Implant (Nexplanon)

Implant (Nexplanon)

An image of an implant next to a single matchstick for a size comparison

The implant (Nexplanon and its generic versions) is a small rod, about the size of a matchstick, that’s inserted under the skin of your upper arm (after you get numbing medication!). Once it’s inserted, it’s not visible in most cases.

The implant slowly releases a single hormone, progestin, that prevents pregnancy primarily by thickening cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm and egg to meet. It’s FDA-approved to prevent pregnancy for up to three years, but research shows it’s effective for up to five years. You can always get it removed sooner if you want to.

Details
The implant (Nexplanon and its generic versions) is a small rod, about the size of a matchstick, that’s inserted under the skin of your upper arm (after you get numbing medication!). Once it’s inserted, it’s not visible in most cases. The implant slowly releases a single hormone, progestin, that prevents pregnancy primarily by thickening cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm and egg to meet. It’s FDA-approved to prevent pregnancy for up to three years, but research shows it’s effective for up to five years. You can always get it removed sooner if you want to.
###With insurance If you have health insurance---whether it’s from work, school, your parents, the ACA marketplace, or Medicaid---chances are good that you’ll be able to get this method with no out-of-pocket cost. ###Without insurance If you don’t have insurance or if you’re on a plan that doesn’t cover birth control, the implant can cost up to $1,300, plus any additional costs for insertion. Depending on your income, you may be able to go to a low-cost clinic to get the implant at a reduced cost. Check with your [local family planning clinics](/find-health-care/clinics) to find out if they offer free or low-cost implants (many do).
The implant prevents pregnancy by slowly releasing a small amount of progestin, a hormone that primarily works to prevent pregnancy by thickening cervical mucus, which makes it harder for sperm and egg to meet. Once the implant is inserted, it just sits there, under your skin, offering protection against pregnancy for up to five years. To get the implant, first you visit a health care provider, and they get some medical info from you. Then they will give you a shot of numbing medicine under your skin where the implant will be placed. Then the health care provider will insert the implant under your skin, using a special tool made just for this purpose. While you’ll feel the numbing shot, which will sting and burn when the medicine goes in, you should not feel pain when the implant goes in. It’s important to visit a health care provider who has been trained in inserting implants. It is completely okay to ask your provider how much experience they have with inserting the implant. You’ll be set for pregnancy prevention from the moment you get the implant if any of these things are true for you: 1. You are getting the implant during the first five days after your period starts. 2. You were already using a hormonal method of birth control consistently before getting the implant. 3. You had a miscarriage or abortion within the last seven days. 4. You gave birth within the last 21 days. If none of those things are true for you, then you’ll need to use a backup method of birth control, like condoms or internal condoms, for seven days after getting your implant. When it’s time to take the implant out, your provider will give you a shot of numbing medicine in the area of your arm where the implant is located, make a tiny cut in your skin, and remove the implant. If you want to keep using the implant as your birth control method, they can put a new one in at the same time.
There are positive and negative things to say about each and every method. And everyone’s different—so what you experience may not be the same as what someone else experiences.

The Positive

There are many things about the implant that are good for your body as well as your sex life. Here are some of the benefits of the implant:* It doesn’t interrupt the heat of the moment. * Most implant users have fewer, lighter periods. * You don’t have to remember to do anything for your birth control to work for five years. * It’s safe for smokers and those with hypertension and diabetes. * It can be used while breastfeeding. * It can be used by people who can’t take estrogen. * It may improve PMS and endometriosis symptoms.

The Negative

It’s normal to think about side effects, but for many people, they’re not a problem. Most people using the implant who experience side effects find that they go away with time. It can take a few months to adjust. The most common side effect of the implant is irregular bleeding, which for some people does not get better over time and continues for as long as they have the implant. This could mean spotting in between periods or having longer, heavier periods. Some people have irregular bleeding the whole time the implant is in. Other people get no periods at all, at least for a while. It’s unpredictable how the implant may affect your period. The bottom line is that if it’s important to you to have a regular period every month, the implant is probably not right for you. #####Less common side effects: * Acne * A change in your appetite * A change in your sex drive * Ovarian cysts * Anxiety and/or depression * Discoloration or scarring of the skin over the implant * Dizziness * Hair loss * Headache * Nausea * Pain where the implant was inserted * Sore breasts A very small number of people experience serious side effects like the implant moving from where it was placed, nerve injury, or difficulty removing the implant. In addition to potential side effects, there are some disadvantages to using the implant: * It may not be possible to hide it completely. * You have to see a provider in person to start using the implant. * A provider has to remove it, so you can’t just stop using the implant on your own. * It doesn’t protect against STIs.
Do you have questions about Implant (Nexplanon)? Visit Bedsider.org for answers to many of the most popular questions about this method of birth control.