Contraceptive Implants are described as long-term birth control for women, and they are more than 99% effective; they can last up to three years once inserted and some can last up to five years. This device is a flexible plastic rod that is about the size of a matchstick that is placed under the skin of the upper arm by a Nurse or a Doctor. The purpose is to release the hormone progestogen into a woman’s bloodstream to prevent pregnancy, and it suppresses ovulation.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Contraceptive Implants have various benefits, as they contain no estrogen, eliminate the need to interrupt sex for contraceptives, and can be removed anytime followed by a quick return of fertility.
However, in most cases, women who decide to insert birth control implants as a way of contraception usually suffer from complications and side effects a few months after implanting it.
A Health Practitioner Sister SK Zwane said in most cases women would usually ask for a contraceptive implant then a few months down the line they want to remove it due to side effects that were explained to them beforehand.
Elsa Hadebe told VM News about how she was treated at her local clinic after she told nurses that she was suffering from abnormal bleeding, abnormal back pain, heavy headaches, not enjoying sex, and also she kept on losing weight almost every day.
“Even though all these side-effects and others such as dizziness, sore of breast, and dryness in my vagina were explained to me, but I feel like I am suffering far too more.
I was expecting at least one or two effects from all those that I’ve mentioned but they are getting serious almost every day that worries me too much, and that is why I want it to be removed.”
Hadebe said she went to the local clinic and asked for it to be removed in June last year but the clinic kept on delaying her telling her that these side effects are normal and they will go away. At the beginning of October, she returned to the same clinic and she was given pills to stop her bleeding, Panado to ease her headache, and painkillers to treat her back pain.
“I was not given a valid reason why they did not want to remove it, instead of them telling me that I was wasting their time. But I believe it is my right as a patient to be helped,” said Hadebe.
Celiwe Sithole who used to use Contraceptive Implants said she has never experienced any complications from the implant.
However, it made her gain more appetite and she became addicted to eating more, eventually she gained weight and was forced to remove it because she was told that she might get pregnant even if she had inserted an implant because it was already starting to shift where it was implanted.
“Contraceptive Implant is the best option for family planning, I even encouraged it to my daughter, but unfortunately she was advised not to put it since she is diabetic. But most of my friends and my sisters use it. There is no stress in it since it is a long-term planning. It allows you to plan your family accordingly, where else other family planning methods, you have to go to health facilities at least once every three months. To tell the truth, I didn’t experience any excessive bleeding and most of the symptoms which are caused by the implant.”
Zwane confirmed that in most cases the implant does shift due to being over-weight as it is placed under the skin.
“However the device may not be as effective in women with body mass index above 30.”
Zanele Ziqubu asked to remove her implant because she wanted to fall pregnant again.
“I have a six-year-old boy, I and my husband felt that it is time to have another child and then a few days later I went to my local private clinic to remove it. Surprisingly, two months later I was pregnant with twins [boys], we were both excited, and to put a cherry on top we were both financially stable enough to take care of our little boys. I can’t say that Implants are not working, they do I guess those who suffer from serious complications should go back to the clinic as soon as possible so that they will get help.”
Ziqubu told VM News that her friend did suffer a side effect from the contraceptive implant which was abnormal bleeding and dizziness.
“At first she tried to remove it by herself but I advised her to go to the clinic because she was not qualified to do so.”
Zwane also mentioned that only trained individuals are allowed to remove the contraceptive implant.
“It is not advisable for a patient to remove it on herself. Also what is good about contraceptive implants is that it does not delay a woman’s ability to fall pregnant. She can remove the implant today and the following day she can fall pregnant.”
She also said the reason why most women suffer from extreme bleeding after planting the contraceptive implant is because the contraceptive implant itself has its hormones and once they are combined with a patient hormone the reaction of bleeding occurs.
“Normally the health facility supplies you with pills which might help you to stop the bleeding.”
Mayo Clinic says in every health facility before they insert contraceptive implants they must first prepare women by evaluating their overall health.
A Health care provider will determine the appropriate timing for the insertion of the contraceptive implant based on a woman’s menstrual cycle and their previous birth control methods.
They may need to take a pregnancy test and use a non-hormonal backup method of contraception for one week.