WARNING: There is a picture of a bruise on this blog post. Along with this, medical injections are briefly mentioned.

So a few days ago, I went to my gynecologist to talk to her about birth control. I’ve always used condoms and the birth control pill, but I wanted an extra prevention method and something that is not so tedious like the pill. It’s not surprising that she showed me many different forms of birth control, from pills to IUDs, and talked to me about what would be the most comfortable and easiest method to manage. After a few minutes, I decided that Nexplanon, the bar that is inserted in your arm, would be the most efficient and easiest method for me. Having been on the pill in the past, I knew that I couldn’t forget to take this, and I wouldn’t have to be so rigid with time scheduling. With the bar, I could just let it go for 3 years, and when I needed for it to be replaced, I could go back to my doctor and go through the procedure again.

(She then explained to me that while the bar is over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, I should still use condoms since it does not prevent STIs.)

She grabs a box with the bar in it, and continues to explain to me what exactly this bar does. Obviously it is to prevent pregnancy. She then explained how it releases this hormone called progestin which is a hormone found in most methods of birth control. This hormone prevents an egg (or ovum, if you’re feeling fancy.) from leaving your ovaries. In the words of my doctor, Nexplanon works by “putting the ovaries to sleep.”
She also explained some side effects, such as that it is very possible for someone who has this bar to not get a period. It is also possible for people to spot in between cycles, or have periods that are terrible! She said weight gain, acne breakouts, mood swings, headaches, and other menstrual related things are very real possiblities, and that I should see if I can live with these for 3 years. 

I outweighed the risks, though. I’ve also been pretty irregular and have always been one to be a little moody around my period, so I figured how much worse can it get?
She put the bar in my arm, which actually was very painful. The Novocaine she used to numb my arm felt like she was injecting lava into my arm. You know that scene in The Hunchback of Notre Dame where Paris is on fire and Quasimodo is holding Esmeralda up over the fires of Paris screaming “SANCTUARY!”….. That scene took place in my arm that day. It burned. As for the insertion of the actual bar itself, it was a walk in the park. I did not feel it going in at all. However, after I was finished, my arm was still pretty uncomfortable, so I had to drive home with one arm. I couldn’t lift my heavy backpack up with my left arm until the next day.

Point being, my body is going to be making so many changes!! I’ve already got a sick bruise on the insertion site! Also, I can feel it in my arm. It feels like a matchstick in my arm. A lot of my friends have even asked to touch it since they are so amused by it.