen. I have had the Mirena IUD since I had my twins 4 years ago and I love it. It has shorted and made my periods lighter and at one point in time last year my husband and I were thinking about having another child and it's easy to get taken out (and put back in) if you do want to have another one. They will only let women who have had children get it, so you should be good. There are 2 different IUD's out there, I don't recall what the other one is called, but it might be worth it to check with your doctor to see if that's something you could get. Hope that helps!

I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 3 month old. I am kind of in the same situation. My husband says no more and I am not ready to make it permanent either. I decided to use implanon and have been for the last month or so. So far I have have had zero problems and am happy with it.

N.,

I just wanted to throw in my two cents about Mirena. I had it put in a month ago and removed yesterday. Judging from the other responses on here, I'm the exception, not the rule. But, I hated it. I've read on other message boards about women who felt the same way, so I know I'm not alone. Part of it was psychological. It really freaked me out knowing that something was permanently in there. I couldn't even use tampons. So obviously sex was an issue. I don't know if it was the mental thing or a physical reaction, but I had ZERO sex drive. I also had A LOT of cramping and spotted for a month. And my period without it lasted three days, on it, more than a week.

Anyway, just be sure to consider all the side effects. I jumped into getting one because I'm really bad at taking pills. But, in the end, I'm so glad I got it removed. Luckily getting it taken out didn't hurt at all. Getting it put in, on the other hand, was awful.

N. --
I haven't been on implanon, but a friend of mine was for years and really liked it. I don't think she had any major side effects, and after she took it out she was able to get pregnant again.
Have you thought about an IUD? The Mirena doesn't contain estrogen, and the Paraguard doesn't have any hormones. I have the Mirena and I love it. It's good for 5 years, but you can have it removed at any time (with an exam, of course). The website is www.mirena-us.com. Three of my good friends also have the Mirena, and we've all been REALLY happy with birth control we didn't have to worry about.
Good luck, I hope you can find something that works for you. If you have other IUD questions please feel free to contact me.
A.

I had Mirena (an IUC) put in in December. It has been so great. I have not experienced any negitive side effects. I did have a little spotting and a light period for the first 2 weeks (which is totally normal) but I have not had any bleeding since. I love it! I can keep it in up to 5 years and take it out a any time when we decide to have baby #3. The great part is that once it is taken out it is like never having been on birth control at all (sometimes with the pill and other methods it can take 6mo to a year to get pregnant.) I would highly recommend Mirena!!Its super easy and doesn't hurt at all!

Hi N.,

I picked up on the fact that you don't want anymore children. Neither did we, so my husband had a vasectomy (his idea). It was easy and all of the worries about getting pregnant are nil. It is also a way for the husband to thank the wife for having given birth, to do his part after she has done her part in pregnancy prevention and to make the ultimate love declaration. It helped that our marriage is rock solid.

Otherwise, I can second the advice on the book "Take control of your Fertility". I used it to get pregnant and to not get pregnant in between two kids.

A very good friend of my uses the IUD without hormones and she is loving it! She and her husband wanted something without hormones and that could be easily removed if they decided to have more children.