IMPLANON is a birth control implant that lasts for up to 3 years, and is over 99% effective.
IMPLANON is the small, thin and flexible arm implant that provides up to 3 years of continuous birth control.
That’s why IMPLANON is considered a long-acting birth control option. It’s placed discreetly under the skin of your inner, upper arm by your health care provider. It’s also reversible and can be removed by your health care provider at any time during the 3 year period.
You may become pregnant as early as a week after the removal of IMPLANON.
*IMPLANON must be removed by the end of the third year and may be replaced by a new implant at the time of removal, if you wish to continue preventing pregnancy with IMPLANON.
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Less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women who use IMPLANON for 1 year.
How does IMPLANON work?
Hormones in birth control stop an egg from being released by your ovary and also prevent sperm from reaching the egg.
IMPLANON puts a steady, low dose of hormone into your bloodstream. NEXPLANON works for up to 3 years to prevent pregnancy.
IMPLANON is placed in the inner, upper arm. This means it is hidden from view.
IMPLANON insertion
IMPLANON is placed in your arm by a trained health care provider. During the process, your skin is numbed in that area. The applicator guides IMPLANON under the skin of your arm. This minor surgical procedure is done in your health care provider’s office. Once the implant is placed, you and your health care provider should check that it is in your arm by feeling for it.
IMPLANON insertion procedure
Immediately after the insertion, you and your health care provider will feel for IMPLANON to ensure that it has been placed correctly. If you can’t feel it, contact your health care provider immediately and use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as condoms) until your health care provider confirms that the implant is in place. The implant may not be placed in your arm at all due to a failed insertion. If this happens, you may become pregnant.
Following the insertion, you’ll have to wear a pressure bandage for 24 hours and a small bandage for 3 to 5 days.
The timing of the insertion is important. Your health care provider may:
Perform a pregnancy test before inserting IMPLANON
Schedule the insertion at a specific time of your menstrual cycle (for example, within the first days of your regular menstrual bleeding)
You will get a USER CARD to keep at home with your health records. Your health care provider will fill out the USER CARD with the date the implant was inserted and the date the implant is to be removed. Keep track of the date the implant is to be removed. Schedule an appointment with your health care provider to remove the implant on or before the removal date.
Be sure to have checkups as advised by your health care provider.
IMPLANON removal
A trained health care provider can remove IMPLANON at any time during the 3-year period. Removal of IMPLANON involves a minor surgical procedure in which your health care provider makes a small incision in your arm where IMPLANON is located.
You may become pregnant as early as the first week after removal of the implant. If you do not want to get pregnant after your health care provider removes the IMPLANON implant, you should start another birth control method right away.
How is IMPLANON removed?
IMPLANON is one of the most effective birth control options available.
IMPLANON is over 99% effective (less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women who used IMPLANON for 1 year), which means it’s just as effective as the pill. IMPLANON does not need to be taken daily, weekly or monthly.
It’s not known if IMPLANON is as effective in very overweight women because clinical studies of IMPLANON did not include many overweight women.
This chart shows the chance of getting pregnant for women who use different methods of birth control. Each box on the chart contains a list of birth control methods that are similar in effectiveness. The most effective methods are at the top of the chart.
Risks and side effects of IMPLANON
Who should not use IMPLANON?
Do not use IMPLANON if you:
**Are pregnant or think you may be pregnant
**Have, or have had blood clots, such as blood clots in your leg (deep venous thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), eyes (total or partial blindness), heart (heart attack), or brain (stroke)
**Have liver disease or a liver tumor
**Have unexplained vaginal bleeding
**Have breast cancer or any other cancer that is sensitive to progestin (a female hormone), now or in the past
**Are allergic to anything in IMPLANON
Tell your health care provider if you have or have had any of the conditions listed above. Your health care provider can suggest a different method of birth control. In addition, talk to your health care provider about using IMPLANON if you:
**Have diabetes
**Have high cholesterol or triglycerides
**Have headaches
**Have gallbladder or kidney problems
**Have a history of depressed mood
**Have high blood pressure
**Have an allergy to numbing medicines (anesthetics) or medicines used to clean your skin (antiseptics). These medicines will be used when the implant is placed into or removed from your arm.
Most common side effects of IMPLANON
**The most common side effect of IMPLANON is a change in your normal menstrual bleeding pattern. In studies, 1 in 10 women stopped using IMPLANON because of an unfavorable change in their bleeding pattern. You may have:
**Longer or shorter bleeding during your period
**No bleeding at all during the time of your period
**Spotting between your periods
**Varied amounts of time between your periods
**Tell your health care provider right away if:
**You think you may be pregnant
**Your menstrual bleeding is heavy and prolonged
Other frequent side effects that cause women to stop using IMPLANON include:
**Mood swings
**Weight gain
**Headache
**Acne
**Depressed mood
Other common side effects include:
**Headache
**Vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina)
**Weight gain
**Acne
**Breast pain
**Viral infections such as sore throats or flu-like symptoms
**Stomach pain
**Painful periods
**Mood swings, nervousness, or depressed mood
**Back pain
**Nausea
**Dizziness
**Pain
**Pain at the site of insertion
Implants have been reported to be found in a blood vessel, including a blood vessel in the lung.
Possible risks of IMPLANON
Problems with insertion and removal
The implant may not be placed in your arm at all due to a failed insertion. If this happens, you may become pregnant. Immediately after the insertion, and with help from your health care provider, you should be able to feel the implant under your skin. If you can’t feel the implant, tell your health care provider.
Location and removal of the implant may be difficult or impossible because the implant is not where it should be. Special procedures, including surgery in the hospital, may be needed to remove the implant. If the implant is not removed, then the effects of IMPLANON will continue for a longer period of time.
Implants have been found in the pulmonary artery (a blood vessel in the lung). If the implant cannot be found in the arm, your health care professional may use x-rays or other imaging methods on the chest. If the implant is located in the chest, surgery may be needed.
Other problems related to insertion and removal are:
**Pain, irritation, swelling, or bruising at the insertion site
**Scarring, including a thick scar called a keloid around the insertion site
Infection
**Scar tissues may form around the implant making it difficult to remove
**The implant may come out by itself. You may become pregnant if the implant comes out by itself. Use a back-up birth control method and call your health care provider right away if the implant comes out
**The need for surgery in the hospital to remove the implant
**Injury to nerves or blood vessels in your arm
**The implant breaks making removal difficult
Ectopic pregnancy
If you become pregnant while using IMPLANON, you have a slightly higher chance that the pregnancy will be ectopic (occurring outside the womb) than do women who do not use birth control. Unusual vaginal bleeding or lower stomach (abdominal) pain may be a sign of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency that often requires surgery. Ectopic pregnancies can cause serious internal bleeding, infertility, and even death. Call your health care provider right away if you think you are pregnant or have unexplained lower stomach (abdominal) pain.
Ovarian cysts
Cysts may develop on the ovaries and usually go away without treatment but sometimes surgery is required to remove them.
Breast cancer
It is not known whether IMPLANON use changes a woman's risk for breast cancer. If you have breast cancer now, or have had it in the past, do not use IMPLANON because some breast cancers are sensitive to hormones.
Serious blood clots
IMPLANON may increase your chance of serious blood clots, especially if you have other risk factors such as smoking. It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or a stroke.
Some examples of serious blood clots are blood clots in the:
**Legs (deep vein thrombosis)
**Lungs (pulmonary embolism)
**Brain (stroke)
**Heart (heart attack)
**Eyes (total or partial blindness)
**The risk of serious blood clots is increased in women who smoke. If you smoke and want to use IMPLANON, you should quit. Your health care provider may be able to help.
**Tell your health care provider at least 4 weeks before if you are going to have surgery or will need to be on bed rest. You have an increased chance of getting blood clots during surgery or bed rest.
Other risks
A few women who use birth control that contains hormones may get:
**High blood pressure
**Gallbladder problems
**Rare cancerous or noncancerous liver tumors
Broken or Bent Implant
If you feel that the implant may have broken or bent while in your arm, contact your health care provider.
When should I call my health care provider?
Contact your health care provider right away if you have:
**Pain in your lower leg that does not go away
**Severe chest pain or heaviness in your chest
**Sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, or coughing blood
**Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swollen face, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing
**Sudden severe headache unlike your usual headaches
**Weakness or numbness in your arm, leg, or trouble speaking
**Sudden partial or complete blindness
**Yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, especially with fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark-colored urine, or light-colored bowel movements
**Severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the lower stomach (abdomen)
**Lump in your breast
**Problems sleeping, lack of energy, tiredness, or you feel very sad
**Heavy menstrual bleeding
**Felt that the implant may have broken or bent while in your arm
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not use IMPLANON if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant; have or have had blood clots; have liver disease or a liver tumor; have unexplained vaginal bleeding; have breast cancer or any other cancer that is sensitive to progestin (a female hormone), now or in the past; or are allergic to anything in IMPLANON.
Talk to your health care provider about using IMPLANON if you have diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, headaches, gallbladder or kidney problems, history of depressed mood, high blood pressure, allergy to numbing medicines (anesthetics) or medicines used to clean your skin (antiseptics). These medicines will be used when the implant is placed into or removed from your arm.
Immediately after the IMPLANON implant has been placed, you and your health care provider should check that the implant is in your arm by feeling for it. If you cannot feel the IMPLANON implant, contact your health care provider immediately and use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as condoms) until your health care provider confirms that the implant is in place. You may need special tests to check that the implant is in place or to help find the implant when it is time to take it out.
The implant may not be placed in your arm at all due to failed insertion. If this happens, you may become pregnant. Removal of the implant may be very difficult or impossible if the implant is not where it should be. Special procedures, including surgery in the hospital, may be needed to remove the implant. If the implant is not removed, then the effects of IMPLANON will continue for a longer period of time. Other problems related to insertion and removal include pain, irritation, swelling, bruising, scarring, infection, injury to the nerves or blood vessels, and breaking of the implant. Additionally, the implant may come out by itself. You may become pregnant if the implant comes out by itself. Use a back up birth control method and call your health care provider right away if the implant comes out.
The most common side effect of IMPLANON is a change in your normal menstrual bleeding pattern. In studies, one out of ten women stopped using the implant because of an unfavorable change in their bleeding pattern. You may experience longer or shorter bleeding during your periods or have no bleeding at all. The time between periods may vary, and in between periods you may also have spotting.
If you become pregnant while using IMPLANON, you have a slightly higher chance that the pregnancy will be ectopic (occurring outside the womb) than do women who do not use birth control. Ectopic pregnancies can cause serious internal bleeding, infertility, and even death. Call your health care provider right away if you think you are pregnant or have unexplained lower stomach (abdominal) pain.
The use of IMPLANON may also increase your chance of serious blood clots, especially if you have other risk factors, such as smoking. If you smoke and want to use IMPLANON, you should quit. Some examples of blood clots are deep vein thrombosis (legs), pulmonary embolism (lungs), retinal thrombosis (eyes), stroke (brain), and heart attack (heart). It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or stroke. Tell your doctor at least 4 weeks before if you are going to have surgery or will need to be on bed rest, because you have an increased chance of getting blood clots during surgery or bed rest.
Cysts may develop on the ovaries and usually go away without treatment, but sometimes surgery is needed to remove them.
Besides changes in menstrual bleeding patterns, other common side effects reported in women using IMPLANON include: headaches; vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina); weight gain; acne; breast pain; viral infection such as sore throats or flu-like symptoms; stomach pain; painful periods; mood swings, nervousness, or depressed mood; back pain; nausea; dizziness; pain and pain at the site of insertion. Implants have been reported to be found in a blood vessel, including a blood vessel in the lung.
Call your health care provider right away if you have pain in your lower leg that does not go away; severe chest pain or heaviness in the chest; sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, or coughing blood; symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swollen face, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing; sudden severe headaches unlike your usual headaches; weakness or numbness in your arm, leg, or trouble speaking; sudden partial or complete blindness; yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, especially with fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark-colored urine, or light-colored bowel movements; severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the lower stomach (abdomen); lump in your breast; problems sleeping, lack of energy, tiredness, or you feel very sad; heavy menstrual bleeding; or if you feel that the implant may have broken or bent while in your arm.