01 December 2003
I had Implanon fitted on th 15th october this year. After I had it fitted I came on three days later. Since then I have 6 or 7 day periods with gaps of two or three days. This is really getting me down. Prior to Implanon I was having four day periods regularly(evey month). What is it?

Response
I'm afraid this is a well recognised side effect with implanon and in fact, with all progesterone-only contraception. That's the bad news, the good news is that there is a good chance that it will settle in time, although it could take up to a year for your periods to settle. If it is getting you down and there is no medical reason why you can't take oestrogen, you could be prescribed some additional hormone to stop the bleeding. See your family planning advisor to discuss what could be done to help. Read our article on implanon for more advice