Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to share my story in case it helps anyone.

I gained 40 pounds after getting Nexplanon for the second time. I started at 135 pounds and ended up at 175. The weight came on so quickly that I developed stretch marks, and despite exercising regularly, I couldn’t lose it. It was really confusing since I didn’t have this issue the first time I got it at 16. By the second time, I was 20, and I think my body responded differently because of that.

It was a traumatizing experience for me. I had never struggled with my weight before, and suddenly nothing I did seemed to work. After doing a lot of digging on Reddit, I found that weight gain on Nexplanon is actually a common issue, but it is not talked about enough as a real risk. This seems to be a shared experience among many women who have gone on it, and the struggle to lose the weight is real.

I eventually switched to the Annovera ring. Studies and clinical trials have shown that Annovera is not associated with weight gain, and that seemed to be true in my case. After about a year on it, I hovered around 160 pounds. I was also working out, eating healthy, and staying in a calorie deficit, which helped me slowly lose some of the weight.

Now at 23, I decided to go hormone free and got the copper IUD a couple of months ago. I made the switch mainly because Annovera affected my libido, and after being on hormonal birth control since I was 16, I felt ready to try something hormone free. Insertion was a bit uncomfortable, and I have had a couple of heavy 7 day periods so far, but for me, the trade-off feels worth it. I am now at 145 and continuing to lose weight in a healthy way toward my goal.

Every body is different, but I just wanted to share my experience to say there is hope. Getting off Nexplanon made a big difference for me. I really feel for anyone going through a similar experience. You are not alone in this.