Nexplanon and Sexual Dysfunction: What Users Say

• des...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2022

For Birth Control "I can't stress enough how hard the last four months have been since the implant insertion. Mood swings, sadness, fear, no sex drive, sex is literally an irritable experience, no sleep, constantly tired, can't make me leave the house, thrush, constant bleeding, over a stone weight gain. I am having it removed tomorrow, I wish I could have ripped it out myself earlier. My life is so miserable that the lively, happy, active person feels like I have been imagining her. I wish someone had told me this earlier. I feel doctors and nurses are aware of these problems and yet still using and offering it. Don't do it, not sure how I will go back to my old weight and life, but God help."

• KAM...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 20, 2022

For Birth Control "I am desperate to get this implant out. It has given me anxiety, loss of sex drive, mood changes, dizziness. I have also gotten acne from it and gained 3 stone in weight. My doctor persuaded me to keep it in last time I tried having it taken out, so I have had it in for 2.5 years. I have an appointment for it to be taken out tomorrow. Never again!"

• Hep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2022

For Birth Control "I had my expired Nexplanon in my arm for more than 2 years ago, and ever since I have not gotten pregnant. Now I always have my period, low sex drive, pain in my chest and back, and I am always having serious headaches all the time. I also have breast discharge, dizziness, weight gain, bloating, and also smelly urine. I hope this effect will not affect me in the future. The fact that this Nexplanon had been out to me, it is not advisable."

• Ok ...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 18, 2022

For Birth Control "DO NOT USE THIS BIRTH CONTROL. For years of Nexplanon, I never had a period and became super depressed without knowing it. I was moody and had basically ZERO sex drive. I developed a nasty ovarian cyst, which burst and became infected, this took six months to heal. I started bleeding HEAVILY every day, nonstop, for eight months total. Not to mention, the depression and low sex drive NEVER went away. I couldn't take it anymore and had the implant removed. My doctors kept saying the depression wasn't related to Nexplanon, but once it was removed, I did a complete 180 the first week! My daily bleeding immediately stopped, my skin even cleared up within a couple of days. After a week, I actually wanted to have sex again, and now I feel SO much happier, it's unreal. I'm usually not one to make posts or reviews, but after my experience, I truly believe no woman should be on this birth control, it messes up your hormones so much. The point is, if I could rate this 0/10, I would."

• Bea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 29, 2021

For Birth Control "Stay away from this at all costs! I have gained 20 pounds and am getting it taken out. Also experienced fatigue, low sex drive, and irregular periods."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I’m currently almost 35 years old. I was only on birth control pills back in high school. 15+ years of no hormones in my body, and now I remember why. I got Nexplanon in July 2021, one month after having my second son. (2 under 2). I don’t want any more children. This was a pretty good option. So I thought. 4 months in and I’m irritable, moody, sometimes filled with rage, hot flashes, night sweats. Body odor no matter how much you shower. Headaches, dizziness, sadness, low sex drive, and CONSTANT bleeding. After 4 months, I probably went two weeks total, not consecutive without bleeding. It is awful. I’m getting it out in a few days, and I hope I feel like myself again. I was a go-with-the-flow, happy, and fun-loving person. Now I’m just miserable and have a short temper. I’m removing it before the father of my children leaves me because I’m impossible to be around. It’s different for everyone, but I would never recommend it to anyone."

• Sas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2021

For Birth Control "I have had the Nexplanon for 4 months and will be getting it removed in two days. I cannot wait. I have had the worst experience. I have 3 week-long heavy periods with huge clots, which made me anemic. I have side effects of anxiety, depression, hair loss, no sex drive. I even got pulsatile tinnitus. I am so miserable. I’ve gained so much weight. I want out. Now!!!"

• Lol...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 27, 2021

For Birth Control "I don't typically leave reviews for things, but I felt it was absolutely necessary after my experience with Nexplanon. I received the implant a week after my daughter was born. I had a traumatic delivery and was instructed to not get pregnant for two years. The Nexplanon was recommended to me because of how effective it is at preventing pregnancy. While it was absolutely effective in preventing pregnancy, the side effects were not worth it. I bled almost daily for eight months. During this time, I had low sex drive, increased anxiety, mood swings, and intrusive thoughts. I'm thrilled to say that I had the Nexplanon removed last week. The bleeding is nearly over, and I already feel less anxious. I do not recommend this product, especially to women prone to anxiety and mood swings."

• Nes...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 20, 2021

For Birth Control "I had it for about a year...I got it right after I had my daughter. I decided to get it removed because I had zero sex drive and I struggled to lose weight. Right after I got it removed, I started experiencing tension headaches and then heart palpitations. It's been about 6 months since I had it removed, and they have not gone away. I've seen doctors and a cardiologist, and they say everything looks fine."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 26, 2021

For Birth Control "This is my 3rd time having it in my arm. And this 3rd round is awful. I'm having bad headaches, always tired, no energy, my vagina pH is off bad. My sex drive is a zero, I loved having sex before, and now I don't even like thinking about sex. It is giving me a bad odor down there. It's been 9 months now, and I'm getting this removed out of my arm ASAP. My whole body has changed."

• Aut...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 29, 2021

For Birth Control "Severe depression, anxiety, and meltdowns, bouts of crying, started losing joy in the small things, bleeding for weeks, then nothing, and heavy bleeding again. I have always been a happy person until about 2 months in when I started feeling snappy, angry. My blood pressure was very high, and it made me want to eat CONSTANTLY. I've gained 40 lbs in the 7 months, no sex drive. It's been 2 months since we've been intimate. No rational thoughts in my head, and I'm constantly irritated, exhausted. Horrible acne, and I can feel my uterus pulsing constantly, periods are random, painful, heavy. I've developed panic attacks and have had 4 major ones since Dec 2020. I hardly have any happy thoughts. This implant has taken every bit of me and turned it into something I don't recognize. I can't even enjoy being a mom, and that is the ultimate reason I've chosen to get it removed. I had it removed today. I don't recommend this BC, even though everyone is different."

• Bum...
• June 23, 2021

"I've had my Nexplanon since October. Since then, I have been horribly depressed, I'm constantly worried about everything, and my sex drive is completely gone. I don't even like the slightest bit of affection from my other half because I'm scared he'll want it to lead to sex. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I thought I was going crazy. We've talked about it a few times, and we realized this all didn't start until after the implant. We started doing some research, and I'm so glad we came across these threads. I'm having it removed tomorrow. I just only pray that it's the birth control causing this, so my life can go back to normal. After reading a lot of these comments, though, I'm hopeful that it will!"

• cor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 20, 2021

For Birth Control "I got Nexplanon inserted a little over 3 months ago, and I just scheduled an appointment to have it removed. They say you should give it a full 3 months for it to fully adjust to your body and to see how you will react. My side effects started out slow but progressively got worse and more noticeable. My whole life, I've had perfectly clear skin, and now I have cystic acne all over my chin that will not go away. I've gained 10 lbs since having it inserted, with no change to my diet or activity levels. I constantly feel depressed and have very low energy, and for the past 2 months, sex has been extremely painful. The cons greatly outweigh the pros, in my opinion, when it comes to Nexplanon, and that is why I would strongly recommend not getting it!"

• Had...
• April 22, 2021

For Birth Control "Wow, where to start!! Feel like I’ve had every side effect: depression, lack of sleep, intense headaches, migraines, no sex drive whatsoever, tender boobs, and mood swings. And for me, the massive one was swollen lady parts - where I couldn’t do anything!! Walking or sitting just hurt. Lying down was the only thing that was comfortable but not realistic with children. Felt like that (what I can imagine as) I was having a prolapse with everything going to fall out of me."

• Mac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 20, 2021

For Birth Control "I would 100% not recommend Nexplanon. My period was so irregular. I wore tampons for more than a year. I had zero sex drive and mood swings galore. I kept hoping and waiting until the day my body would adapt. After about a year and a half, I decided to get that thing out of my arm. I’ve had the IUD for three months now, and I absolutely love it. I feel like myself again. I want to have sex with my boyfriend. I’m not bleeding anymore!! The insertion really sucked, but it was totally worth it. IUD for the win!!"

• Jor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 7, 2021

For Birth Control "It was horrible, not motivation for everything! Ruining my relationship with my partner, now ex. I bled since the day I started it, November 22, since the day I got it removed, April 7. My libido was gone, I was no longer sexually interested. I was depressed, suicidal, the mood swings were so bad, dizziness, weakness, and a lot of sleeping. I felt like I would just sleep my life away, but at least I’m not pregnant. It’s different for everyone, but I 100% do not recommend."

• Eli...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 7, 2021

For Birth Control "Horrible! I got the Nexplanon 2 weeks after having my daughter in April 2020, and it is now April 2021, and since giving birth, I have not stopped bleeding. In a year, I have maybe not been bleeding a total of 3 weeks. And in between bleeding, there has not been a let-up in the cramping, bloating, and extreme fatigue. I have gained weight since giving birth (I do not overeat or eat extremely unhealthy), and I am a pretty active person. I have also broken out worse than a teen, and I’m 30 years old. I am constantly either very irritable or just numb, I have zero libido, I have anxiety, and just overall unhappy! I do not recommend this to ANYONE. I have an appointment today to talk to my doctor about removal."

• jay...
• March 7, 2021

For Birth Control "I started getting terrible side effects. Ridiculous mood swings, rage, social anxiety (I'm usually a social butterfly), depression, suicidal thoughts. I got a period/bleeding/spotting for 30 days straight, constantly exhausted, fatigued, lost my sex drive, very constipated and bloated, nausea. Because of the way I was reacting, I at times thought I was pregnant, so add in constant pregnancy scares. Hair was shedding like crazy. I have now fallen out of love with my boyfriend, I am unsure if this relationship will survive. He has been nothing but absolutely supportive and caring, but I've tried to break up with him at least 6 times in the last 2 months. I got the implant out after 3 months and now am on nothing. Everyone is different, trust your body and gut. Nothing says 'effective birth control' better than being super gassy, bloated and constantly cramping from not being able to poop around your new significant other, lol – can't get pregnant if you don't want to have sex, lol."

• Cas...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 15, 2021

For Birth Control "Honestly awful, it was great not having a single period for the 3 years I was on it. However, it made my anxiety and depression worse. It caused me to be highly suicidal. I really did not like life and waking up every day. I would take everything the wrong way. I would cry all the time, even about the littlest things. I lost sex drive, and sex was painful. Please do not get this form of birth control!!!! I should have gotten it taken out sooner!!"

• Cas...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 15, 2021

For Birth Control "Honestly awful, it was great not having a single period for the 3 years I was on it. However, it made my anxiety and depression worse. It caused me to be highly suicidal. I really did not like life and waking up every day. I would take everything the wrong way. I would cry all the time, even about the littlest things. I lost sex drive, and sex was painful. Please do not get this form of birth control!!!! I should have gotten it taken out sooner!!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 9, 2021

For Birth Control "I got Nexplanon in Aug 2018. Honestly, the worst birth control experience I’ve had. I have month-long periods (with only 3 weeks in between cycles), complete with cramping, bloating, and irritability for the entire duration. My anxiety and depression have skyrocketed, along with suicidal thoughts. I get severe migraines now (never had in the past), my sex drive is completely gone, and I’ve been getting horrible acne on my face and back (also didn’t have in the past). I feel constant fatigue. I gained 20 lbs in the first 6 months of having it and can’t seem to lose the weight no matter how hard I try. And on top of all, recently I’ve started getting shooting pain around the site of my implant, and my whole arm feels numb and weak when that happens. I’m getting it removed in 2 weeks because I cannot continue with all of these side effects."

• 282...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 9, 2020

For Birth Control "The worst experience of my entire life!! I have always struggled with anxiety a little, but I have always been on some kind of contraception since an early age due to acne, and looking back, I don’t think the hormones ever really helped my anxiety. But this time last year, I was so happy, the happiest I had ever been. I then got the implant, and the nightmare of side effects started. • extremely emotional • thrush • extreme acne/oily hair • low libido • EXTREME anxiety • awful intrusive thoughts • weight gain • my arm where the implant is itches constantly. I never write reviews, but I don’t want anyone to feel how I have for the past 10 months."

• Anonymous
• September 29, 2020

For Birth Control "I currently have the Nexplanon bar in my left arm and am finding it horrible physically, mentally, and emotionally. The first month I woke every night at 4 a.m. dripping in sweat (in winter) and experienced hot flushes every day randomly. I’ve bled every day for the last 2 months and in the last 2 weeks have broken out in pimples. I feel completely disconnected to myself as a woman, my usual cycle has been replaced by constant irregular bleeding that leaves me irritable and moody. I’m finding myself questioning every thought/feeling/reaction because I no longer know when my hormones/cycle are affecting my moods, which is taking its toll on my mental health. My anxiety has never been worse. I have zero sex drive or desire to be touched, which is taking a huge toll on my relationship. I feel there’s a complete lack of caution from GPs when prescribing this product. I’m having it removed ASAP."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 13, 2020

For Birth Control "I had the Nexplanon implant in December 2018, and it’s now February 2020, so just over a year. In these months, I’ve had so many problems. Acne/spots all over my body, whereas before Nexplanon, I was quite lucky and sometimes went months without ever having one spot. My periods stopped completely. I gained around 2 stone (even going to the gym didn’t seem to help), and I have an increased appetite. My moods are horrendous, I’m constantly angry. My sex drive has diminished to nothing, and when I do try to have sex, I am very dry. It’s also painful, and I have gained a cervical ectropion (not sure if it’s linked, but seems plausible) since having it in. I also get sharp pains at the insert site from time to time. The only positive I have for Nexplanon is that I haven’t been caught pregnant, so I suppose it’s doing its job in that sense. I wouldn’t recommend it if you struggle with mental health beforehand."

• Man...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2020

For Birth Control "I have had the Nexplanon implant for exactly one year, and I have experienced one year of a nonstop period. My doctor recommended that I try this form of birth control, and I should wait at least one year before removing the implant. I was told that my body might take time to adapt to the new form of BC and the new hormones. Not only have I experienced 365 days of constant spotting and random flow, but I have also experienced no sex drive. I have no desire to have sex, and before this implant, I had an extremely high sex drive that I was not complaining about. I do not recommend this form of BC, save yourself and do not waste your time with this trash."