Talk to me about life after contraception (implant specifically)

[WomanAnon]

DH goes for the snip on Thursday 🙌 I'm planning on having my Nexplanon implant removed at the earliest opportunity. I'm 38 and have been on various forms of hormonal birth control for almost my entire adult life apart from when pregnant or trying to be.

I am on my 4th Nexplanon and while it's stopped me getting pregnant I also feel its made me robotic from a mood point of view - I'm generally fairly upbeat but have none of what I would imagine to be the "cyclical" mood swings - so no PMT ever which is great but also my sex drive is generally really low. Never deliriously happy or excited about anything and also never sad.

I've been on this contraception for such a long time that I've actually got no idea what to expect when I come off it, I'm so out of touch with my body! I have continued to have periods throughout although since the last implant was fitted at the end of last year they've been very light indeed. I'm also hoping it will be easier to shed a few stubborn pounds I've got which I've read can be caused by the Nexplanon.

Has anyone got any experiences they'd like to share? I'm hoping I don't turn into a hormonal mess although I'd like to feel "something"!

Hiya. I had my implant removed on 28/04/22 after approx 8.5 years. The main thing I’ve noticed is my libido has very much increased. 😊

I had 3 implants consecutively before having a baby and wholeheartedly agree that libido increases...I was quite shocked at the difference

I would strongly suggest getting a menstrual cycle app on your phone. I use Clue (the free version) but there are loads to choose from.
It helps you track your symptoms / ovulation / actual period, and after a few months you will start to see a pattern, so you know what to expect when.
My main symptoms after coming off the pill (after 15 years) were sore boobs about a week before my period, ovulation pain, and hormonal headaches. It was a bit of a shock after having zero hormonal related symptoms for so long. They have calmed down a lot, but at least I know roughly what to expect when.

My DH will be very pleased indeed if it has that effect!! That's a great idea for the cycle tracking app I'm going to look it up now - implant still not out but DH doing his sperm count test this week and if its zero it'll be coming out immediately!