Hormone implants as birth control

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I've recently been seriously considering changing my method of birth control. I had a bit of a pregnancy scare and realised that taking more precautions couldn't be a bad thing. And I was doing research and came across information about hormone implants that they stick in your arm and that are very effective methods of birth control.

I also suffer from very painful, very heavy periods and I saw that these implants can actually stop periods. That would be a dream come true for me. I hate them so much. But I hear that not all women are affected that way.

I'm also scared of it affecting my body in other ways. Like anything I might put in my body (I'm afraid of the Pill for the same reason) I'm worried about it affecting my health (which isn't great to start with), my weight, my hormone levels... and I've also heard that it can make periods heavier/longer, which is the last thing I want.

So basically... anybody who has the implant, what has been your experience of it? Would you recommend it? If you use a different method that also does the job, feel free to suggest it!

My friend has had the implant for years and she is very happy with it. I have the contraceptive injection because I didn't like the idea of having the implant thing under my skin where I could feel it. I don't have periods on the injection and I haven't gained weight on it either, so I am happy. The injection is given every 3 months and it goes into your hip, not a vein (I'm not great with injections usually).

The family planning nurse at your GP would be able to talk you through all the options if you wanted. I hope some of that has helped.

I hadn't even considered an injection but it sounds perfect! Has it had any negative effects?

I haven't had any negative effects at all. It's perfect for me because it means I don't have to remember a pill, or worry if I have an upset stomach or I am sick. I just have to go every three months and have the injection. In the first week or so after I first had it I had some 'spotting' but that cleared up quickly.

Here is more information about it - Contraceptive Injection

The only real downside is that if you were to experience side effects you would be stuck with them for either 8 or 12 weeks.

Personally, I can't praise it enough and I wish it had been available when I was younger but just because something suits one person does not mean it will suit everyone.

I never had the implant, but I have had both kinds of IUD's, if you're interested in alternatives. I recommend the Mirena; it has hormonal birth control in it, and makes your periods lighter, whereas the Paragard has no hormones, but makes your periods heavier.

I have the implanon as it is the only form of contaception available to myself at this point in time. I have a few really nasty but rare side effects. These include anorexia which coupled with my buleimia nervosa is like a weird ednos anorexia nervosa purging type hybrid eating disorder.

I also get severe mood swings and coupled with suicidal idiology makes for one not nice mix of side effects. Better then having a baby though at this point.

Most women just get hormonal mood swings and weight gain.

I had Implanon and removed it after two years. Around that time the symptoms of bipolar were beginning. I took it out to see if the symptoms would improve but they got worse. It's hard to say what the exact relationship between the two was since there was also a lot of other things going on that could have been responsible for triggering the bipolar.

I had Norplant for 5 years and didn't like that but the new ones are probably different. It was nice to not have to think about birth control or remembering to take pills. I can't even remember to take my vitamins every day.

I had the mirena IUD for five years. It completely stopped my periods, but it also killed my libido to the degree that I didn't *need* birth control.

Hmm, yeah, I am worried about the whole 'mood swings' possibility, given the fact that my mood is unstable at the best of times.

I didn't have any mood swings at all; I was just almost entirely uninterested in sex for about 5 years.

It affects everyone differently, though. I've had the Mirena for about 16 months. For the first month I had uncomfortable cramping, and then everything went back to normal. I still get a period, but it's very light and only lasts about 3 days. It has not affected my libido at all. Birth control pills made me have nasty mood swings and headaches. I have no experience with implanon or the other implants. I'm happy with my mirena, but I've had two children and I think they only approve it for people who have had at least one child.

I haven't had any kids, and they gave it to me. It varies by provider.

I don't have children and have a mirena too. It didn't hurt having it inserted, weird sensation but not sore or uncomfortable. And it has all-but stopped my periods, I get a slight smudge that lasts about an afternoon, and that's every 2nd or 3rd month.

I haven't had any side effects from it.

The injection on the other hand Periods six weeks long, heavy and painful from start to finish. The doctors kept convincing me to have my next jab, saying it would take some time for my body to get used to it. After a year (6 months of which I was also on the Pill to try to make the bleeding stop) I refused to have another injection, and after that it took over a year for my cycles to get back to normal.

The implant and Mirena can be removed if you're having problems with them, but anything injected in has to run its course however long that may take.

I had the Implanon implant for a little over a year. It was great for the first 6 months or so - my periods tapered off to next to nothing. Starting at about month 9 I suddenly started having lots of weight gain (I never had any manner of weight problem) and nearly constant bleeding. My doctors tried to give me doses of hormones on top of it to get my body back on a cycle, but it didn't work. I ended up having it removed after dealing with that for about 6 months.
My gynecologist told me at my last appointment that she is no longer recommending Implanon to any of her patients because every single one of her Implanon-using patients has begged to have the implant removed before it ran out due to similar side effects.
I also have been left with what is looking like a permanent thyroid disorder due to the implant... it hasn't been confirmed as an Implanon side effect last I checked, but the internet is full of cases similar to mine.

Anyways, I would NOT recommend an implant. Once it's in there, you have no control over it.

After that whole fiasco, I did a lot of research and ended up with the Nuvaring (hormonal vaginal ring). It's a lot like having an implant except you can control it by removing it for a week each month (like the pill) to keep your body on a cycle. I went through and put "ring in" and "ring out" reminders into my phone and computer calendars that keep me on track. I love it - my periods tend to be light and last around 3 days. The only thing that seems to turn people off about the Nuvaring is you have to be really comfortable with your body in order to use it. I personally have found it to be the best birth control I've ever used.

I've had the mirena for a little over a year now.
I got it it because I had heavy periods with cramps and 'spotting'.

I am VERY happy with it - I hardly bleed at all now; I don't even keep pads in the house anymore.

The first weeks after it was inserted I bled a lot and it hurt too, but that may also have been because I had a curettage too, to check for cancer.
Apart from those two weeks I have had no side effects