[clafairey]

What do people think of implanon? Anyone able to share any experience of having it?

[Choux]

I didn't know what this was so I looked it up. Implanon is a rod shaped contraceptive implanted in the upper arm of females to prevent contraception for about three years.

From the on line encyclopedia: "There are notable side effects caused by Implanon that occur in some women. Irregular periods, headaches, acne, weight gain and abdominal pain were among the most commonly reported side effects in clinical trials.

Eleven percent of women had Implanon removed because of irregular menstrual bleeding, which can include excessive menstrual bleeding. Some women may have no menstrual period at all while using Implanon.

It is not known whether Implanon changes a woman's risk for breast cancer.

Failure rate for Implanon was reported at 0.1%. Most cases of failure were due to incorrect insertion or insertion during pregnancy. In comparison, surgical sterilization has a failure rate of 0.2%.

Undesirable effects that may occur include acne, headache, weight gain, breast tenderness, hair loss, mood changes, changes in libido, and abdominal pain. Vaginal bleeding may occur at irregular intervals during the use of Implanon. Some patients do not experience any bleeding at all. It is important to have regular medical check ups, because while irregular bleeding is a common side effect of Implanon, it may rarely be caused by other medical conditions."

It seems to me that this would be a product to consider for illiterate women or women who have trouble following directions.

[J_9]

It seems to me that this would be a product to consider for illiterate women or women who have trouble following directions.

Choux, that was a very very rude comment.

While the rest stated above is correct, this is a good method of birth control for women who are forgetful of taking the pill, or for some reason cannot use another form of birth control such as condoms or diaphragm due to latex allergies, or for women who cannot use the IUD or other methods of birth control for various reasons.

It is considered "mindless" protection because you do not have to worry about it for 3 years.

[J_9]

Go ahead, post a topic in member discussions. Also, I did not call her mindless... I said it is a form of mindless protection as we women don't have to worry about taking a pill every day... don't have to worry about buying condoms... don't have to worry about scheduling an appointment every 3 months for the Depo Shot...

Mindless in that you don't have to THINK about it.

Sheesh, you said it was for illiterate women or women who can't follow directions, now that is RUDE!!

[Choux]

Perhaps, you don't understand that this product is used **OUTSIDE AMERICA**, in countries that have illiterate women?? I ****read**** the article about Implanon. Just apologize, and we can be friendly.


Cordially,

[J_9]

This product was also used inside America and it was called Norplant, rather than having one little stick, it had 5 and was good for 5 years. I had it myself, and called it mindless protection.

And, really, Choux, it may be used outside of America, but women in other countries are literate too. We aren't the only ones.

You see, I think it's more in how you come across, rather than being factually incorrect.

[clafairey]

I have had the implanon for a year and a month now, not as a contraceptive as I am a lesbian, but as a way to help with my periods as my doctor suggested.
I was told that you can sometimes end up bleeding for quite some time, but eversince I've had it I have had very light constant periods. I spoke to my doctor and she said it may stop after another few month, otherwise if I get sick of it I should just have it taken out. One of my friends had it also, and she was bleeding lightly for a year too, I'm hoping this will happen with me at some point, I really don't want to go back to heavy and painful periods.lol But nor do I want to carry on bleeding constantly obviously.
I was wondering if anyone had any other experiences with it? Or one similar to mine? Sorry I should have been more specific with my question, but I was in a bit of a rush.
Thanks for the replys so far!

[J_9]

As with any birth control, every individual is different. Your friend stopped, you may, you may not.

I was on Norplant, an equivalent, and never had a period not once. You may want to consider getting this taken out if the bleeding does continue. Have you had your iron levels checked? Sometimes bleeding that goes on this long can cause anemia.

[clafairey]

Yeah about a month ago I had them checked, I am fine. I have gotten used to it a bit more now, but obviously would rather it stopped.lol I think I will give it another 2 month and if there's no change I will have it taken out and find an alternative method. Everything else about the implanon is perfect apart from the constant bleeding, other contraceptives and pain killers I've tried haven't done much for my period pains and heavyness, so I hope I can find a good alternative.
Thanks

[J_9]

Have you been checked for endometriosis? Since you are having heavy bleeding and pain, I would think this may be possible.

[clafairey]

Umm... No I don't think so? Don't actually know for definite what that is. What are the tests that need to be done for it?

[Emland]

I had the norplant years ago and I loved it. I'm one of those that will wait until the last day to renew prescription.

[J_9]

There are a whole slew of tests that can be done to detect and diagnose endometriosis. Rather than copying and pasting the whole thing, I have provided a link

Diagnostic Tests for Endometriosis - WrongDiagnosis.com

I would think that with heavy bleeding and pain your doctor would have checked out this route.

[clafairey]

Thanks a lot! I'll speak to her when I next see her. And emland, you lucky thing you!lol No problems at all with it?

[statictable]

As a male all I can say is this product sounds like a fun little item full of surprises and only sorry it wasn't available in Germany back in the late 30's.

[Emland]

Thanks a lot! I'll speak to her when I next see her. And emland, you lucky thing you!lol No problems at all with it?

Nope, no problem. Had a co-worker that had it and she complained of problems all the time - but she liked to complain about everything, so I don't know if it was really that bad.