It’s Personal: How to Make the Right Birth Control Choice for You

By Anonymous
Organon

Choosing contraception is a personal decision. If you're thinking about starting birth control or looking into different options, it's important to speak with a healthcare provider to understand which method will work best for you. And know you're not alone in thinking about family planning. In 2020, 34 percent of women said that they'll delay getting pregnant or have fewer children as a result of the pandemic.*

You also don't have to wait for an in-person visit to begin the birth control conversation. Contraception choices can be addressed via telemedicine, so consider talking about this during your next virtual appointment. Here are some questions to ask yourself in advance, and then discuss further with your healthcare provider:

  • Am I planning to get pregnant within the next year?
  • How satisfied am I with my current method of birth control?
  • Is it important that my birth control is reversible?
  • How effective are the birth control options that are available to me?
  • How interested am I in a non-daily contraception option, such as long-acting reversible contraception?

    • As you're exploring different methods with your healthcare provider, it may be helpful to know more women are turning to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).** In fact, in a recent survey, 23 percent of women reported thinking more about choosing a LARC method because of the pandemic.* LARC usage could be part of the reason for lower rates of unintended pregnancies.*** These methods are highly effective, long-acting and can be removed at any time.

    Whether you're taking a moment before thinking about having more kids, aren't ready to start a family just yet, or if children aren't in your future plans, you have options. Check out the link below to hear some real stories from women who use a LARC. They share their birth control journeys and why they chose the arm implant, NEXPLANON® (etonogestrel implant) 68 mg Radiopaque, which contains a progestin and is indicated for use by women to prevent pregnancy.

    Indication

    NEXPLANON is a prescription medication for the prevention of pregnancy in women.

    Important Safety Information

    • You should not use NEXPLANON if you are pregnant or think you may be pregnant; have or have had blood clots; have liver disease or a liver tumor; have unexplained vaginal bleeding; have breast cancer or any other cancer that is sensitive to progestin (a female hormone), now or in the past; or are allergic to anything in NEXPLANON.
    • Talk to your healthcare provider about using NEXPLANON if you have diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, headaches, gallbladder or kidney problems, history of depressed mood, high blood pressure, allergy to numbing medicines (anesthetics) or medicines used to clean your skin (antiseptics). These medicines will be used when the implant is placed into or removed from your arm.

    See additional Important Safety Information continued below.

    To hear real stories from women who use NEXPLANON and why they chose the arm implant, click here.

    Organon

    Important Safety Information (continued)

    • Immediately after the NEXPLANON implant has been placed, you and your healthcare provider should check that the implant is in your arm by feeling for it. If you cannot feel the NEXPLANON implant, contact your healthcare provider immediately and use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as condoms) until your healthcare provider confirms that the implant is in place. You may need special tests to check that the implant is in place or to help find the implant when it is time to take it out.
    • The implant may not be placed in your arm at all due to failed insertion. If this happens, you may become pregnant. Removal of the implant may be very difficult or impossible if the implant is not where it should be. Special procedures, including surgery in the hospital, may be needed to remove the implant. If the implant is not removed, then the effects of NEXPLANON will continue for a longer period of time. Other problems related to insertion and removal include pain, irritation, swelling, bruising, numbness and tingling, scarring, infection, injury to the nerves or blood vessels, and breaking of the implant. Additionally, the implant may come out by itself. You may become pregnant if the implant comes out by itself. Use a back up birth control method and call your healthcare provider right away if the implant comes out.
    • The most common side effect of NEXPLANON is a change in your normal menstrual bleeding pattern. In studies, one out of ten women stopped using the implant because of an unfavorable change in their bleeding pattern. You may experience longer or shorter bleeding during your periods or have no bleeding at all. The time between periods may vary, and in between periods you may also have spotting.
    • If you become pregnant while using NEXPLANON, you have a slightly higher chance that the pregnancy will be ectopic (occurring outside the womb) than do women who do not use birth control. Ectopic pregnancies can cause serious internal bleeding, infertility, and even death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you think you are pregnant or have unexplained lower stomach (abdominal) pain.
    • The use of NEXPLANON may also increase your chance of serious blood clots, especially if you have other risk factors, such as smoking. If you smoke and want to use NEXPLANON, you should quit. Some examples of blood clots are deep vein thrombosis (legs), pulmonary embolism (lungs), retinal thrombosis (eyes), stroke (brain), and heart attack (heart). It is possible to die from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or stroke. Tell your doctor at least 4 weeks before if you are going to have surgery or will need to be on bed rest, because you have an increased chance of getting blood clots during surgery or bed rest.
    • Cysts may develop on the ovaries and usually go away without treatment, but sometimes surgery is needed to remove them.
    • Besides changes in menstrual bleeding patterns, other common side effects reported in women using NEXPLANON include: headaches; vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina); weight gain; acne; breast pain; viral infection such as sore throats or flu-like symptoms; stomach pain; painful periods; mood swings, nervousness, or depressed mood; back pain; nausea; dizziness; pain and pain at the site of insertion. Implants have been reported to be found in a blood vessel, including a blood vessel in the lung.
    • Call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain in your lower leg that does not go away; severe chest pain or heaviness in the chest; sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain, or coughing blood; symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swollen face, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing; sudden severe headaches unlike your usual headaches; weakness or numbness in your arm, leg, or trouble speaking; sudden partial or complete blindness; yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, especially with fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark-colored urine, or light-colored bowel movements; severe pain, swelling, or tenderness in the lower stomach (abdomen); lump in your breast; problems sleeping, lack of energy, tiredness, or you feel very sad; heavy menstrual bleeding; or if you feel that the implant may have broken or bent while in your arm.
    • NEXPLANON does not protect against HIV or other STDs.

    You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

    Please read the accompanying Patient Information for NEXPLANON and discuss it with your healthcare provider. The physician Prescribing Information also is available.

    *Based on a national internet-based survey conducted by the Guttmacher Institute from April 30th to May 6th 2020 of 2,009 cisgender women aged 18-49 who had ever engaged in penile-vaginal sex who could report more than one change in their fertility preferences.
    **According to data from 2011-2013, published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ***According to data from 2008-2011, published by the Guttmacher Institute.

    Organon

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    US-XPL-115045 06/21