Going from Mirena to the implant - positive implant stories?

[perenniallymessy]

I had an appointment to have my Mirena coil changed and it did not go well.

I have quite a lot of scar tissue after a serious tear giving birth to DS1 and I have lichen sclerosis (a skin condition on your vulva), so the speculum alone was agony. The doctor was really trying her best and used lots of numbing gel, but the entire process was agony and from the pain I was experiencing we made the decision to stop before the replacement was inserted.

She did offer to book me in at the sexual health clinic, as they have more ways and means but I really don't think I could go through that again, plus do it another 2 times at least (I'm 43 with a family history of fairly late menopause).

After ten years with the Mirena (last time it was changed I coped but this time I really couldn't), I really don't want to go back to periods as I have a history of really nasty periods (plus probable mild endometriosis- have had to have womb lining removed from my cervix previously, without hormonal contraception I have very heavy and painful periods with pain and bloating), so her recommendation was the injection (which I have had previously) or the implant. In the end I have had one dose of the injection then I will decide in the next few weeks whether to carry on with that or book in for the implant.

I have heard all the horror stories of the implant, so obviously I'm a bit nervous of it so I'm hoping for some positive stories.

For people who have had both the Mirena and the implant, have you tolerated both equally well? I have had no side effects from the hormones of the Mirena (apart from ten glorious years of no periods), so maybe I would tolerate the implant ok? The doctor said you are slightly more likely to have periods with the implant than the Mirena but for most people they are light.

There is a section for contraception but it looks a bit dead so posting in Chat in the hope for more responses!

I’ve not had a Mirena but I’m on my 7th or 8th implant. Love it. It’s the size of a matchstick, you can’t see it sticking through your flesh, but if you feel around your arm you can find it. (That’s a good thing, it means it’s in there!)

Scarring is minimal. the nurses always use the same scar to take out the old one and put in the new one. You get a local anaesthetic first before they inject the implant.

For me, the worst bit is that my arm feels really itchy for a day or too afterwards.

I've only had the implant but I had 3 then wanted to get pregnant. I loved it, I had irregular bleeding (but very light and just a few days each month) for the first 6 months then no periods for 2 years then they started up again very light until time to change again. I have a few friends that couldn't get on with the irregular bleeding but I loved it... forgot how bad periods really are after 9 years of the implant!

I have had the implant in the past and it was a good option for me at the time. I didn’t have any irregular bleeding, I didn’t have periods for 6 months after having it and when it came back my period was lighter and wasn’t painful anymore, which was amazing in itself (I have a friend who didn’t have any period at all on the implant for the whole 3 years). I didn’t gain any weight on the implant (unlike all the contraceptive pills I have tried). And once it’s in you can just forget about it, no need to remember to take a pill each day.

Just make a note of the date it needs to be replaced, they won’t remind you.

I can’t think of any negatives, I would still be using it now if my body still tolerated hormones.

Thank you all so much. Feeling much more positive about it now, there are so many horror stories online but of course people are more likely to report problems than if all is well.

Sounds like a really good option for me. Hopefully I'll be one of the ones with no periods (or barely anything). On the Mirena I got a day or so of very light spotting so it's quite likely.

The implant has been overwhelmingly positive for me, no problems with it at all. I do get a period but it can be a bit erratic, so some months it’s 2 days, others it’s more like 6 but it’s regular and only minor cramps the day before. I’m on my 4th or 5th implant now and the only thing I’ll stop using it for is husband having a vasectomy.

I’ve experienced both ends of the implant spectrum.
My first one was brilliant. Stopped my periods completely, no nasty side effects that I noticed, and did it’s job. Had that removed a few weeks before I got married, and I fell pregnant within the first month.
Second one (put in when DC1 was a few months old) was awful. I bled for 5 months straight, to the point where I developed anaemia, and was getting lightheaded and dizzy at work. Mood swings were horrendous. Worse acne than I’d had as a teenager. I begged for it to be removed and my GP refused until I’d given it a full 6 months to “settle” 😳 I ended up removing it myself at home. Zero out of ten. Do not recommend 🤢