When it comes to contraception for women, there are a myriad of options. Long-Acting Reversible Contraception, or LARC, is recommended by both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for adolescents and young adults.
What are Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC)?
LARC rates the highest in patient satisfaction largely because it requires minimal effort from the patient. “The major advantage of LARC compared with other contraceptive methods is that they do not require ongoing effort on the part of the patient for long-term and effective use,” the ACOG said.
Long-acting reversible contraceptives are also significantly more effective than other types of birth control, at preventing unwanted pregnancy, “up to 20 times better than birth control pills, patches, and vaginal rings,” according to Planned Parenthood.
There are three different types of LARC:
- An intrauterine device
- A contraceptive injection
- A contraceptive implant
Your fertility will return once you stop using LARC, which makes it a good option for a woman who wants to become pregnant in the future; just not now.
Effective as it is at preventing pregnancy, LARC does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. To reduce your risk, use a condom as well.
Why Nexplanon, Specifically
Among the different kinds of LARC, Nexplanon, a contraceptive implant, is the one with the highest rate of pregnancy prevention. Fewer than one out of 100 women who use Nexplanon for a year will get pregnant. A large part of its effectiveness is its ease of use. You can’t forget to take it nor can you use it incorrectly.
Nexplanon is a small, thin, flexible implant about the size of a matchstick that’s placed in the arm, just under the skin. It works by using a hormone that prevents sperm from being able to reach an egg for fertilization and can also inhibit the release of an egg from the ovary, protecting you from pregnancy all day every day
The procedure to place and remove Nexplanon is very non-invasive, says Monica Rezk, DO, Penn Medicine’s Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine Department. “It’s very simple,” she says. “After the patient’s arm is numbed, the entire procedure takes about 10 seconds.”
If it’s done within the first five days of your period, the implant will start working immediately. If you get it at any other point in your cycle, it will need about a week before it begins preventing pregnancy. Use condoms, or another form of birth control, in the meantime.
Once it is placed, Nexplanon is effective for the next three years. At the end of the three years, the implant can be removed and replaced with a new device in a single, easy procedure.
If you decide before the three years are over that Nexplanon is not right for you, it can be easily removed, and any potential side effects will be reversed quickly.
The most common side effect is irregular bleeding, which is why Dr. Rezk would not typically recommend Nexplanon for those who want to regulate their menstrual cycle without the need for pregnancy prevention. It also should not be used in anyone currently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Aside from those exceptions, “overall, it’s absolutely safe over the long term,” Dr. Rezk says.
Other potential side effects of contraceptive implants (not Nexplanon, specifically) include weight gain and worsening of acne. In studies, 12 percent of users reported weight gain, although only two to seven percent had the implant removed because of it. About 10 to 14 percent of users told researchers their acne worsened. However, less than two percent stopped using the implant as a result.
How to Talk to Your Doctor About Birth Control
If you want to learn more about what contraceptives could be a good fit for you, ask your family doctor or gynecologist.
If you are hoping to start a birth control method for a specific concern, like regulating your period or treating acne, Dr. Rezk says to make sure your doctor is aware so they can take that into consideration while discussing your options.
Reading this blog post, and others like it, is a good way to prepare for your visit. By arriving wanting to learn more about a specific form of birth control, like Nexplanon, or type of birth control, such as LARC, your doctor can supplement what you’ve read with more specific information that’s tailored to your needs and medical history.
If you’re planning to take birth control mainly to prevent unwanted pregnancy, be prepared to ask your doctor a couple basic questions about each option they may recommend:
- What is the failure rate?
- What are the potential side effects?
Above all, be as honest as you can be with your doctor. If they recommend you try a birth control pill, for example, and you know yourself well enough to realize you’re not going to remember to take it every day, say so.
You may also need to try a few (or several) different birth control methods before finding one that’s a good fit for your lifestyle. The more open you can be with your doctor, the smoother this process will be.