Contraceptive Implant due..earliest i can replace?

SPANIEL36

Hi, I'm due to have my contraceptive implant changed this april, i have rang my doctors today to ask when is the earliest i can get it replaced and the receptionist was useless she said i had to make an appointment to ask my doctor when i could have it changed... (waste of appointment if you as me)

was just wondering if anone on here knew from past experience

charlie792

As far as I know there is no minimum time you have to wait - although from experience doctors seem to want to leave it for as long as possible otherwise it makes their figures look bad. I assume by saying you want it replaced, you mean you want that one taken out and a new one put in, rather than taken out and change to something else?
I had no end of problems with the implant and despite going back and forth to the docs they told me to put up with it, after being refused to have it removed for the third time I walked into my local sexual health clinic and they removed it there and then with no appointment.

SPANIEL36

thanks for that, yes i want it replaced for another one as i've had no problems with it so would rather stick with what works. i might ring my local clinic tomorrow see what they say

nickyhutch

If it doesn't need changing til April, why do you want it changing sooner?

shegirl

Unless you're seriously overweight it doesn't need changing until the three years are up so don't worry about trying to get it done sooner.

SPANIEL36

april is a very busy month for me and the family so would rather get it done soner so i know its one less thing worry about

Mayflower10cat

I rang our our local FP clinic to make an appt to have my last one replaced - they had a waiting list of about 2 months! I was shocked! But they were very good, very gentle and efficient and FAR better than my GP who did my first one (and apparently inserted it completely wrongly, making it really hard for the FP Dr to remove it.) I[EMAIL="I'@d"]'[/EMAIL]d make an appointment in plenty of time if I were you. Having said that, when my last one was removed at 3 yrs (and 1 month over) the Dr reassured me there was enough hormone left to work for any thing up to a year! If you haven't had one removed & a new one inserted before - you might be uncomfortable driving afterwards, I was.

nickyhutch

SPANIEL36 wrote: »

april is a very busy month for me and the family so would rather get it done soner so i know its one less thing worry about

It'll take half an hour, if that!

You're wasting 3 months worth of contraceptive, paid for by the NHS, if you change early.

GlasweJen

I changed 2 months early before. I'd got it inserted in Deans Terrace in Edinburgh and was moving back to Glasgow, just to be organised I called Sandyford to see when they could replace it and they said there was a 5 month wait for appointments! I only had 2 months of it left so I just asked DT to remove it before I moved back to Glasgow and they did it no bother. It's due to be replaced again next summer and I will try and get Edinburgh to do it again for me because the team at DT are amazing and there are no ridiculous waiting lists.