Can Anyone Have A Nexplanon
Most women who want a Nexplanon can have it.
Conditions which may mean you may not be suitable for Nexplanon.
- Now or in the past you have had breast cancer
- You have had certain types of liver disease
- You have bleeding between the periods or after sex and you have not seen a doctor or nurse about this, or you have seen a doctor or nurse but you are still waiting to be told why this is happening
- You have certain rheumatic diseases
- Also you should stop using Nexplanon if you have a heart attack or stroke
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What Are The Disadvantages Of Nexplanon
Your periods are likely to change. In some women the periods will stop completely. Some women will have irregular periods or spotting between the periods and others may have bleeding that lasts a long time and can be heavy. See below for more information about what to do if you have problems with your bleeding.
Problems with your bleeding.
If you have problems with bleeding then discuss it with your doctor or nurse. They may wish to check the bleeding is not due to some other causes, such as infection. If the bleeding is thought to be due to the Nexplanon sometimes the best things is to wait and see since it can settle by itself. If the bleeding is very troublesome it may be that some tablets would help to control it. If you do decide to have your Nexplanon removed the bleeding problems should settle quite quickly
- When you start any contraception which contains hormones, you may get some annoying side effects in the first few months. With Nexplanon these include spotty skin, sore breasts, headaches, changes in mood and sex drive. These symptoms normally stop within a few months. Speak to your doctor or nurse if you have any concerns.
- Nexplanon will not protect you from sexually transmitted infections and many women continue to use condoms.
Will Emergency Contraception Like Plan B Work If I Am On These Medications
Emergency contraception like Plan B may not work if you:
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Weigh over 165 pounds
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Take anti-seizure medications, antibiotics for TB, HIV medications, or St. Johns Wort
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Have recently used anti-seizure medications, antibiotics for TB, HIV medications, or St. Johns Wort
In these cases, the best method of emergency contraception is the copper IUD, for example, ParaGard. This will need to be inserted by a trained healthcare professional within 5 days of having unprotected sex. For more information about emergency contraception, see our blog post here.
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How Do I Change To The Implant From An Injectable Contraceptive
If you put the contraceptive implant in whilst your injection is still active , you are covered immediately.
If you have ‘gone over’ the 14 weeks by a day or more, you can still have the contraceptive implant but need to use additional precautions for seven days. If you had unprotected intercourse in the interval, you should also take emergency contraception, and if you do not have a period, you should do a pregnancy test three weeks later.
How To Prevent Birth Control Ineffectiveness
Always talk with your doctor about birth control interactions before taking new medications, including vitamins or over-the-counter medications. Ask if the medication or supplement will interfere with your birth control effectiveness. Even if more research is needed, its generally better to err on the side of caution. You can use backup forms of birth control in addition to oral contraceptives when taking medications that interfere with the effectiveness.
If you forget to use a backup method, you can take over-the-counter emergency contraception for up to five days after intercourse. For long term medications, such as retrovirals, diabetes medications, or anticonvulsants, it is best to talk with your provider about other contraception methods, such as long-acting reversible contraception or injectable progesterone.
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How Is The Nexplanon Implant Used
Nexplanon is inserted through a needle into the skin of your upper arm, just inside and above the elbow. After the implant is inserted, your arm will be covered with 2 bandages. Remove the top bandage after 24 hours, but leave the smaller bandage on for 3 to 5 days. Keep the area clean and dry.
The timing of when you receive the Nexplanon implant depends on whether you were using birth control before, and what type it was.
You should be able to feel the implant under your skin. Tell your doctor if you cannot feel the implant at any time while it is in place.
The Nexplanon implant can remain in place for up to 3 years. If the implant is placed correctly, you will not need to use back-up birth control. Follow your doctor’s instructions.
You may have irregular and unpredictable periods while using Nexplanon. Tell your doctor if your periods are very heavy or long-lasting, or if you miss a period .
If you need major surgery or will be on long-term bed rest, or if you need medical tests, may need to have your Nexplanon implant removed for a short time. Any doctor or surgeon who treats you should know that you have a Nexplanon implant.
Have regular physical exams and mammograms, and self-examine your breasts for lumps on a monthly basis while using this medicine.
What If I Take A Medication That Messes With Hormonal Birth Control
There are many highly effective types of birth control that are not affected by these medications, including all IUDs, the implant, and the shot. Barrier methods like condoms are also effective regardless of what medication youre taking.
In general, its good to remember that medicines can have powerful interactions with each otherand hormonal birth control is just another type of medicine. If a new medicine is prescribed for you, make sure to tell your health care provider about all of the medicines, herbal and vitamin supplements you regularly take.
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Nexplanon Post Removal Instructions
Like insertion, the removal procedure of the Nexplanon implant requires care and attention. Equally important is the care post removal. Once the implant is removed, from whichever method, it is important to not neglect the incision area are read the signs if any, the body gives post the removal procedure.
Once the implant is removed, there is no protection against pregnancy. Women are advised to use other methods of birth control like contraceptive pills or condoms if they do not want to get pregnant. One should use a back-up method for the first seven days post removal.
After the Nexplanon implant is removed, it is required that one watches for some signs of warning. There may be some numbness in the arm for a few days. As the numbness wears off, one may experience soreness for a day or two. During this period, over-the-counter pain relievers can be taken to relieve the pain. Cold packs also help in curbing swelling and pain.
How Nexplanon Is Removed
When you are ready to have your Nexplanon implant removed, make an appointment with your doctor. They will feel for the implant in your arm to see exactly where it is. Then, they will mark the ends of the implant on your arm with a marker. After, they will numb your arm and then make a small cut near the implant. They will remove the implant with forceps .
The doctor will then apply a bandage or wound dressing to the site where they removed the implant. They will have you wear a pressure bandage for 24 hours. You will then wear a small bandage for 3 to 5 days.
If youre having another Nexplanon implant inserted, your doctor can remove the old implant and put a new one in at the same time.
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How Is A Nexplanon Removed
It can be left in place for 3 years or it can be taken out sooner. A specially trained doctor or nurse will inject a small amount of local anaesthetic into the skin and will then make a small cut in the skin through which the Nexplanon will be removed. They will apply some paper stitches and a dressing to keep the area dry and clean. The dressing can be removed after a few days and the stitches can usually be removed after a week. The area may be a bit sore and bruised for a few days. If a Nexplanon is very difficult to feel under the skin it may not be so easy to remove. The doctor or nurse may refer you to a specialist centre to have it removed with the help of an ultrasound scan.
Additional Contraception When Taking Antibiotics
If you’re going to take rifampicin or rifabutin for more than 2 months, you may want to consider starting, or changing to, a contraception method that’s not affected by these medicines.
You should consider doing this if you’re currently using:
If you’re taking rifampicin or rifabutin for less than 2 months and want to continue using the same hormonal contraception, you must discuss this with your doctor.
You may be asked to take this contraception in a different way from usual and use condoms as well.
You’ll need to continue this for 28 days after finishing the antibiotics.
One option for women who have a contraceptive implant and need to take a short dose of rifampicin is a single dose of the progestogen injection.
The implant can stay in place while you’re covered by the injection.
You and your doctor can get up-to-date guidance about contraception and antibiotics from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.
You do not normally need to use additional contraception if you’re taking antibiotics other than rifampicin and rifabutin.
But if the antibiotics or the illness they’re treating cause diarrhoea or vomiting, absorption of the contraceptive pill may be affected.
Page last reviewed: 28 January 2019 Next review due: 28 January 2022
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What Is The Contraceptive Implant
A contraceptive implant is a small rod – about the size of a matchstick. The implant contains a progestogen hormone which provides contraception without you having to take a daily pill. The rod is put under the skin on your arm. The only contraceptive implant currently available in the UK is Nexplanon® .
Nexplanon® is 40 mm long and 2 mm wide. That is, about the size of a normal matchstick.
How Do These Meds Mess With Birth Control
For the science geeks among us, heres how this works: its all about metabolism, the process by which our bodies use and clear medicines. Just like with food, the body has an intricate and multi-step process for breaking down medicines, using them, and then clearing them from the body.
One of the key players for medicines is an enzyme called the P450 system. The P450 system helps process both of the hormones in the pill, the patch, and the ringestrogen and progestin. Some medicines speed up or slow down this enzyme system. If the system is revved up, it will go to work breaking down and removing the hormones faster than normal, resulting in lower levels of the hormones to get the job done. It can result in such low levels of hormone that the pill, patch, or ring dont work.
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What To Do If Youre On A Medication That Might Affect Your Contraception
If youre on medication that can change how effective your hormonal contraceptive is, its important to take other steps to avoid an unintended pregnancy. This means using a barrier contraceptive like a condom or diaphragm.
Dont try to cancel out the antibiotics by doubling up on birth control pills the way the medications interact in your body is complicated and unpredictable, so taking a bigger dose of contraceptives doesnt work.
It isnt always clear how long antibiotics continue to affect hormonal birth control, so doctors usually recommend continuing to use a barrier method or alternative to hormonal contraception to prevent pregnancy for at least seven days after the end of the antibiotic course. This can be a nice time to try other ways of having sex or being intimate.
Combined Hormonal Contraceptives Include:
- The pill
- The patch
- The ring
Combined hormonal contraceptives use multiple mechanisms to reduce the possibility of pregnancy. Estrogen suppresses the release of hormones from the pituitary. Progestin suppresses ovulation and thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm from entering the upper genital tract. Progestin provides most of the contraceptive effects in hormonal contraceptive methods.
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Do Antibiotics Affect Birth Control
In short, some antibiotics affect hormonal birth control, and some dont. There are lots of different kinds of antibiotics, and like all prescription drugs, they have to pass rigorous tests and trials. Figuring out how common drugs interact with each other is an important part of ongoing drug safety assessment, so we have good evidence to show which medications work well or poorly with each other.
Clinical trials on most common antibiotics have shown that the risk of getting pregnant while taking hormonal contraceptives and antibiotics is no different than the risk of getting pregnant while using the hormonal contraceptive without antibiotics.
A large epidemiological U.S. study involving more than 43,000 women concluded that there is no connection between antibiotic use and a decrease in the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives. Additionally, a systematic review in 2016 based on 29 studies showed no difference in the occurrence of suppressed ovulation and breakthrough bleeding while taking non-rifamycin antibiotics and hormonal contraceptives.
Here are some of the types of antibiotics which do not seem to affect hormonal contraceptives:
- Ampicillin
Herbal Supplements And Vitamins
St. Johns wort is a supplement that people take to help with symptoms of depression, insomnia, or anxiety. Soy isoflavones is from a soybean plant and may reduce menopause-related hot flashes or help maintain strong bones. Research has shown that supplements like these may reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills.
There is some thought that St. Johns Wort, typically used to help with symptoms of depression, contains ingredients which may speed up the breakdown of estrogen, rendering birth control less effective, Dr. Torres says. Vitamin C, often taken to boost immune function, can interact with birth control as well. Estrogen can cause increases in vitamin C levels, which could potentially be problematic.
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Hiv Medications Or Antiretrovirals
These medications are used to prevent the HIV virus from multiplying and keep it under control.
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Antiretrovirals that interact with birth control: There is a risk of interaction with all ARVs.
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Antiretrovirals that dont interact with birth control: The good news is that there are some safe contraception-ARV combinations. Your doctor can make recommendations on a case-by-case basis.
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Safest contraception options: In most cases, the birth control shot , hormonal IUD , and copper IUD are all safe to use on HIV treatment. Non-hormonal methods are another safe alternative.
How It Is Put In
- Your upper, inner arm will be injected with a numbing medicine. Then, the implant will be inserted just under the skin. You should feel the implant after it has been put in.
- Keep the implant area covered with a bandage for at least 5 days.
- Bruising and mild discomfort are common after the implant is put in.
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When To Call The Health Care Provider
If you have an implant that has been in place for more than 3 years, it may not work anymore. If so, avoid sex or use a condom until your provider can replace the device.
- have unusual or heavy vaginal bleeding
- cannot feel the implant
- think you may be pregnant
- think you have a sexually transmitted infection
- notice redness, swelling, or pain at insertion site
If I Have A Contraceptive Implant What Do I Do When I Want To Try To Get Pregnant
If you want to try for a baby, you need to have the implant removed. Your periods will return to normal, although it can be up to three months before you get back to your old rhythm. However, it is possible to get pregnant before you have your first period.
Start pre-pregnancy care such as taking folic acid, stopping smoking and considering any regular medication you take beforehand. You can ask your doctor or nurse for further advice.
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The Truth About Antibiotics And Birth Control
Q: I heard that antibiotics interfere with birth control pills, but Im on the birth control that gets implanted under my skin will antibiotics interfere with that too?
A: Im so glad you asked this question! This is one of the biggest medical myths of all time one that gets propagated in doctors offices, health clinics, hospitals, blogs, magazines and OK fine, student health centers every day. So now, for the first time ever in print online on this blog the TRUTH!
The only antibiotic that has ever been shown to interfere with birth control levels and effectiveness is a medicine called rifampin which is used to treat tuberculosis. Rifampin may also interfere with the birth control patch and vaginal ring so if you are taking it, be sure to use a back-up, non-hormonal form of birth control.
There are some other medications that can interfere with your birth control, however, and if you are taking any of them you should always use back-up contraception.
- Griseofulvin
- Topirimate
- St. Johns Wort
John A. Vaughn, MD
What Are The Advantages Of Nexplanon
Some of the good things about Nexplanon are:
- Once inserted you do not need to think much about it
- There are no serious side effects
- You can use it if you are breast feeding
- It is useful if you cannot take oestrogens, like those found in the combined oral contraceptive pill
- Your normal level of fertility will return as soon as Nexplanon is removed
- It may reduce painful heavy periods
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