"In order for any contraceptive method to be successful and widely utilized, it needs to be publicly funded. Nexplanon is not currently covered under Nova Scotia's pharmacare program - something Bauld said she hopes will change soon. Some private health insurance policies may cover all or part of that cost. Up front, Nexplanon could cost a purchaser $350. If it isn't, it could have moved to another part of the body and may need to be surgically removed.
Once the wound has healed, the implant should be visible (with a bit of pressure on the skin) and tangible under the skin. In order for Nexplanon to work, it has to implant properly. The most common side-effect is a change in menstrual bleeding, which could mean longer or shorter periods, an irregular cycle, spotting in between periods, or having no period at all. There's a comprehensive list of possible risks and side-effects on Nexplanon's website.
Health-care providers are continuing to receive training so it will only become more widely available with time. Nexplanon is available from several other clinicians in the Halifax area, across mainland Nova Scotia and in Cape Breton. It takes two separate appointments to get Nexplanon - one for the assessment and prescription, and one for implantation.īauld practises out of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre and the Truro Sexual Health Centre, but she's far from the only provider. It can then be taken to a trained health-care provider to be inserted. Nexplanon can be purchased at a pharmacy with a prescription. Merck's clinical trials were done on women between the ages of 18 and 40, but the company says safety and efficacy are "expected" to be the same for any woman who's past puberty and under the age of 65. Generally, Nexplanon is meant for teenage and adult women, before or after pregnancy. The hormone prevents ovulation and thickens the cervical mucus, which makes it difficult for sperm to reach the uterus.Īccording to Merck's clinical trials, Nexplanon is more than 99 per cent effective. One rod contains 68 milligrams of etonogestrel (synthetic progesterone), and about 70 micrograms are released into the body each day. Nexplanon is made by a U.S. pharmaceutical company, Merck, which describes it as "the size of a matchstick." After making a small incision on the inside of the upper arm, a physician or nurse practitioner uses a special insertion device to implant the rod just under the skin. "Medical research, as well as the guidelines from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, would indicate that should be first-line options for all women, including adolescents and adults," Bauld said.īauld said Nexplanon is a good alternative to an IUD "especially for younger women who maybe aren't as comfortable having the intrauterine devices placed."īut, as with all forms of birth control, she said it's important for people to explore all the details before choosing what to use. Hali Bauld was one of the first doctors in Nova Scotia to be trained on implanting Nexplanon, and earlier this month she started training other physicians and nurse practitioners in the province and across the country.īauld said she counts any new contraceptive option as a win, but LARCs especially so. It's effective for up to three years and it stops working as soon as it's removed.ĭr. Since the late 1990s, millions of women around the world have used it, but Health Canada just approved it in May 2020.įalling under the same umbrella category as an IUD, or intrauterine device, Nexplanon is a long-acting reversible contraceptive, or LARC. Nexplanon is a small plastic rod that's implanted in the upper arm and slowly releases a synthetic hormone that prevents pregnancy.
Following a spring approval by Health Canada and training for health-care providers this fall, Nova Scotians now have access to another form of birth control.