The Nexplanon implant is a small rod (about the size of a matchstick) inserted under the skin in your arm. The implant releases hormones into your body that prevent you from getting pregnant. Your provider inserts the implant in your arm during a quick procedure and that’s it — you’re good to go for up to 3 years.
The hormones in Nexplanon work like the hormones in the Mirena IUD, preventing pregnancy in two ways: 1) they thicken the mucus that lives on the cervix, which blocks and traps the sperm, and 2) the hormones also sometimes stop eggs from leaving your ovaries (called ovulation), which means there’s no egg for a sperm to fertilize. No egg, no pregnancy. And also, like the IUD, Nexplanon can be removed at anytime to return to full fertility should you decide you are ready to get pregnant.
The implant is one of the best birth control methods out there — it’s more than 99% effective. That means fewer than 1 out of 100 women who use Nexplanon will get pregnant each year. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The implant is so effective because there’s no chance of making a mistake. Since it’s in your arm, you can’t forget to take it, or use it incorrectly. It protects you from pregnancy all day, every day for up to 4 years.
