Is a Birth Control Implant Right for You?

Fortunately, women now have a multitude of contraception options from which to choose, including birth control pills, patches, and shots. Another option more women are considering is the birth control implant, a matchstick-sized rod that’s implanted under the skin and releases hormones to prevent pregnancy.

The caring and competent provider team at Garden State Women’s Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, is happy to offer a wide range of birth control methods. Dr. Kirhan Joshi and Dr. Vibha Joshi help women decide on which contraceptive fits best with their preferences and lifestyle.

How does the birth control implant work?

As we noted, the birth control implant is a hormonal birth control method. The small, slender rod can be quickly and easily implanted in your upper arm by your gynecologist in a matter of minutes. 

The implant releases the hormone progestin to prevent pregnancy, which not only can prevent ovulation — so there’s no egg that can be fertilized — but it also causes a thickening of your cervical mucus, making it harder for any sperm to reach an egg if one is released. 

Women opt for the birth control implant because it offers so many benefits:

• Placement : It’s quick and comfortable.
• Long-lasting: The implant is approved for three years but effective for up to five.
• No maintenance: There’s nothing to remember to do or take.
• Allows for sexual spontaneity: You don’t need to do anything before having sex.
• Flexible: If you want to remove it before five years, that can be done easily.
• Effective: The implant is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
• Safe: Even women who can’t use estrogen-containing birth control can use it.
• OK to use if you’re lactating: You don’t have to worry if you’re breastfeeding.
• No waiting period after removal: It’s safe to try to conceive right after removal.
• Helps with menstrual problems> It can reduce heavy bleeding.

Another term for this type of birth control is LARC, meaning it’s a long-acting, reversible contraceptive.

Who is the ideal candidate for the birth control implant?

If you’re a woman who doesn’t want to get pregnant soon and desires an option that you don’t have to think about, the birth control implant may be your best option. If you know that at some point within five years you’ll want to get pregnant, using the implant means that after its removal, you can safely try to conceive immediately.

When you visit us to get your implant placed, the process is seamless. You recline on an examining table and lay your arm so it forms an “L” shape. Your doctor applies some local anesthetic to numb the spot on your inner upper arm where she’ll insert the implant. 

Using a device similar to a needle, she places the implant under the skin of your arm, typically in your non-dominant arm (of the hand you don’t write with or use most often). After insertion, she places a bandage on the spot,  and you’re good to go! The area where your implant was placed may be a bit tender for a few days, but this resolves quickly.

Call our office at 201-228-9596 or schedule an appointment online and discuss whether the birth control implant might be right for you.