A mother has shared how her birth control implant started pushing its way out of her body just 24 hours after it was inserted.
Louise, from the UK, suffered a rare reaction after having her third implanon device, which needs to be replaced every three years, inserted into her arm.
She said there was “no hope” of her remembering to take a pill every day. She’s heard horror stories about IUDs and personal medical trauma meant she didn’t want to have an injection every three months.
But, 24 hours after she’d had it put into her arm, her husband offered to see how it was healing. That’s when the duo realized it was poking out of Louise’s skin.
“Unfortunately on a Friday evening neither my doctor’s nor any clinics were open,” she told news.com.au.
“I did go to the emergency room on Saturday but they advised me to wait until the clinic opened on Monday.
“I did my best to keep it clean and kept the clear band aid on as instructed and waited until I could return to the clinic.”
But, as the weekend continued, it slowly continued to push its way out of her arm. She said she’d never had issues with it in the past. The mum said it wasn’t painful at all. The only time she had issues was if she moved her arm a certain way and poked herself.
“A couple of times my toddler leaned on it which was uncomfortable but definitely not painful,” she said.
“I’ve never had any issues with it in the past and staff at the clinic were anxious to stress that this is extremely rare.”
Louise shared an image of her arm with the device poking out to social media because she thought it was interesting.
“While I struggle with having medical procedures done to myself I still find medicine in general to be fascinating,” she said.
“I don’t want to put people off having implants, I still think they’re great but I also think it’s good to be aware that this can happen because I had no idea.
“The reaction has ranged from outright panic — my husband — to morbid curiosity from friends and strangers online.”
Louise said she hadn’t gotten an explanation about why it had happened. She was just told it was “rare”.
“During my lengthy hospital stay after my son’s disastrous birth my body rejected five cannulas, a catheter and countless blood tests. So it seems like rejecting medical interventions is just an inconvenient quirk my body has developed,” she said.
After she got to the clinic, the nurse pulled it out and Louise said she barely even noticed,
“I do want to reiterate that I don’t want to put people off this contraceptive,” she shared.
“I already have another one in my other arm, this time it’s secured with several steri strips and it seems to be staying put for now.”
Dr Zac Turner told news.com.au the situations was “as rare as finding a $2 coin in the washing machine”.
“It’s not unheard of, but it’s certainly unusual enough to raise an eyebrow — or two,” he said.
He said there are three reasons this may happen — improper insertion, skin reaction such as swelling or user factors. This includes certain skin types, body compositions or even unexpected movements following the procedure.
He said women shouldn’t be worried or let this deter them from choosing this as a birth control option.
“Most Implanons stay where they’re put, quietly doing their job. However, if yours decides to stage an exit, it’s essential to know the signs. Check for the device being visible under the skin or, in extreme cases, completely outside it,” he said.
“Pain, redness, or swelling at the insertion site and unusual hormone-related symptoms, like spotting or a surprise period are also things to be aware of.”
