Implant expired May 18 - should I be fertile?

[FelicisWolf]

I've been on the contraceptive implant solidly for the past 9 years (3 different ones), and this last one expired in May last year so 8 months ago. I finally have an appointment to get it removed next week and to go on the pill instead as DH and I want to start ttc in October. My worry is that shouldn't the implant have stopped working by now? If I haven't got pregnant in the last 8 months, could that be an indication that something might be wrong when we do start trying? If I had fallen pregnant then it wouldn't have been part of 'our plan', but we would have been delighted. I was never that good at taking the pill when I was younger (hence why I went on the implant in the first place) but never had any scares or pregnancies. I guess I'm just worried that there might be something wrong with me that I don't know about! Or maybe the implant lasts much longer than it should??

The 'expiry date' is like a best before date for food: not ideal but not necessarily unsuitable.
You need to get it removed and then assess your fertility after a couple of months.

They say they expire because some will fail around the three year mark. They'd get sued of loads of women starting getting pregnant near the end of the implants life. Evidence suggests it may be effective for some women for much longer.

For example, it can take a year for cycles to return to normal after removal because of your body's response/reliance on it. That means, in effect, even though it's gone, it can be effective for 25% more of the time than it was in!

So no, it suggests nothing about your fertility when not on birth control.

I think that even though they are guaranteed for 3 years they actually work for closer to 5 years. It’s just because of the legal side they have to say 3 years.

I had two of those. I’d think they last longer than 3 yrs. Purely from the point of view that it’s a true bastard to get into my surgery at the best of times, imagine if you had to get in to have it replaced but they couldn’t fit you in and got pregnant. I know that’s on you really, but still.

Plus you don’t get much of a window to catch the egg so it could just be timing.