Are you looking for a good form of birth control? There are so many options out there, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is best for you! If you are considering Nexplanon, let me share with you my experience. First, some pros and cons:
Pros:
- Nothing to remember daily/each time you have sex
- Lasts 3 years
- Super high success rate
- Quick surgery
- Little-to-no recovery period after
Cons:
- Hormonal changes may affect mood consistent with period cycle
- Pretty expensive – wouldn’t recommend without health insurance
- Surgery – can make you feel queasy or childish enough to need a lollipop
In sum, if you are considering contraception methods, I would recommend Nexplanon!
Now here is a little more in-depth story of my experience with Nexplanon, starting in the moment of surgery…
“Okay, we’re ready to start! Do you need anything?”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “Can I please have a lollipop?”
Both the doctor and the nurse raised their eyebrows in surprise. “A lollipop?” said the nurse, “Sure, hun. Do you want a specific flavor?”
“Blue, please. Thanks”
30 seconds later, I had my lollipop. 2 minutes after that, I was walking out the door. The surgery wasn’t even long enough for me to have finished my sucker!
For me, getting Nexplanon was quick and painless.
First, I had an appointment with a local OBGYN clinic.
This particular clinic had only female nurses and doctors, which was a little more comfortable for me as a first-time birth control user.
The doctors I talked to were so friendly and nice. They gave me a rundown of different types of contraception including how to use or insert, success rate, and the possible side affects of each option.
When I learned about different forms of contraception, Nexplanon was the option that stood out to me because it lasted the longest without me doing anything.
Nexplanon is a neat form of contraception. It is a little stick full of hormones that patients can get inserted into their upper arm. It lasts for 3 years, but patients can take it out whenever and be automatically fertile.
For more scientific information, visit the official Nexplanon site here.
By choosing this option, I didn’t have to take daily pills or get an IUD replaced every 6 months.
Nexplanon is one of the pricier forms of birth control, and I’m not sure I would have picked it had it not been covered by my insurance. Before picking a form of contraception to use, make sure you’ll have some way to pay for it!
Nexplanon also had the highest success rate at the time, which was super important to me. As a college student with no extra time or money, I didn’t think I could handle an unexpected pregnancy…
So Nexplanon it was!
Next, I got the surgery.
A few weeks after choosing Nexplanon, I got to the doctor’s office for my surgery. The doctor had me lay down on a surgical table, cleaned my arm, gave me a numbing shot, and inserted the Nexplanon stick. The surgery itself took less than a minute.
The surgery was an incredibly quick and painless experience, besides the fact that I completely freaked out because I’m a wimp when it comes to anything related to body parts, ick.
The doctor wrapped my arm in gauze similar to what you get after you donate blood. I had to keep it wrapped around my arm for 24 hours.
The stick went into the inside of my left arm, so no one could even see anything if I kept my arm down, besides the gauze for the first day. I wore a loose sweater over it.
Underneath the gauze was a little bit of stitch tape that I was supposed to leave on until it fell off itself. The clear tape was barely noticeable and fell off after 3 days or so.
After my appointment, I drove back to my college campus and went to the rest of my classes. When I met up with my fiance that afternoon, I burst into tears because I felt embarrassed and stressed, NOT because it hurt or anything.
I said, “I’m okay, I’m okay, I just felt so stressed about getting surgery and I need to cry about it for a minute.”
He said, “Okay.. can I do anything to help you?”
I said, “I could go for some egg nog.”
We laughed. We got egg nog.
Finally, I experienced some after effects.
For about a week after surgery, my arm was pretty bruised. I bruise very easily though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the bruise faded quicker for others.
In the months following, my periods started to be drastically different month-to-month. Some months it lasted 4 days, some months it lasted for 9 days, and I had a few months where it didn’t come at all. In July, I had a period for 9 days, stopped for 5, and had it for another 9 days afterwards! Then… it stopped. I haven’t had a period for about a year now.
While using Nexplanon, I endured a few hormonal changes as well. One of the changes I started to notice was that during my period, I would get a little depressed or super irritable.
I kept my husband updated on what I was feeling, which helped out a lot. I could see clearly that my hormones were affecting my judgement and mood. That realization helped me to stay calm about how I felt and optimistic for how I would feel the next day.
Sharing my experience with my husband helped him to not get offended when I gave him a death glare, haha.
Side note…
Oh, one last cool thing is that the Nexplanon stick is inserted just below the surface of your skin which means… you can totally feel it if you press on your arm! It doesn’t stick out of your arm, so you don’t ever have to feel it if you just keep your arm down… but a lot of my friends and family members loved to touch the implant through my arm! It just gross enough to make us squirm and say “ew!” but cool enough for everyone to have a go at it.
Since women, periods, hormones, etc. are all so different, you may have a much different experience than me. I would recommend you try multiple birth control methods if the first one doesn’t seem right! There is a large variety out there so that you can find one that works for you. Good luck!
Which birth control method works for you? Which ones DON’T work? Leave a reply below!