Dr Jacqueline Coombe

So some people are totally happy with Implanon and it's totally fine.

The bleeding maybe doesn't bother them or they don't have as intense bleeding as other people might.

And so it's kind of a little bit of trial and error.

You just need to give it a go and see what it is.

I guess like we don't have endless options.

There is what there is.

And if you, for example, can't use the oral contraceptive pill because you get oral migraines, for example, so that means you can't use a pill and you can't use a NuvaRing, but you want an effective method of contraception, well, your next option is probably going to be either the contraceptive implant or so the Implanon or an IUD.

IEDs intimidate some women because they need to be inserted into the uterus and that can be quite scary, particularly for someone who's never had a cervical screen before or anything up there.

And so they think, okay, well, why don't I try the Implanon?

And that's kind of how a lot of people...

get there and decide to go on it.

And yeah, it suits some people and then doesn't suit others.

I think one of the difficult things about contraception is it's a real trial and error.

Yeah.

Yeah, you really have to try something, use it for a while and then see how you go.

And like with the IUD, for example, the side effects, like when you first get a Mirena IUD, the bleeding can be quite bothersome for quite a few months, but then it really settles down.

So you have to wait, you know, several months for it to settle down.

That's true with other methods as well.

So it's trial and error and kind of a waiting game as well and sticking it out as long as you can.

And I guess knowing where your boundaries are, like once you've had enough, you've had enough.