So today will be a kind of off topic/non beauty related subject, but i felt i should write about it as a lot of you showed interest towards it via my Facebook & Instagram.
I am going to write about my personal experience with the implant. This is my second now, i had it replaced about 3 weeks ago so took the opportunity to take some pictures of my healing process & explain a bit about how it works!
First off for those of you who aren't aware of what Nexplanon is you can check out their website >Here< , there's also a lot of info about it on it on the >Net Doctor Website < but i'll just quickly give you a brief description.
It is a small flexible rod,about the same shape and size as a match stick,placed in your (non dominant) arm just under the skin.It provides a long-term reversible method of contraception that steadily releases hormones over the course of 3 years.
It works by preventing an egg from developing & also thins the lining of the womb making it hard for a fertilised egg to attach itself, it also makes entry harder for sperm by thickening the mucus at the entrance of the womb.
It is the most effective form of contraception to date with the lowest failure rate across all forms of contraception, mainly due to the fact that it doesn't require you to do anything, theres no remembering to take a pill every morning or applying a patch or worrying about it shifting or falling out of place in the case of some of the contraceptives inserted vaginally.You simply have it inserted into your arm and forget about it for the next 3 years.
Insertion & First Impression
The implants come individually packed & preloaded into a needle.
Bruising was minimal, a small plaster was all that was needed & scaring was minimal as well. However the first few months que'd irregular spotting. I had no normal periods it was just random small amounts through out the first 3 months or so. This was highly irritating but manageable. I visited a doctor to see if there was anything i could take to help she simply said to wait it out until my body got used to the implant..which it did, everything eventually returned to normal.
However sometimes i would randomly skip a month or 2 and not get a period at all so it really depends , it will effect different women in different ways, apparently some women dont even get a period at all! ..lucky.
On my Nexplanon i am experiencing similar problems after insertion, i am assuming this is because i have a new implant so my body is receiving the highest dosage again. I did a bit of online research and popped into my local holland and barret to see if there was anything i could take to help.A lovely lady there who is also using a hormone based contraceptive recommended i take primrose oil tablets to help regulate my period.I am slowly but surely noticing an improvement which is great, I am also taking a multivitamin as i have always had prolonged periods (even before the implant) to help with fatigue as having long periods can really leave you feeling drained, i never realised there could be a correlation until i did my research and found other women were having the same problem so if your body reacts to the implant with prolonged periods be sure to keep your iron and vitamin levels up with a supplement to avoid feeling drained.I was heavily reliant on caffeine until i understood what the actual root of the problem was.
Replacement
Here are some pictures of my healing process. The replacement resulted in quite a bit of bruising. I am assuming this is because of the removal of the initial implant in addition to inserting the new one, i also bruise very easily.
I know it looks scary but it has healed nicely,the second scar is actually less visible then the first & is yet to fade even more.
Looking less scary now!...
Conclusion
I have had no problems with its effectiveness at all, so i cant recommend it highly enough. To me, the pro's substantially outweigh the cons.The problems with my period pretty much returned to normal after a while & i had no other complications after that.
If for any reason the implant really doesn't agree with you it can easily be removed and your fertility & everything else will return to normal shortly (hence the reversible statement at the start of the post)
If you are interested in having one fitted simply pop down to your GP or a local sexual health clinic and request a consultation & appointment. I had mine fitted at a Brook Clinic (Click for their website) I would recommend phoning the clinic first before you pop in as the implant doctors are only in on specific days!
I hope you enjoyed the post as always, comment below if you have any further questions, im more than happy to answer :-)
