By Personalized Women’s Healthcare | Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

NEXPLANON is a hormone-releasing birth control implant for use by women to prevent pregnancy for up to 3 years. The implant is a flexible plastic rod about the size of a matchstick that contains a progestin hormone called etonogestrel. It contains a small amount of barium sulfate so that the implant can be seen by X-ray, and may also contain magnesium stearate. Your physician will insert the implant just under the skin of the inner side of your upper arm. You can use a single NEXPLANON implant for up to 3 years. NEXPLANON does not contain estrogen.

What if I need birth control for more than 3 years?

The NEXPLANON implant must be removed after 3 years. Your healthcare provider can insert a new implant under your skin after taking out the old one if you choose to continue using NEXPLANON for birth control.

What if I change my mind about birth control and want to stop using NEXPLANON before 3 years?

Your physician can remove the implant at any time. You may become pregnant as early as the first week after removal of the implant. If you do not want to get pregnant after your physician removes the NEXPLANON implant, you should start another birth control method right away.

How does NEXPLANON work?

NEXPLANON prevents pregnancy in several ways. The most important way is by stopping the release of an egg from your ovary. NEXPLANON also thickens the mucus in your cervix and this change may keep sperm from reaching the egg. NEXPLANON also changes the lining of your uterus.

How well does NEXPLANON work?

When the NEXPLANON implant is placed correctly, your chance of getting pregnant is very low (less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women who use NEXPLANON for 1 year). It is not known if NEXPLANON is as effective in very overweight women because studies did not include many overweight women.

Do not use NEXPLANON if you:

• Are pregnant or think you may be pregnant.
• Have, or have had blood clots in your legs (deep venous thrombosis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), eyes (total or partial blindness), heat (heart attack), or brain (stroke)
• Have liver disease or a liver tumor
• Have unexplained vaginal bleeding
• Have breast cancer or any cancer that is sensitive to progestin (a female hormone), now or ever
• Are allergic to anything in Nexplanon

How is the NEXPLANON implant placed and removed?

Your physician will place and remove the NEXPLANON implant in a minor surgical procedure in his or her office. The implant is placed just under the skin on the inner side of your upper arm.

• Perform a pregnancy test before inserting NEXPLANON
• Schedule the insertion at a specific time of your menstrual cycle (within the first days of your regular menstrual bleeding).

Your physician will cover the site where NEXPLANON was placed with 2 bandages. Leave the top bandage on for 24 hours. Keep the smaller bandage clean, dry, and in place for 3 to 5 days.

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 implant immediately after insertion, the implant may not have been inserted, or it may have been inserted deeply. A deep insertion may cause problems with locating and removing the implant. Once your physician has located the implant, removal may be recommended.

By Personalized Women’s Healthcare | Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

Mirena is an intrauterine birth control that’s over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. It’s made of soft, flexible plastic and placed into your uterus by your physician during an office visit.

The Mirena IUD continuously releases a small amount of the progestin levonorgestrel and is effective for 5 years. The Mirena tends to make periods lighter or absent.

By Personalized Women’s Healthcare | Thursday, May 8th, 2014

Mirena

Mirena is an FDA-approved intrauterine contraceptive system (also known as an IUD*) that is recommended for women who’ve had a child. It’s made of soft, flexible plastic and is placed by your healthcare provider during a routine office visit.

Highly Effective

One of the most effective birth control methods—over 99%—and does not rely on you to be effective

Convenient

No daily routine and no monthly refills. It lasts for as long as you want, for up to 5 years, the timeframe is up to you. You can do a simple monthly check to make sure it’s in place, your physician can explain how.

Reversible

You can have it removed by your healthcare provider at any time, and try to become pregnant right away.

Estrogen-free

It delivers small amounts of progestin locally into your uterus.

Approved to treat heavy periods

Mirena is the first and only birth control that’s FDA-approved to treat heavy periods in women who choose intrauterine birth control.

ParaGard

Hormone Free

ParaGard® may be a good option if you want to avoid or can’t tolerate hormones. Unlike many other forms of birth control, ParaGard® won’t interfere with your natural menstrual cycle. The most common side effect of ParaGard® are heavier and longer periods and spotting between periods; for most women, these subside after 2-3 months.

Flexible

Generally your doctor can place ParaGard® within minutes during a routine office visit. And the best part is that your doctor can remove it at any time if you decide you want to have children later; you can even start trying to get pregnant that same day.

FDA-approved

ParaGard® is an intrauterine contraceptive (IUC) that’s been available to women for over 20 years in the U.S.

Reliable

ParaGard® is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. In fact it’s one of the most effective forms of birth control available, and it lasts as long as you want: two, five, even up to 10 years.

IUD’s should be placed within 7 days of the start of your period. If you’ve just had a baby, an IUD should not be placed earlier than 6 weeks after you give birth or as directed by your physician. Be sure to tell him if you are breastfeeding and plan to continue breastfeeding after having an IUD placed.

IUD isn’t appropriate for you if you:

• Might be pregnant
• Have had a serious pelvic infection called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) unless you have had a normal pregnancy after the infection went away
• Have an untreated pelvic infection now
• Have had a serious pelvic infection in the past 3 months after a pregnancy
• Can get infections easily. For example, you have: more than one sexual partner or your partner has more than one partner, problems with your immune system, intravenous drug abuse
• Have or suspect you might have cancer of the uterus or cervix
• Have bleeding from the vagina that has not been explained
• Have liver disease or a liver tumor
• Have breast cancer now or in the past or suspect you have breast cancer
• Have a condition of the uterus that changes the shape of the uterine cavity, such as large fibroid tumors
• Are allergic to levonorgestrel, silicone or polyethylene

By Personalized Women’s Healthcare | Saturday, April 27th, 2013

MIRENA® is an FDA-approved intrauterine contraceptive system (likewise referred to as an IUD) that is suggested for females who’ve had a child. It’s made of soft, flexible plastic and is placed by your healthcare service provider throughout a regular office see. Give us a call and ask us about Mirena if you’re trying to find a birth control that is any one of the following:

1. While it’s ranked up there as being very effective method of birth control it certainly is one of the most efficient birth control techniques– over 99 %– and does not count on you to remember anything.
2. There is no everyday regimen and no regular monthly refills leaving you hassle free. It lasts for as long as you want, for up to 5 years. Ultimately it’s up to you how long. You can certainly do a basic monthly check on your own to ensure it’s in place, your health care service provider can discuss how.
3. Worried that you will not be able to get pregnant after being on it? The process of getting off of it is as simple as how you got on it. It’s completely reversible– your health care provider can remove it at any time, and you can proceed to try to become pregnant as soon as possible.
4. This IUD is completely estrogen-free. It works by providing you very small amounts of progesterone locally into your uterus.
5. FDA-approved to treat women who suffer from heavy periods. Mirena IUD is the first and only kind of this type of birth control that has received this approval from the FDA.

This interactive tool is produced and provided by MIRENA® to answer questions about your birth control needs and learn more about Mirena. When you’re done, have a conversation about Mirena with your healthcare provider to decide if it’s the best birth control option for you.

By Personalized Women’s Healthcare | Saturday, April 27th, 2013

The ParaGard Intrauterine Device (IUD) Copper T 380A is a little, “T-shaped” contraceptive device, about 1-1/4 inches broad by 1-3/8 inches long, made of flexible plastic and covered in copper. The ParaGard IUD have to be inserted by a certified healthcare specialist (such as an OB/GYN or nurse professional). Moreover, it is hormone-free, so it does not modify a female’s natural menstruation. The ParaGard IUD introduces a very small quantity of the mineral copper (which works as a spermicide) continuously over a 10-year duration as a method to avoid allowing the sperm to reach the egg preventing pregnancies.

But Why Copper?

The reason Copper is found on this IUD as it is naturally present trace mineral in an individual’s body and found in foods like whole grains, shellfish, leafy foods, and nuts. Ultimately the percentage of copper that the ParaGard IUD introduces to the body every day is less than the quantity included in the average day-to-day diet. The copper in the ParaGard IUD does not increase the overall level of copper currently present in one’s body.

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