Nexplanon + Eluryng (generic Nuvaring) experience

I thought I’d share my experience trying these two methods in case anyone’s in a similar situation to me.

Up until a few months ago, I hadn’t been on birth control in about a decade. I started seeing a man for the first time in ages and decided since I’m scared of an accidental pregnancy, I wanted the most effective bc option available, which was nexplanon. I had the Mirena a long time ago and I had zero negative side effects until it embedded itself into my uterine wall, so I figured the implant would be pretty similar, just without that risk. I was wrong.

About 3-4 days after insertion, I started bleeding HEAVILY (my period had just ended the day before insertion). I passed a deciduous cast, I was bleeding nonstop with horrible cramps for a month straight. I also had bad mood swings, vaginal dryness, and my appetite was insane.

About a week into this I talked to my doctor about getting estrogen bc to try to stop the bleeding, and since I’m bad at remembering to take pills, she gave me the generic nuvaring. It helped with the mood swings and appetite a bit, but didn’t stop the bleeding.

I know I read insane stories of people waiting months for the bleeding to stop on nexplanon. Respectfully I think it’s silly to put up with a severe side effect like that for so long when there are so many other options out there. I decided enough was enough and after a little over a month on Nexplanon, I had it removed (but I kept the ring in).

Less than 24 hours after removal, the bleeding stopped completely. I’ve been on the ring by itself for the past 2 months now and haven’t even spotted, my appetite has calmed down, and my mood is back to normal. My vagina is wetter than ever before too lol. I skipped my period by immediately replacing my ring after 28 days instead of leaving it out for 7 and that’s caused me no issues.

Overall I’m super happy with the ring so far. It might be too early for me to get bad side effects but so far it’s much better than the implant. I know it’s not quite as effective but for me this seems like the best option. Hopefully my positive experience will make people less scared to try the ring, even though I’m also adding to the long list of complaints about Nexplanon lol