Hi all!
I want to make a couple of disclaimers before I get into this post. 1.) I am not a medical professional in any way – please consult a doctor for proper advice in regards to fertility management. 2.) This is just my experience. Every single person with female reproductive organs is different. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE IMPLANON
If you’re unsure what the Implanon is (or it is has a different name in your country) please click here for more information.
When I was 18 years old, I went on the Implanon as my main method of birth control. It lasts three years, before you need to take it out and get a new one inserted. In total, I was on the Implanon for seven years, with three different rods in my arm during that time. As you are probably guessing, I had a pretty positive experience with the Implanon, or I wouldn’t have stayed on it for so long. I didn’t menstruate once from 18-24 years old. It was great! I was also extremely confident in its effectiveness, regarding unwanted pregnancies. At the time, I recommended it to my female family members and friends. However, when I received the third and final rod, I had a more negative experience. I still didn’t have my period, but my hormone levels went nuts. I was crying every second day, depressed, unnaturally aggressive and absentminded. I felt terrible for my poor husband (boyfriend at the time), who was on the receiving end of my multitude of moods. In the end, I decided it was no longer worth being on, if I was going to be so unhappy and unstable. The week I took it out, I felt myself returning to normal. The fog cleared from my brain and I was emotionally steady, once more. I never went back to the Implanon. It’s also important to note that after three different insertions, my arm developed a scar, that will probably never heal. It’s not a big deal, just something to be aware of. Overall, I’m really glad that it was available to me when I needed it. There were definitely more pros than cons.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE DEPO (PROVERA) SHOT
If you’re unsure what the Depo (Provera) Shot is (or it is has a different name in your country) please click here for more information.
The Depo Shot was a completely different experience to the Implanon. I’m only just starting to recover from its effects. As the name suggests, it’s an injection you need to have every 12 weeks, in order to maintain its effectiveness. Before trying it, I spoke to my doctor, who assured me it was the best method of birth control for a woman my age (31) and had hardly any side effects. She told me I may just lose my period. Because it disappeared for seven years with the Implanon, I figured the same thing would happen with the Depo Shot. Nope! I am normally really good with needles and have quite a high pain tolerance, but it hurt like hell! It wasn’t even the needle itself. It was the liquid that burned in my arm. I’m not exaggerating when I say I felt that pain for weeks afterwards. Almost immediately, I lost my period, which made me happy, but after a month and a half of no menstruation, it came back with a vengeance and Did Not Stop. I bled continuously and heavily, for weeks on end. It was awful, exhausting and uncomfortable. The worst part was, I couldn’t remove it, like the Implanon. I had to wait out the 12 weeks. In that time, I also experienced strong bouts of nausea, headaches, mood fluctuations, bloating, hot flushes and anxiety. When I Googled these symptoms, I noticed they fell under the ‘common’ category. This was not mentioned in my consultation with the doctor. Even after the 12 weeks, I was still bleeding irregularly. I will never go on the Depo Shot again. I was an absolute mess from the come down. I have read in some forums, it gets better after each dosage, but once was enough to put me off for life. Overall, there were more cons than pros.
What I learned from being on both the Implanon and Depo Shot, is that I don’t do well under hormone-altering methods of birth control. For my body, it’s best I opt for a more natural/safe type of fertility management.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Please let me know if you’ve ever used these methods of birth control and how positive or negative those experiences were. Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo