What is a contraceptive implant?
A contraceptive implant is a small rod (about the size of a matchstick) which is placed under the skin of your arm. It slowly releases Etonogestrel, a hormone which stops ovulation (release of an egg), preventing pregnancy. Once it is in place, an implant is effective for 3 years.
How is the implant fitted?
The implant fitting procedure is explained in this short video:
The contraceptive implant
The implant is a popular method of long acting reversible contraception, or LARC. It’s chosen more and more by women of any age. It’s over 99 percent effective, more effective than condoms, or even the pill.
The implant is a small, flexible plastic rod. It’s fitted just under the skin on your upper arm. It works by releasing a tiny amount of a hormone called progesterone into the bloodstream. The progesterone stops your body from releasing an egg each month, so preventing pregnancy. The implant is almost invisible under your skin, so nobody else can tell it’s been fitted.
Why do women choose the contraceptive implant?
It doesn’t get in the way of sex, unlike condoms. Once fitted, you can forget about contraception for three years. Once removed, your fertility will return to whatever is normal for you within days.
Before the procedure
The implant can be fitted at any point in your cycle, provided there’s no chance you could be pregnant. We ask that you don’t have unprotected sex for at least three weeks before fitting. This includes sex when your method of contraception has passed its expiry date, or using withdrawal or natural methods of contraception.
How is the procedure done?
It only takes a few minutes to put the implant in. First, you’ll meet the clinician who’s fitting your implant. We’ll ask you about your medical history, do a pregnancy test if required, an STI test if needed, and answer any questions. We’ll numb a small area of your arm with local anaesthetic, which may sting slightly for a few seconds. Then, we’ll slide the implant under your skin. You might feel some pressure, but no pain.
We’ll put a dressing on your arm to cover the small cut made by the insertion. Most clinicians also apply a pressure bandage to reduce any bruising. After the procedure, most women feel well enough to leave the clinic straight away and can travel home by bus, taxi or car. You may like to bring someone with you to take you home.
After the local anaesthetic has worn off, you may have some tenderness or swelling around the implant. This can last for a few days, and the area may look bruised for up to a week or two. If the implant is fitted during the first five days of your period, you’re protected from pregnancy right away.
Otherwise, we advise additional contraception, such as condoms, for seven days. We’ll give you a card with the expiry date written on it. Keep this safe. The device can be removed at any time. We recommend you use an alternative method of contraception before the removal, so there’s no gap in your protection against pregnancy.
Side effects
Most women have no problems. Around 1 in 10 women notice hormonal side effects in the first few months, such as headaches, breast tenderness, weight gain, or spottier skin. The side effects usually settle, and they occur with other progesterone only methods of contraception. We recommend trying to find the method that’s best suited to you.
The implant can affect your periods in three ways, but we can’t predict your individual outcome. For 1 in 5 women, periods stop altogether. 3 in 5 women have bleeding that is either infrequent or light, but it is acceptable to them and they are happy with the device. However, 1 in 5 women have bleeding that is prolonged or frequent.
If this happens, we might suggest you take the contraceptive pill in addition to the implant for a few months.
Risks
Very rarely, your arm can become infected. We’ll provide you with full wound care instructions. It’s safe to use the implant while breastfeeding. It shouldn’t affect how much milk you produce, and it won’t harm your baby.
In fact, the implant is a great method to use if you’re breastfeeding and you don’t want to get pregnant. Importantly, the implant does not protect you against sexually transmitted infections. We recommend using condoms until both you and your partner have both had an STI screen.
You will need to book an appointment for your implant fitting by calling 01273 523 388, and on the day of your appointment we recommend that you allow for at least half an hour in clinic. We aim to see you at your appointment time but unfortunately sometimes there are unavoidable delays. Implants can also be fitted by some GP practices in Brighton and Hove.
The nurse or doctor will call you through and ask you some questions. This is to check that it is safe to fit the implant, and to answer any questions you have. If you haven’t already had a full sexual health screen you will be offered one. We offer all of our patients a blood test for HIV and syphilis, and a swab for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
A small area on your arm (around 3cm squared) will be numbed with an anaesthetic injection. This may sting, but will quickly become numb. The clinician will check the anaesthetic has worked before fitting the implant. As an alternative in some circumstances we can use a spray to numb the skin rather than an injection. The implant is fitted using a special device. It takes no more than a few minutes. You will not have any stitches, but a dressing will be put on your arm. This needs to be kept dry for 2 days after the procedure.
Please remember to wear clothes which are loose on the arm or can be removed for the procedure.
If you have further questions or concerns about the procedure you can book a telephone appointment to discuss any concerns before the procedure by ringing 01273 523 388. There are many things we can do to help make the whole process easier for you.
Phone line opening times
Phone lines are closed on Bank Holidays.
- Monday:
- 9.15am to 4.30pm
- Tuesday:
- 9.15am to 4.30pm
- Wednesday:
- 12.30pm to 4.30pm
- Thursday:
- 9.15am to 4.30pm
- Friday:
- 9.15am to 4.30pm
When can an implant be fitted?
The implant can be fitted at any point in your menstrual cycle. If it is fitted on days 1-5 of your cycle (day 1 being the first day of your period), it is effective immediately. If it is fitted at any other point in your cycle it will take 7 days for the implant to become fully effective. You will need to use another form of contraception for this time if you have vaginal sex.
If there is a risk of pregnancy since your last period, the nurse or doctor fitting your implant may ask you to provide a urine sample for pregnancy testing on the day. You may be advised to repeat this after 21 days to make sure you are not pregnant.
If you are using another method of hormonal contraception, or have a copper intrauterine device (Cu- IUD or ‘copper coil’), you will be advised to continue using this until the implant is effective. The nurse or doctor who fits your implant will discuss this with you.
How effective is a contraceptive implant?
The implant is a very effective form of contraception. Once it is fitted and active (up to 7 days after fitting) it is 99.9% effective, meaning there is a less than 0.1% chance of becoming pregnant.
Depending on when in your menstrual cycle it is fitted, there may be a 7 day delay to the implant becoming fully effective. You will be advised to use another form of contraception like condoms until the implant is active. See the section below for more details about when an implant can be fitted.
The implant only protects against pregnancy, so we still advise condom use with new sexual partners and regular sexual health screening. The doctor or nurse may also offer you vaccinations and HIV PrEP (treatment to prevent HIV) depending on the type of sex you are having.
The effectiveness of the implant can be affected by certain medications. It is important that you tell your GP that you have an implant if you start any new medications.
What are the common side effects?
How is the implant removed?
Although the implant is effective for 3 years it can be removed at any point if you no longer want it, for example if you are planning to get pregnant.
You will need to book an appointment for your implant removal by calling 01273 523 388, and on the day of your appointment we advise that you allow for about half an hour in clinic. Implants can also be removed by some GP practices in Brighton and Hove.
The nurse or doctor will call you through and ask you some questions. You will be offered another form of contraception if you are not planning to get pregnant, and you will have a chance to ask any questions. If you haven’t recently had a full sexual health screen you will be offered one.
A small area on your arm (around 3cm squared) will be numbed with an anaesthetic injection. This may sting, but will quickly become numb. The clinician will make a small incision (cut) in your arm where the implant is, and gently push the implant out. You will not have any stitches, but a dressing will be put on your arm. This needs to be kept dry for 5 days after the procedure.
Please remember to wear clothes which are loose on the arm or can be removed for the procedure.
If you have further questions or concerns about the procedure, you can book a telephone appointment before the procedure by ringing 01273 523 388. There are many things we can do to help make the whole process easier for you.
Advice for after an implant is fitted or removed
Please follow this guidance:
Before your implant procedure, a small area on your arm will have been numbed with a local anaesthetic. The effects from this can last up to 2 hours. If it feels tender or bruised later on that day, take some shop bought pain killers (paracetamol or ibuprofen). Follow the instructions on the packet.
Sometimes the local anaesthetic can make you feel sleepy or dizzy, so we ask you to stay at the clinic for a short time after your insertion/removal. If your procedure is at home the nurse will stay for a short while. If you notice any side effects, it is important that you do not drive until they wear off.
After having an implant put in it is important to keep the area covered and dry for 2 days to help it heal.
After having your implant taken out you will have some plaster strips across the wound to close it. These must kept dry and covered for 5 days.
You may have a bandage on to help reduce the bruising. The bandage needs to be tight but not uncomfortable. Loosen if it’s too tight, or if your fingers swell up. You can take the bandage off 24-48 hours after your procedure, but you can keep it on for a little longer if you want to.
There might be bruising around the implant site and a small scar, these will heal and fade quickly.
If the area around the implant becomes red, hot, sore and itchy, then it is important to see a doctor. If you can’t do this, please phone 01273 523 388 for advice.
Your implant contains a tiny amount of barium. This will show up on an x-ray and can be very useful in confirming the position of the implant.
The implant lasts 3 years. Please book your next implant appointment 3 months before your implant runs out. You will be given a card with its expiry date on it. If you lose the card, call us on 01273 523 388 and we will tell you what the expiry date is.
If you have any questions or concerns, please ring 01273 523 388 to discuss them with a nurse or doctor.