r/Nexplanon

Before I went on the nexoplan in February my sex drive was moderate I found my sex drive was the highest during ovulation but other than that I didn't desire sex all the time, after getting the impant my sex drive went really low I had no desire for sex but I'm also wondering if it was due to me going through a break up as well and now 4 months in all a sudden all I want is sex its very irritating as I am very happily single at the moment (I got the nexoplan because my ex didn't like wearing a condom and I do not fancy getting pregnant whilst in university and he dumped me the day after I went on birth control) I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else? I've heard its normal for your sex drive to change after going on the nexoplan but I am not sure if it goes really low for months then suddenly really high

Has anyone noticed your sex sky rocketed after removal? I had mine removed 2 months ago and now I'm all about my husband. I understand that hormones play a part but holy shit I'm ready to jump his bones at all times.

I’m on month 4 of my nexplanon and I’ve bled for nearly all 4 months. It’s evened out over the last couple of weeks, I’ll have a week without a period and then it’ll come back, or I’ll have sex and it’ll like quick start my period. The bleeding has really started to irritate me, but the fact that I’ve had a week or so off every now and then of bleeding is making me hopeful. My gyno prescribed me BC pills to help even out my period but I haven’t started taking them yet.

My nexplanon has also made me severely depressed. I struggled with my mental health prior to nexplanon, but I’ve never been THIS depressed. Sometimes I feel really helpless and hopeless and like my whole life is gray and I get stuck feeling like this. I’m wondering if I should wait and stick it out and maybe my mood will even out? Idrk. I’m looking for some advice abt this

Hi, I’m getting my nexaplon removed tomorrow and I’m so scared tbh. Can you guys share your experiences please ?? I’m still able to feel and see the implant I’m just hoping it would be easy to come out and that not that difficult.

Hey yall! I’m curious if anyone else has experienced this. I first got the nexplanon implant a little over 3.5 years ago, a few months ago around the 3 year mark I got it replaced for the first time. They removed and put in a new one and the same spot/arm, which I was told was common. Anyways, those first 3 years with my first implant I was fine, minimal side effects aside from irregular periods and a little weight gain. I’ve noticed ever since I replaced it, I’ve had a big difference in mood swings, zero energy/motivation, hot flashes, and increased depression and anxiety. At first I thought it was my meds that I started around the same time, but have since gone off said meds and still dealing with all these side effects. I plan to contact my primary doctor but wondered, has anyone else noticed a change in side effects when they replaced/renewed their implant? Almost as if I had something completely different inserted that I can no longer tolerate.

Hi everyone, I have a question. I did do some digging through this subreddit but most of the posts I’ve seen are a few years old and not fully relatable. So, I got the implant in January and had continuous bleeding for 3 months afterwards. Luckily it stopped and my period has been normal since. During those months, I was not sexually active at all. However, I recently had quite rough sex just after my period finished and I’ve been bleeding since. Not dark, heavy period blood but rather light, thin and bright red. It started the day after but has now continued for a couple of days. I know you can bleed a bit after having sex so close to the period coming to an end, I’m just concerned because it hasn’t stopped yet. It’s not painful in any way, no cramps or anything. It’s also not a ridiculous amount so I’m not too concerned. I was just wondering if anyone else had this experience. I know I should consult a doctor instead of Reddit but I’m out of the country at the moment so won’t be able to get an appointment until I’m back and the anxiety of it is getting to me.

I know it could be a tissue tear or even just the last of my period coming out but this is what the first time I’ve had sex since having the implant so I’m wondering if it could also play a role🤷🏽‍♀️

hi friends!

got a nexplanon in january in hopes of not having a period anymore (unsuccessful iud attempt due to my anatomy) due to years of painfullll periods that made living life so dreadful. had no bleeding for the following two months, until I started bleeding and painfully cramping in March😖

since then, I’ve been having monthly bleeding that’s almost on par with the amount of bleeding pre-nexplanon (having to wear pads around the clock) that of course also is accompanied by painful cramping.

at first I tried to be hopeful that after 6 months things would stop. But now I’m so irritated and either want to take it out entirely or attempt iud under anesthesia

Have things gotten better for anyone over the 6 month mark?

so I’ve been on nexplanon since October of 2025. I have gained weight, but not too much. Around 10 pounds, but I take all of the blame for it because I was eating whatever I wanted and I was drinking Starbucks every day and not working out anymore (happy relationship weight lol). Now, I am trying to lose weight and it is not working. I lost 3 pounds the first week, but after two weeks I haven’t even lost a single .1 pound. I’ve been tracking my calories and exercising DAILY for 1 hour minimum. And my calories are at 1,100. I am stuck at 165lbs for weeks while starving and when I dieted pre nexplanon, I would do 1400 calories and exercise 5 times a week and lost way more weight way faster.
I’m still in a relationship so I don’t wanna resort to taking out the implant without trying every option. But, I’m not willing to lower my calories any lower than they are right now because 1,100 is already starving. Does anybody have any tips?

Has anyone experienced a weird thing with the nexplanon implant were the first few months after getting the implant you fine and dandy and then all of a sudden after the 4th month and the 2 weeks left of the month your body got so worse?

If you prefer using an IUD, which one worked for you and why?

i’m on my third nexplanon implant, i got my most recent one last year. normally, i get my period maybe twice a year, but i’ve had my period twice in the past 3 weeks after not having it for 8 months? has anyone else experienced this?

In October of last year I had my implant put in and had nothing but pain for months afterwards. I knew something wasn’t right within weeks but the clinic never took me seriously. They just told me to take ibuprofen multiple times a day for a month or so until the (non existent) swelling went down
By January I couldn’t handle it anymore and had it removed. Both times they put the lidocaine into my arm it felt like acid was ripping my arm apart and I left sobbing both times.

Fast forward to earlier this week and I had a new one put in. I had a different doctor and when I told her about the last one and pointing out where it was placed she was baffled. She agreed that the placement was entirely wrong and was not surprised it hurt so much.
When she put the lidocaine in this time, I put a tens machine on my opposite arm to help with the pain but I didn’t even need it since she actually put the lidocaine in the proper place.
It’s been 2 days and I haven’t felt any pain associated with the “surgical” site.

Sorry for the long winded way of saying trust your gut when something doesn’t feel right. Even if the doctors don’t agree.

Also the tens machine on the opposite arm to distract the brain was 10/10 a good idea

Hi all,

I’ve had my implant since last year in August, and I finished my “period” almost two and a half weeks ago, the last 3 days I’ve had uncomfortable lower back and abdominal pain and I’m so confused? This usually only happens when I’m about to start bleeding or when there’s brown discharge, but there’s nothing! I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if I should be concerned?

hi! i’m looking for anyone with similar experiences or advice.

i’ve had nexplanon for 4 months now. after two weeks i started to get constant nightmares and really poor quality sleep. nothing else in my life has changed except for the implant, so i’m sure it’s that. the nightmares have gradually gotten less extreme, but i don’t know if that’s because i’ve gotten used to them or because my hormones are starting to regulate.

after a month, i started to have very light bleeding, which i’ve had every day since then. i’ve also been a lot more bloated than usual and started having worse digestive problems.

the last thing i’ve noticed is that i have pretty much no sex drive. i used to have a high sex drive, so this has been distressing for me and also defeats the purpose of me even using birth control. i’ve heard that evening primrose oil can help, so i plan on taking that as soon as i can get it.

i’ve always been wary of birth control because of my mental health history, but luckily i haven’t noticed any drastic changes there. i know they say it takes about 3-6 months for hormones to regulate. my question is, based on these symptoms and the amount of time i’ve had it in, do you think i can expect to see these symptoms improve or go away?

Hi reddit, so I've been on nexplanon for 3,5 months now and I'm fully convinced that getting the implant was THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE! I have endo and my periods have always been awful!!

My experience so far has been 90% positive, the insertion was painless even after the local anesthetic wore off I didn't have much pain unless touched directly, not much bruising either! I haven't had any breakthrough bleeding and the only negative was my first period on it, that was as awful as my normal, no hormones, period, the worst one of my life even. I did get some breadt tenderness and light nausea during the first month but after that, I haven't had any side effects or my period for two months now and I'm not feeling any signs of it coming around so I'm super hopefull that i might be one of the 20% who will not have any periods during the next 3 years on it!

People always come online to tell the horror stories and I thought I'd come on here and tell my positive experience (at least so far) i was expecting at least 3 months of adjusting but now I'm not worried at all. OFC everyone is different and experiences very from person to person. My experience with any type of oral hormonal contraceptives were BAD nothing helped other than the bleeding was lighter on some (still heavy tho) and i got so bad side effects from most I've tried. But this? THIS has been a life saver!

I haven't noticed any weight gain, I've been able to be more active consistently now that i'm not in constant agony so that might have helped fight it.

If you've read this far, I also have a question for you all on nexplanon: has it affected your sex drive? because i feel like it has affected mine positively for a change. Most hormonal contraceptives dried me up so bad but I actually get in the mood now!

Thanks for reading to the end, have a nice day and hopefully your experience hasn't been too negative. ❤️

I got my first Nexplanon as a teenager. I am currently 31. As a teenager and in my early-mid 20s, I had little to no period. In my late 20s, I’ve started getting my periods back, and recently and more. I’ve started PMS again prior to my periods (very tell-tale sign of sore boobs) then I sometimes bleed for 2 weeks, only have 1-2 weeks off, and then will start bleeding again. It’s mostly light flow and older blood, but it’s trending towards more often spotting than not. Did anyone else experience this change over time with long term use? Assuming my hormonal changes with aging may be affecting this.

Edit to add I do plan on approaching my NP about this but just wanted to see if anyone had similarities!

Hi! To those of you who have gotten your implants removed, I’m curious how post-removal is and how your period was after? I have a 2.5 week long trip through Europe at the end of July and would like to avoid any period drama while abroad lol. I’ve read periods come back around 1-3 months, but I want to know if y’all have experienced heavier/lighter periods or if there are any other symptoms to be aware of.

For context, I’ve been on nexplanon since 2018 and I got my 3rd implant in March 2025. This time, I have gained about 15-20 lbs, have zero sex drive, and my overall self-esteem has tanked, and I just had the realization it could be my implant causing this. My lifestyle hasn’t changed significantly but I didn’t have any of these issues with my first two and, if anything, even lost weight.

I’m feeling kind of desperate to get it removed to see if I can even back out, but am worried about anything that could affect my travels. Should I wait??

Any insight or recommendation is super helpful!! Tysm <3

no, we were getting all close and shit and then he just said “nahh.” I need help. How do I fix this?

I’ve gained already 15 pounds i used to be 125 without this and now my worst fear is happening and i’m gaining weight i’m 138 i really want to get back to my regular size im so scared i’m going to become bigger and bigger i’ve been on nexplanon for about 6 months im so scared i’ll continue to gain and gain. It’s so hard to tell if it is good for me as well because i was also diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder at the same time that caused me to need steriods for weeks and weeks and tapering down, but i cannot tell if that is the cause of the weight gain because i was still 125 but after i got it inserted i was gaining (but i also had to taper on steriods AGAIN) which can also cause harm i don’t know if my metabolism is fucked up or how nexplanon makes you gain?? how do you stop it do you just have to get off of it to stop it. I’m scared

Anyone else going through changes with sex drive and moods when on the implant?
I’m on my 3rd implant, and feel like my sex drive is decreasing every one I get replaced.
I’ve been with my boyfriend now over 6 years and when I wasn’t on the implant my sex drive was really high, to the point where I thought something was wrong as I was wanting it 5/6 times a week but ever since having the implant fitting it decreases and now feels non existent! I feel like it’s having an impact on our relationship as he probably feels like im not ‘into’ him anymore due to the fact of how I used to be to how I am. It’s like I have no motivation for any kind of sexual activity.
I feel like the side effects from the implant are just defeating the object of its purpose, as it’s helping couples have safe sex but no sex drive so don’t engage in any activity anyway!

Has anyone else been through this or experiencing anything similar?
Hopefully I’m not the only one and can find some tips to help in the future😊