Contraceptive implant and ridiculous bleeding... anyone else?

[Greywarden]

I'd be grateful to hear other people's experiences on this as it's getting me down but I'm not sure whether I'm making too big a thing of it! / misinterpreting the cause of my issues.

I got a contraceptive implant for the first time ever in late 2023. I'd just had DD - my first child. She was unplanned and conceived whilst I'd been on the pill, taking it (I thought) diligently. She is hugely loved and me and DH are delighted with her but we didn't want to have more children so I went for the implant as way to eliminate any possible human error.

Since them I've been bleeding a lot. It varies immensely but this past month for instance I've had 5 days of heavy period-type bleeding - just as bad or if anything worse than the heavy periods I got earlier in life pre-contraception - followed by two and a half weeks of daily light bleeding. I have effectively been 'on my period' for most of the month. I'm sore and grumpier than usual (luckily not VERY grumpy) and I feel fed up with it. I think my poor DH is pretty fed up with it too as we used to have good frequent sex and now I'm sore and bleeding so often that I rarely feel like it to be honest.

There have been other bad things too - weight gain for instance - but I'm hesitant to blame the implant for that as it's linked to a lifetime of disordered eating on my part and I've always had a tendency to pile it on when stressed and trying to use food for comfort. A classic! I'm making progress with that issue now thankfully.

I'm just wondering about other people's experiences with the implant? Is this level of bleeding normal? I feel like I've given it a good long shot. I'm just reluctant to go back to my GP and ask for it to be removed if I'm overreacting - I know no contraception is perfect and the pill I was on previously had its own annoying side effects too...

I went on the implant briefly after dd was born and after never experiencing any period pains or cramps ever before, I suddenly got really intense cramps every time on one side whichever side ovulated so I had it removed after a few months and the pain stopped.

Come to think of it my periods were much heavier around that time and I even got some tablets from the gp for it ferrous sulfate, but I’d never linked that to the implant as I’d just had ds so I assumed everything was all over the show after but it’s quite possible it was the implant.
I was pleased to have it removed and Dh had a vasectomy instead and periods are again normal and pain free.
It’s not for everyone so you could look into other options and see what works best for you.

I had this when I had the implant around 10 years ago. I lost tonnes of weight and bled constantly, if it wasn't full flow it was constant brown discharge. I was also very depressed and developed suicidal thoughts along side iron deficiency due to constant bleeding!! I lasted around 6 months then had to bed them to remove it which eventually they did...

And by the way you are not overreacting, this is your body and what you’re going through sounds miserable.

I've also had an implant fitted 6 weeks ago following the birth of my second and bleeding is all over the place. Light period most days but for the last 5 it has been heavier. I don't think this is post partum bleeding as that cleared a while ago. Either way, it's consistent bleeding each day, not to mention zero libido- (how boring)
I was told that if there are side effects like this then there is the option of taking an oral contraceptive pill alongside the implant which can help, bit this does seem a bit of a faff. I know some people who have no bleeding at all on it but it affects everyone differently and this is a very annoying side effect. I'd record your symptoms and def see a GP about this one- please let us know how you get on if you're able to. I'm seeing mine in 2 weeks.

I found this happens to me after 2 years on the implant so I have to have it changed earlier than the 3 years they say it lasts for. I was given the pill to take on top of it to control the bleeding which did work but I wasn’t keen on putting so many hormones into my body. GP keeps saying the coil would be a better option.