Procedures

A Nexplanon implant is a fantastic option for women seeking a safe, reliable and hassle-free birth control option.

Convenient Form of Birth Control

Nexplanon implants are easily among the most convenient forms of birth control available today. It is a small, flexible plastic rod (about 1.5 inches long) implanted by your doctor under the skin of your inner, non-dominant upper arm. With Nexplanon, you never have to worry about taking a pill or stress over an IUD that has slipped out of position.

Facts about the Nexplanon Implant

You can have Nexplanon implanted by your doctor. It is a minor surgical procedure. Your doctor will likely give you a pregnancy test before implanting the device.

Your doctor will numb the area on your arm where it will be implanted. Using a special applicator, your doctor will slip Nexplanon into place. Your doctor will feel the area to ensure that Nexplanon was inserted correctly and will show you how to check it periodically to ensure it is still in place. Following the implantation, you will wear a pressure bandage for 24 hours and a small bandage for three to five days.

Once implanted in your arm, Nexplanon releases the hormone etonogestrel into your body over three years. Etonogestrel is a hormone that is similar to a natural hormone made in your body. It prevents pregnancy in three ways: 1) it stops your ovaries from releasing one of your eggs, 2) it thickens the mucus of your cervix to help prevent any sperm from reaching an egg, and 3) it changes the lining of your uterus to prevent attachment by a fertilized egg.

Highly Effective Form of Birth Control

Nexplanon is over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Long-Lasting Option

Nexplanon remains effective for three years. At the end of the three years, you need to have the implant removed. You should keep track of the removal date and schedule an appointment with your doctor to have it removed or replaced. To continue having effective birth control, you need to have a new device implanted or use another form of birth control.

Small and Discreet

The implant is only about one and a half inches long. It is a flexible plastic rod that you will be able to feel under your skin.

Can Potentially Change Periods

With a Nexplanon implant, your periods may change. They may become longer or shorter, or you may have no bleeding at all. Also, some women notice the time between their periods varies, and some have spotting in between periods.

Nexplanon Can Be Reversed

You can have Nexplanon removed any time during the three years if you decide to become pregnant. Once the implant is removed, be aware that you can become pregnant unless you use another form of birth control. You may become fertile within a week of having Nexplanon removed.

Who Should Get Nexplanon?

Nexplanon is ideal for many women, especially women who want an easy yet highly effective form of birth control. It is also ideal for women who are not planning to have children for a few years.

Women who take certain types of medications or drugs should discuss whether Nexplanon is suitable for them with their doctors. Some medications will impair the hormones in the Nexplanon device, which can result in pregnancy. Examples or medications that can interfere with Nexplanon include griseofulvin, modafinil, rifamycins (such as rifampin, rifabutin), St. John’s wort, drugs used to treat seizures (such as barbiturates, carbamazepine, felbamate, phenytoin, primidone, topiramate), HIV drugs (such as nelfinavir, nevirapine, ritonavir), and other drugs.

Also, women with existing health conditions should consult with their doctors about whether Nexplanon is safe for them to use. Nexplanon may or may not be suitable for women with a history of any of the following health conditions:

• blood clots or blood clotting disorders
• high blood pressure
• abnormalities in a breast exam
• personal or family history of cancer
• high cholesterol or triglyceride levels
• depression
• diabetes
• gall bladder problems
• severe headaches/migraine
• heart problems
•  yellowing eyes/skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or while using hormonal birth control (such as pills, patch)
• kidney disease
• liver disease
• stroke

Speak to the Professionals at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness

A Nexplanon implant is the ideal method of birth control for many women. It may also be the perfect choice for you. Contact the experts at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Having your IUD removed is usually fast, simple and painless. The removal procedure needs to be performed by your doctor to protect you from infections and serious injury. The procedure is the same for any type of IUD. No drugs or anesthesia are needed. Once it is removed, you can return immediately to your regular activities. Your menstrual cycle will return to normal soon after removal. How soon your period after IUD removal returns depends on the type of device you have.

What Should I Expect from IUD Removal?

During the removal procedure, your doctor will use a speculum to hold your vagina open and locate the IUD’s strings. Using forceps, your doctor will grasp the IUD strings and gently pull the IUD through your cervix, into your vagina and out of your body. Some patients experience cramping as it moves through the cervix, but the cramping usually resolves quickly.
The most common side effects of IUD removal include:

Pain and Cramping

The removal process causes some patients minor pain and cramping. It should last for only a day or two and resolve on its own. If you experience pain that does not go away or a fever, you should contact your doctor.

Light Spotting

Many women experience light spotting and even bleeding after removal. This is not a cause for concern and will resolve in a few days. However, if you experience excessive bleeding, contact your doctor.

Irregular Periods

After the removal of a hormonal IUD, your periods may be irregular for a few months. Then, your cycle should return to the way it was before the IUD was inserted. Your periods should return to normal almost immediately after removing a non-hormonal copper IUD.

Timeline of How IUD Removal Affects Your Period

Removing the IUD can affect the timing of when your period returns and how long it takes to return to your own normal menstrual cycle.
Your period occurs when your endometrium sheds away and exits your body through your vagina. With a hormonal IUD, the progestin hormone (levonorgestrel) in the IUD thins your endometrium.

As a result, your body has less endometrial material to shed and your periods are lighter and shorter. IUDs that last the longest contain the highest amounts of hormone. With higher levels of hormone, you are more likely to experience lighter periods or no periods at all.
A copper IUD has a different effect than a hormonal IUD on your menstrual cycle. You may experience heavier bleeding and longer periods with a copper IUD for a few months after receiving the copper IUD.
Many women experience a change in their periods after IUD removal. What you can expect depends on what kind of device you have and how it affected your menstrual cycle over time.

The Average Time After Removal

For some women, it can take three months after the IUD removal for your normal menstrual cycle to return. For most women, it returns almost immediately.

IUD Removal & Pregnancy

Once your IUD is removed, you are no longer protected against pregnancy.
To protect yourself against unwanted pregnancy, you can have your doctor insert another IUD immediately after removing your old device, or you can use another form of contraception altogether. You should discuss the various contraception options available to you with your doctor.

Talk To The Experts For More Infor On Period After IUD Removal

Removing your IUD is a medical procedure that needs to be performed by your doctor. All types of IUDs should be removed when their effectiveness expires. Upon removal, you no longer have protection against pregnancy, and your period will return to normal within three months. For more information about IUDs and how they work, talk to the professionals at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness. They can answer your questions about safe and effective forms of contraception and schedule an appointment.

IUDs are one of the most popular forms of birth control in the United States. Their convenience, safety, and reliability are the main reasons why they are so popular. Before having an IUD inserted, however, you should discuss it in detail with your doctor. Your doctor will help you decide which type of device is likely to work best for you, explain the insertion procedure and how to prepare for it.

After the IUD is inserted, you are likely to experience mild side effects as your body becomes accustomed to the device. This is true whether you have an IUD that releases small doses of the progestin hormone into your system for a few years, or whether you have the non-hormonal, copper IUD. No matter which type of IUD you have, make sure you discuss with your doctor what you can expect and what to do if you have questions about anything.

After Your IUD Is Inserted

Immediately after your IUD is inserted, be careful standing up from the examination table. You might feel dizzy or faint if you immediately try to stand up. Your doctor will likely ask you to remain lying down for a couple of minutes and when you feel well enough to stand, to slowly stand up.

You will need to wait up to 7 days before having sex or inserting anything, including a tampon or douche, into your vagina. After that initial time period has passed, you can have sex again.

The copper IUD, also called ParaGard, starts to work immediately, no matter when you get it during your menstrual cycle. However, hormonal IUDs (Kyleena, Liletta, Mirena, Skyla) are not effective for seven days unless you have one inserted during your period. For that reason, you will need to use another form of contraception to prevent pregnancy. If you have a hormonal IUD inserted during your menstrual period, it becomes effective immediately.
Regardless of the type of IUD you have, it will not prevent STDs. To protect yourself against contracting an STD from a sexual partner, you must use a condom even though you have an IUD.

Common Side Effects of an IUD

You should expect certain mild, side effects for a few months after your IUD is inserted. Some of the symptoms to look for include:

Mild Spotting and Cramping for the First Three to Six Months

Many women have some cramping and spotting for three to six months after the IUD is placed. You can relieve your discomfort by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You can also try placing a heating pad or hot water bottle on your belly.

Heavier Than Usual Periods for a Few Months

After getting an IUD, women often experience heavier than usual periods for the first three months or so. This is especially true for women who have the copper IUD. After that, your periods should return to what is normal for you.

Other Side Effects Commonly Experienced after Getting a Copper IUD

Aside from longer, heavier periods and mild abdominal pain and cramping, other side effects of the copper IUD can include:

• Backache
• Irregular periods
• Spotting between periods

Other Side Effects Common from the Hormonal IUD

With a hormonal IUD, you may experience other side effects. Common menstrual cycle changes include lightening or even stopping of your period. Systemic side effects are rare but can include headaches, bloating, nausea, breast tenderness, moodiness, low libido, and weight gain. Not everyone experiences these side effects, and they may subside after a few months.

When to Call Your Doctor

There are some things you should watch out for. As noted earlier, if you notice that your strings are out of place or your IUD may have moved, your doctor will need to examine you and possibly remove or replace your IUD. Also, if you think you might be pregnant, your IUD must be removed. Other things that require your doctor’s attention include:

• Significantly heavier than normal bleeding from your vagina
• Chills or a fever over 101 degrees, indicating a possible infection
• Dizziness or fainting
• Sharp pain in your belly or pelvis
• Foul-smelling discharge from your vagina
• Severe headaches or migraines
• Pain during sex

Check for the Strings Periodically

During the first 3 months after you get an IUD, you should make sure that you can still feel the string coming out of your cervix. Do this by inserting a finger into your vagina. You will want to make sure the string is hanging 1-2 inches from the cervix. If can’t feel your strings or if you notice the string feels shorter or longer than usual, the IUD may have moved. You need to have your doctor examine it and make sure it is still well-positioned. You should use a condom or other birth control method to prevent pregnancy until you are seen by your doctor.

Consult with the Gynecology Experts at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness

At Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness, the doctors and professional staff are available to answer all of your questions about IUDs. With their help, you can be confident that you have the best advice available on how to select the right IUD for your health profile. Contact the experts at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness for more information and to schedule an appointment.

Implanon and Nexplanon are arm implant birth control options that make birth control easy and safe for most women. The Nexplanon implant replaced the Implanon implant in October 2010. Nexplanon is a new and improved product that is even safer and easier to use than the Implanon implant.

Arm Implant Birth Control Option

The arm implant birth control product branded Nexplanon is the successor to the earlier product branded Implanon. There is no difference in the way the two implants work or their effectiveness. Both are small toothpick-sized plastic rods that are implanted subdermally on the inside of your non-dominant upper arm. Both implants contain the synthetic progestin hormone, etonogestrel.

The etonogestrel hormone prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation. It also changes the cervical mucus and uterine lining to impair sperm reaching the uterus and deters a fertilized egg from attaching itself to the uterus.

The arm implants release enough etonogestrel daily into your body to prevent pregnancy for up to three years. At the end of the three years, you can have another implant if you want to continue using the implant option for pregnancy prevention.

The pharmaceutical company, Merck makes both Implanon and Nexplanon arm implants. Both are 99% effective for birth control. They contain the same amount of etonogestrel and they have the same side effects.

So if both devices are equally effective, what is the difference between the two of them? The only difference between Implanon and Nexplanon is the safety features that are in Nexplanon but not in Implanon. Nexplanon has two safety features designed to ensure proper insertion. Nexplanon has replaced Implanon, and Implanon is no longer being manufactured.

The Implanon Arm Implant

The arm implant branded as Implanon is no longer commercially available in the United States. On rare occasions, insertion errors during Implanon implantation risked the ability of Implanon to prevent pregnancy or could allow the implant to migrate to other parts of the body. Insertion errors that occurred with Implanon included placing the implant too deeply.

The Nexplanon Arm Implant

To eliminate the risk of insertion errors, the makers of Nexplanon designed a special applicator. Nexplanon is produced with a preloaded applicator that makes it faster and easier to insert with accuracy than was possible with Implanon. The insertion errors are less likely to happen because of Nexplanon’s applicator design.

Also, the Nexplanon implant contains a small amount of barium sulfate. Barium sulfate makes the implant visible with an X-ray, MRI, or other types of imaging tools. This safety feature allows doctors and other health care providers to ensure it was inserted correctly and pinpoint the implant location after insertion if needed.

Nexplanon starts working almost immediately if you have it implanted in the first five days of your period. However, if you have it implanted in the middle of your cycle, you will need to use condoms or another form of birth control for about one week.

Even though Implanon is no longer available, women will find that Nexplanon provides the same level of convenience and protection against pregnancy. Like they had with Implanon, women can enjoy the same long-lasting protection against pregnancy with Nexplanon.

Why Should I Get Nexplanon?

Nexplanon has many advantages over its predecessor Implanon and other forms of contraception. They include:

• One-time insertion in the arm remains effective for three years.
• Safety features of Nexplanon make the insertion process safer than the Implanon implant.
• Once implanted, you are protected almost immediately.
• No need to remember to take a pill every day; it leaves less room for user error.

Side Effects Of Nexplanon

Because Nexplanon works by releasing hormones into the body to prevent ovulation, you may experience side effects. Common side effects include heavier periods for the first few cycles after getting the implant, often followed later by lighter periods, less bleeding and less cramping. Some women do experience ongoing problems with irregular bleeding with Nexplanon, but the implant can be easily removed if this occurs. Some women experience no period at all while they are on Nexplanon.

Other side effects can include tenderness in the breasts, moodiness, bloating, and nausea.
Be sure to discuss with your doctor whether Nexplanon will have an effect on other medicines you may be taking. It may interact with bosentan, griseofulvin, rifampin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and cyclosporine.

If you have recently given birth, you may use Nexplanon during breastfeeding after the fourth postpartum week. The risk associated with etonogestrel appears to be no different from that of oral contraceptives. However, if you have become pregnant and want to maintain the pregnancy, you should have Nexplanon removed. For that reason, your doctor will conduct a pregnancy test on you before inserting the implant.

Contact Raleigh Gynecology And Wellness For More Information About Implanon And Nexplanon

If you are interested in getting a Nexplanon arm implant, contact the experts at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness for more information. They are available to answer your questions about the arm implant procedure, how Nexplanon works, side effects, and any other questions you have about Nexplanon or other forms of contraception. The team at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness has years of experience with women’s reproductive health and pregnancy prevention. Contact them to schedule your appointment.

IUDs are a wonderfully reliable and convenient method of long-term contraception. Once IUD is inserted in your uterus, some types of IUDs remain safe and effective for years. At some point in time, your IUD will need to be removed. Removal may be required because you are ready to become pregnant, your hormonal IUD has expired and is no longer effective, you want to try another type of device or other health reasons. Here is what to expect after an IUD removal.

How Are IUDs Removed?

Removing an IUD is a simple process done in your doctor’s office. If you have a hormonal type of device, its effectiveness expires within a set number of years. If you have a non-hormonal copper IUD, it has to be removed after ten years. To protect yourself against pregnancy, you must replace it with another device or another form of contraception.

Timing Of The Removal

If you have a hormonal IUD, you should not wait too long after its expiration to have it removed. Not only does an expired hormonal IUD become less reliable as a contraceptive device, delaying its removal can complicate the removal process and create some health risks to you.

Removal Process

To remove your IUD, you should first consult with your doctor and schedule an appointment to have it removed. The removal process is usually fast and easy. It can be done at any time of the month in your cycle. No drugs or anesthesia are needed. If you are prone to cramping or pain during your periods, you can take an over the counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or naproxen about 30 minutes ahead of time.
During the removal procedure, you will lie down on the exam table like you would for a pelvic examination. Your doctor will insert a speculum and find the IUD strings that hang into your vagina. Once the strings are located, your doctor will use forceps to gently pull on the strings and and the IUD will come through your cervix, through your vagina, and out of your body. Some patients experience minor cramping as it passes through their cervix.

Minor Complications

Sometimes complications can arise. One complication is when the doctor has trouble locating the strings. In those cases, the doctor may use a small brush or tool to find the strings and pull it out.
In cases where your doctor detects a pelvic infection, you should be treated with antibiotics before having a removal procedure.
Occasionally the doctor may have to dilate a woman’s cervical canal to enable the removal. In rare cases, the doctor might need to use an ultrasound to locate the strings and the device.

What To Expect After An IUD Removal

Once the IUD is removed, you can immediately resume your regular activities, including going back to work, d exercising or running errands around town. Once the IUD is removed, you should expect that you will be fertile. You will need to use another form of contraception if you are not ready for pregnancy.
Side effects that you may experience after removal include:

Potential For Pain And Cramping

The removal process usually causes minor pain and cramping. It should last for only a short time and should resolve in a day or two on its own. If you experience pain that does not go away or fever, you should contact your doctor.

Light Spotting

Many women experience light spotting after removal. This is not a cause for concern and will resolve in a few days. However, if you experience excessive bleeding, you need to contact your doctor.

Irregular Periods

After the removal of a hormonal IUD, your periods may be irregular for a few months. Then, your cycle should return to the way it was before the IUD was inserted.

Speak To A Professional At Raleigh Gynecology And Wellness For More Information On What To Expect After An IUD Removal

Removing an IUD is usually a simple and fast procedure though it is not without some risk and therefore requires a medical professional. Also, you can alleviate some side effects by living a healthy lifestyle. , Follow a healthy diet and exercise daily. If you smoke or drink alcohol, eliminating those habits will improve your body’s ability to recover and will boost your body’s immune system.
To discuss the benefits of various types of IUDs, the insertion process and what to expect after removal, contact the experts at Raleigh Gynecology and Wellness. They have extensive experience with women’s reproductive health, IUDs, and general wellness. Consult with them today and to schedule an appointment.