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Contraceptive implant and bleeding!?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi, I'm Jodiie,
I'm your average healthy"ish" 23 year old and at the beginning of Aug 2014 I decided I wanted to go on the implant.
I have been on the "mercilon" pill for 3years no problems but have just got to the stage I want to be more safe so chose the implant.

I also do have "Gilbert syndrome" which means I cannot have estrogen pills... hence the different pill.and why my doctor highly recommend the implant.

I had the implant fitted while on a period (apparently standard protocol) and was fine for 2 weeks... now nearly 2 weeks in I have been on a constant period ...
It goes from. Being light as if I'm starting or at the end of a period, to having constant dark/blood discharge the sort when you have a (bad period)
I understand periods may be up and down.

But has anyone else experienced this and can please tell me it's only a short term annoyance and will get better? As I really don't want to be on a period forever! Especially With a new partner.

Please help!

Jodiie

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi, and welcome to The Site!

    I had the implant fitted about 2 years ago, and after the first 4 months I've had no problems at all. I had maybe a month of constant period, then spotting for the next few months, but nothing bad.

    I know it can be completely different for everyone though, so if you're worried it's worth a trip to your GP :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hi Jodiiie and welcome!! It's great to meet a new user :wave:

    From what I can tell, it can be quite normal, it depends on the person. Some people who have the implant fitted never bleed, some may spot for a few weeks and then nothing, some might have a slightly longer period that makes an appearance a bit more regularly than normal - and sometimes it can be a very heavy and lengthy period while your body is adjusting.

    If you are concerned about it (and let's face it, we don't want periods constantly) then i have to agree with ninaballet, and have a little chat to your GP about it. They can give you some advice and reassure you if you're worried. :yes: They might want to consider alternative contraceptive options for you, if you find the implant isn't quite working out for you. They are good in that you don't have the faff of remembering to take your pill - but there are alternatives if you are having a constant period as a result of the implant being fitted.

    If you are under 25, you could also check out Brook's website, they are a great way of finding out what contraceptives might be best suited to you, and you can even ask an advisor online, or contact them on their helpline: http://www.brook.org.uk/our-services/category/ask-brook

    Hope this helps you out - let us know how you get on :)
  • PGreenPGreen Posts: 175 Helping Hand
    Hey Jodie :wave:

    You have been given some great advice here but thought I would just share our article on TheSite about the contraceptive implant.

    Under the subheading my periods are going nuts it says:
    Your periods may be so erratic it feels like Dr Evil is controlling them with a joystick. But before you go running into the surgery screaming, ‘get this mofo out of me’, doctors recommend you give it at least three months to settle down. If after this time you’re still bleeding like Niagara Falls, you haven’t had a period at all, or you’re one big raging hormonal cyclone, it may be time to discuss getting it removed.

    I hope this helps and I hope things settle down for you!
  • BubblesGoesBooBubblesGoesBoo Posts: 3,590 Community Veteran
    i've been on the implant for almost 3 years now (my time is nearly over) haha... but i've had no problems with it ... i know my friend that had it had her period for about 3 months before she finally got it out... it's different with every person, but if it's concerning you can always make an app with the nurse to see if theres anything they can do, normally they give you the pill for 3 months aswell to stop the bleeding :)
    ' So I put a bullet where I shouda put a helmet, and I crash my car cause I wanna get carried away, that's why I'm standing on the overpass screaming at myself 'hey, I wanna get better''  
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey Jodiie!

    How are you getting on? I hope everyone's advice has been helpful :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    hello!

    Hi everyone,

    I have been on the contraceptive implant for nearly a year and a half now. At first, my periods were fine, I think I bled for a week after I got it in and then didn't have another period for a couple of months. Then, I started bleeding every day, it was horrible. It was small amount of thick brown stuff for a wee while.. until i discovered starflower oil. I knew about the supplement because my mum used to advise me to take it when I was a teenager because it helped with pms. My mum knew about my period problems and mentioned that she had been reading an article about just how strong starflower oil is as a hormone regulator, so she suggested I start taking it. Only after a week of taking 1000mg of starflower oil my period stopped! It is amazing. Now, I get a normal period about every 2 months, and it lasts about 8 days. If I don't take my starflower oil, after a couple of days I start to bleed again, so it definitely works for me and I really hope its not just me and that this can help all the women with this horrible problem because it really so hard to deal with sometimes!! Please share this as much as you can, I really don't think people realise how strong this natural supplement is. I would advice not taking starflower oil that has less than 24% GLA in it, I switched for a while to one that was 20% GLA and my periods came back. GLA (gamma-Linolenic acid). Starflower oil is completely natural too. You can get it from supplement stores, pharmacies and boots. If you are abroad (not in uk) starflower is also sometimes referred to as borage seed oil, so if you can't find it then look for that. Hope this works for you!! Sarah
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