Nexplanon: waiting period before the BC takes effect?
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 5:23 am
So I received the Nexplanon implant about two weeks ago on September 4, after not having been on any hormonal birth control (BC) of any kind in about eight years. However, the implant was inserted outside of my menstruation period (one day before my predicted ovulation date according to my period tracker app, and two weeks after my period starting August 20), and I was told by my doctor that it takes about one week/seven days for the hormones to kick in and for the implant to be at its full 99.5% effectiveness rate against pregnancy.
I've been seeing so many discrepancies online concerning the waiting period, though. On the Nexplanon website, it says that the waiting period to have sex using the implant alone would be seven days:
I'm really confused and getting increasingly worried, to be honest. Isn't one week sufficient? Now I'm scared of pregnancy, because although I waited past the seven days, I've had sex with my boyfriend ejaculating inside of me on Day 12 of having the implant inserted and everyday onwards (now it is Day 16, past two weeks), and now I'm afraid that I wasn't protected as fully as I'd have liked to be. Also, my period hasn't come and it was due yesterday (although I'm pretty sure me not getting it is just a side effect of the Nexplanon in my system). I know I can take a pregnancy test for my peace of mind sometime in two weeks, but as of now, it's been really hard to keep calm.
I'd like to think I was/am protected with Nexplanon, but I really want some clarification regarding this issue. Is one week sufficient enough for me to have waited to have sex using the implant alone? Also, in my individual situation, do you think it's worth for me to worry? It's difficult because this is my first time ever having "invisible" birth control and "unprotected" sex, and it's hard to tell if I'll be safe or not because there's no visible indicator of my implant actually working.
Please help, and thanks in advance!
I've been seeing so many discrepancies online concerning the waiting period, though. On the Nexplanon website, it says that the waiting period to have sex using the implant alone would be seven days:
But on Scarleteen, the waiting period before Nexplanon takes effect is stated to be two weeks, instead of the one week listed by the Nexplanon website and the information I was told by my doctor:In some situations, you may need to use a non-hormonal birth control method (such as condoms) for seven days after insertion.
Some girls on other ask/BC advice sites have said that they waited at least a month or six weeks before having sex, and there are thousands of other girls stating their fear of getting pregnant after having sex one to two weeks of having the implant in them.A backup method of birth control should be used after insertion of the implant for two weeks before using the implant alone.
I'm really confused and getting increasingly worried, to be honest. Isn't one week sufficient? Now I'm scared of pregnancy, because although I waited past the seven days, I've had sex with my boyfriend ejaculating inside of me on Day 12 of having the implant inserted and everyday onwards (now it is Day 16, past two weeks), and now I'm afraid that I wasn't protected as fully as I'd have liked to be. Also, my period hasn't come and it was due yesterday (although I'm pretty sure me not getting it is just a side effect of the Nexplanon in my system). I know I can take a pregnancy test for my peace of mind sometime in two weeks, but as of now, it's been really hard to keep calm.
I'd like to think I was/am protected with Nexplanon, but I really want some clarification regarding this issue. Is one week sufficient enough for me to have waited to have sex using the implant alone? Also, in my individual situation, do you think it's worth for me to worry? It's difficult because this is my first time ever having "invisible" birth control and "unprotected" sex, and it's hard to tell if I'll be safe or not because there's no visible indicator of my implant actually working.
Please help, and thanks in advance!