The rod

[Aunt_Flo]

Has anyone had any experience with the rod/contraceptive implant?

What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Why did you decide on the rod? Had you tried anything else?

I’m currently on the pill, but I’m a little over taking something every day. I’ve recently had a stomach bug so my effectiveness is compromised for the next seven days without additional contraception, and I’d rather not deal with that!

I’d love to hear your experiences. 🙂

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Hi @aunt_flo

I’ve had the contraceptive implant for 5 years now and love it. I was always terrible at taking the pill and kept forgetting which just gave me a lot of stress. I like the fact that I only have to worry about it every 3 years. I got mine in the UK, so not sure if it is the same timeframe here?

At the start, my periods were more irregular but now I seem to have them a bit more regularly (4-6 weeks apart). Not very heavy though which is great.

There can be some random spotting/bleeding which isn’t fun, but for me, it’s well worth the payoff.

As a bit of an aside, I have no plans to get pregnant any time soon but my sister in law was on the implant for 7 years and it took her 3 years to fall pregnant once she had it taken out. I have no idea if the contraceptive implant impacted their ability to get pregnant, but it has got me thinking about my future a bit more. Maybe @nurse_nettie can throw some light on that for me?

[Nurse_Nettie]

Sure @ekoorb9 & @Aunt_Flo I’m happy to help…The rod is also called ‘Implanon’ & belongs to a class of contraception known as ‘Long Acting Reversible Contraceptives.’ Reversible is the key word here. 🙂 Research has shown that the contraceptive is no longer in the body 1 week after the implant is removed. Also ovulation (releasing an egg) restarts within 3-4 weeks. That’s a quick return to fertility!

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@nurse_nettie Thank you! Not that I have any plans to get preggers at all but I did always wonder if there were any long-term health or fertility implications.
@aunt_flo are you planning on getting one? I sometimes forget it’s there I’ve had it so long!

[tea]

@aunt_flo Oh! I didn’t know being sick could affect the pill’s effectiveness!! Could you point me to some more information about this? How have I not heard about this??

I have the Mirena so I can’t speak much for the Implanon, but definitely a huge advocate for LARC’s!!! There are more risks involved with having the Mirena though, but I guess that’s valid for any type of contraception! I might switch to the Implanon next year when my Mirena needs to be switched out…so many decisions!

@nurse_nettie wow that’s a fast bounce back!! I really love LARC’S, the reversible aspect is such a good perk.

[Nurse_Nettie]

@tea & @auntflo being sick does not lower The Pill’s effectiveness in general. Of course, if you have significant vomiting or diarrhoea you may not be able to absorb any medications. When in doubt, you should use a back method (eg condoms) for a week after you’re well to make sure you’re covered.

We used to say taking common antibiotics could also lower the effectiveness of the pill (and this advice may still be included in some product information), but current Australian guidelines say that only liver enzyme inducting medications are a problem (most commonly anti-epileptic meds and some unusual antibiotics). There’s no need to use a back-up method of birth control when you’re taking penicillins etc.

That said, it’s always important to let your doctor know what medications or supplements you’re taking whenever they prescribe you something new. It’s their job to let you know if the medications can effect each other.

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Such a small world, but my housemate came home last night after having her implant taken out and was in a right state. It took her doctor 25 minutes of digging around, she bled everywhere and now she has a couple of stitches and a massive bruise. I’ve only ever had mine changed in the UK (will be getting it changed in Australia for the first time in a few months). Tell me that’s not normal @nurse_nettie?! We also don’t use local anaesthetic at home to take it out – but I understand that’s practice here? Mine went in and out so easily!!

[Aunt_Flo]

Thanks for the info! @ekoorb9 yeah I was thinking of it. I often get symptoms of IBS ( such as those that @nurse_nettie ) mentioned, which can effect my pill’s effectiveness. Very annoying. @tea that’s how being sick can effect it for me!

I’ve been putting off getting the rod though, because I enjoy knowing exactly when my period will come.

[tea]

Thanks for clearing that up @Nurse_Nettie!!

Omfg!! @ekoorb9 I hope you’re housemate is doing okay!!! Um, not gonna lie that’s making me very nervous to remove my IUD,,,,,,

Ohh @aunt_flo that’s actually a really good point of knowing when you get your period!

All of this talk is making me want to get my IUD out and switch to the pill tbh,,,but I am also very scared haha hmm

[Nurse_Nettie]

@ekoorb sorry to hear your housemate had such an unpleasant experience getting the rod (AKA Contraceptive Implant or Implanon) removed. Luckily, this is not typical! Most of the time removing the rod is very simple. The most common complications are usually minor bruising, bleeding or scarring. Occasionally, the rod can shift out of position, making removal more difficult, but this happens rarely. Overall, Implanon is super safe & effective at preventing pregnancy 🙂

[Aunt_Flo]

Ooo that’s very good to know it’s not common @Nurse_Nettie!

@tea I’ve had really good experiences with the pill. I frequently get breakthrough bleeding which has only really started this year (been on it for about 5 years), but otherwise I haven’t got any side effects.

I’m mainly just thinking of switching because I’m in a monogamous relationship where we prefer not to use barrier protection, so it’s a bit of a pain if my protection is mucked up.

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