Good bye, Polka Dot.

[hold-fast.livejournal.com]

On December 15th of 2007, I got the Implanon implant inserted. She was known as Polka Dot.

Because of my migraines, I can't use any birth control with estrogen, which seriously limits my options. I was down to the Depo shot, progestin only pills, Implanon, and either the Paragard or Mirena IUD. Originally, I wanted an IUD, as they last from 5-12 years, depending on which one you go with. After doing my research, I decided on the Paragard IUD. Paragard is a copper intra-uterine device that doesn't contain any hormones *at all*, and while it was likely that it would make my periods heavier and more crampy, I was very willing to deal with those side effects to lose all the ones that hormones were giving me (bad acne, irregular bleeding, mood swings, the works). I asked my local Planned Parenthood about my options, and they didn't have a doctor that did insertions in women who hadn't given birth, which is common. Doctors want the patient to have had a child because it insures the uterus is big enough. After joining iud_divas and doing some more looking, I found that that is a general misconception and only a personal preference of the doctor. There are many doctors that will do the insertion regardless, because all it takes to determine uterus size is a simple sounding (ok, not so simple, as for many it's the most painful part of the procedure...but carrying on...). I called around to no avail. I couldn't find a doctor who would do the insertion. So I figured I'd give the Implanon a try. Now, because I did my research, I knew full well what the common side effects were. I was kind of a test run at the clinic, and the nurse there (Who I absolutely adore, btw. No gyn could beat her! :D) really wanted me to try it out as they had just gotten the Implanon in as an option. Back in the day, my nurse did multiple Norplant insertions when the numerous side effects were unkown and it was a bit more popular, so I trusted her completely (as Norplant involves inserting six silicone rods instead of the mere one that makes up Implanon). I got my Implanon for free as I was a bit of a campaign for the new birth control, and she truly wanted to see how it would work out in her own clinic. She said she's had plenty of girls come in and have them removed for reasons that she made sure I understood before I got it, but she really was curious as to how long it took for the negative aspects to take effect, what mine would be, how personal history effected it if it did, etc. She's really great, and I love participating in experiments, so I gave it a go and got it for free because of it. I tracked everything to the T, and thought it was going relatively well until my acne (which I had previously had under control) came back worse than I've ever had it. At first, I had only experienced spotting as my only side effect, and irregular periods, but that I could deal with. Then in April, I began to bleed (like a period, not spotting like I had previously). I tried to wait it out, but unfortunately, it never stopped. I started to feel weak, even with my vitamins. I knew this wasn't a good thing, and after telling my nurse and giving her my charts, she told me that she wouldn't let me wait any longer to get it removed. Ironically enough, I stopped bleeding a few days after I made my removal appointment. Oy.

Now, on to my story about my next choice of birth control! I was desperate to avoid the POPs, because if you read the link, you know that you have to take your pills at the same time every day within a three hour window or they are no longer effective. I just can't take that risk. While I don't party like a rock star, I do enjoy having fun and being at least a little spontaneous, and the last thing I need is to freak out over taking a pill five hours late and getting landed with a little surprise later on. I also have severe anxiety issues, so those would definitely come into play with those pills. That left me with the Depo shot and the IUDs. I talked to my nurse about the Depo shot, and she said that because of my reaction to the Implanon, I could expect something similar with the Depo. It wasn't a sure thing, of course, but it would give me a loose idea. That left me with another attempt at finding a doctor who would insert an IUD, which was my dream method in the first place. I really, really preferred the Paragard, but unfortunately, after making what felt like a million different calls (to as far as St. Louis, which is over 100 miles away from where I live!), I was only able to find one doctor who would do the insertion, and he only did Mirena insertions. I'm counting my blessings on this one, though, and I'm giving it a shot. My nurse says I'll love it, and while it may mimic the Implanon in the first 3-6 months, after that it will straighten out and be the best thing that ever happened to me. She was even regretful that she couldn't be the one to do the insertion! She's such a great lady. In fact, the doctor doing the insertion is in the building next door to my apartment, which I didn't know until I got the papers to fill out in the mail. I'm so excited, now. I get my new friend on July 2nd. I'm a bit nervous, but more excited about finally getting the birth control I truly wanted than anything.

I'm sorry if this seemed long winded, but I just thought my experience might be helpful to someone else who's debating Implanon, experiencing trouble with it, or trying and seemingly failing to find a doctor who will insert an IUD. I know all those links seem annoying, but I plan on cross posting this, so I want to cover all my bases. ;) Thanks to all those who read this, and I hope it helped someone!

Comments

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

How long did you have the Implanon in?

And you reminded me, I need to do my own version of this post. Thanks!

Good luck with your IUD insertion and hopefully the low hormone dose works out for you.

[hold-fast.livejournal.com]

Oh! I missed putting that part in! Doy. I had it removed yesterday, 06/25/08.

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

And when was it inserted? I still can't figure it out, sorry. It's a shame the continuous bleeding happens to so many people.

[hold-fast.livejournal.com]

That was at the beginning of the post, teehee. "On December 15th of 2007, I got the Implanon implant inserted. She was known as Polka Dot." ^^

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

Dear me, I totally missed that. I am having an unobservant day today obviously! Hehe.

[paraxeni.livejournal.com]

Good luck with the Mirena insertion. I'm nulliparous, and my Mirena, Mr Hangly-Tangly, has been happily chilling inside me for two and a half years now.