The Implant

The implant is a thin, plastic rod about the size of a match-stick that is inserted beneath the skin of the upper arm.  It contains the hormone progestin that stops ovulation (prevents the release of an egg from the ovaries).  It can also stop the sperm from entering the egg.  It is sold by the brand name Implanon™.

How to use an implant

A trained health care provider has to insert the implant under the skin (it only takes a couple minutes). It can be left in for up to 3 years (a trained health care provider has to remove it).

Read about more birth control options:

• Condoms
• The Pill
• The Ring
• The Patch
• The IUD
• Abstinence and other behavioral choices

Effectiveness

The implant is more than 99% effective for up to three years.

Cost

If you have health insurance, it may pay for all or part of the cost.  If you don't have health insurance or don't want to use your parents' insurance, family planning clinics may offer the implant at a lower cost.

Where to get

The implant is available at a limited number of health clinics and family planning clinics, but it is not yet widely available. As more health care providers are trained to insert and remove this newly-approved method, more health centers will be offering it.

Things to think about

Some women like the implant because they don’t have to remember to take a pill every day or change a patch every week.  Women who are concerned about privacy may like the implant because it’s given at a doctor’s office so there’s no worry about someone finding a birth control method.

Women who take certain medications such as St. John’s Wort, some antibiotics and some anti-seizure drugs may want to consider other options, because these drugs can decrease how well hormonal birth control works.

While using the implant some women may have fewer and lighter periods, while others may have longer and heavier periods. These changes could last the whole time they have the implant. Irregular periods are common, especially in the first 6 to 12 months, and some women will stop having their periods all together.

The implant also has less common but possible side effects including acne, weight gain, pain at the insertion site, cysts on the ovaries, mood changes and depression, hair loss, headache, nausea (feeling like throwing up), dizziness, decreased sexual interest and sore breasts.

Remember, male and female condoms are the only forms of birth control that also offer protection against STIs. Condoms can be used with other forms of birth control to provide that protection.