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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Assessment and bridging prescriptions online; fitting and removal always happen in person.
- The contraceptive implant is over 99% effective and lasts three years, but fitting and removal are in-person procedures; online consultations cover suitability, counselling and referral.[4]
- Because the implant contains no oestrogen, it avoids the blood clot risk attached to combined hormonal methods.
- Fertility is not affected long term: after implant removal, ovulation returns within weeks for most people.
- Irregular bleeding is the most common reason implants are removed early; it often settles after the first months.
If you already have an implant and the site becomes hot, swollen and increasingly painful, or you develop fever, have it examined in person promptly rather than online. If you cannot feel your implant where it used to be and you have had unprotected sex, use condoms now and get reviewed. And severe one-sided lower abdominal pain with a positive pregnancy test is an emergency: call 112 or go to an emergency department.
How an online consultation helps with the contraceptive implant
The doctor reviews your health history, medicines and bleeding tolerance against WHO eligibility criteria, so you arrive at a fitting appointment already knowing the implant is a sound choice for you.
Bleeding changes are the implant's defining side effect and the main reason for early removal. Hearing the real odds before fitting prevents most of the disappointment after it.
Fitting takes an appointment you may wait for. The doctor tells you who fits implants where you live and can prescribe a pill to cover the gap, so you are never unprotected while you wait.
Irregular bleeding, a loss of confidence in the method, or a replacement now due: a video review sorts what can be handled online from what needs hands on your arm.
Can you get the contraceptive implant online?
No. The contraceptive implant is a small flexible rod placed under the skin of the upper arm by a trained clinician, so fitting and removal always happen in person. What an online doctor can do is assess whether the implant suits you, explain realistic side effects, direct you to a fitting service, and prescribe interim contraception. Who fits implants, and where, varies by country.
How effective is the contraceptive implant?
The contraceptive implant is more than 99% effective, placing it alongside intrauterine devices in the top tier of contraception, according to WHO figures.[1] Its strength is that effectiveness does not depend on daily behaviour: once fitted, there is nothing to remember for three years. Fertility returns quickly after removal.[5] It does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
The reason those numbers beat the pill is worth spelling out. Pills, patches and rings are highly effective in perfect use but leak effectiveness through real life: missed pills, late changes, stomach upsets. The implant removes the human factor entirely, which is why its real-world failure rate and its perfect-use failure rate are essentially the same number. For someone whose routine, travel or simple preference makes daily or weekly methods unreliable, that is the implant's core argument. The trade is commitment: starting and stopping require a clinic visit, not a decision at home.
How is the implant fitted and removed?
Fitting is a minor procedure done in a clinic: after local anaesthetic, the clinician places a rod about the size of a matchstick under the skin of the inner upper arm using an applicator. It takes a few minutes, and you should be able to feel the rod under the skin afterwards, which is normal and useful. The etonogestrel implant is licensed for three years of use, after which it is removed, and a new one can be placed through the same small opening in the same visit.[2][4] Removal involves a small cut under local anaesthetic and usually takes slightly longer than fitting. Expect bruising and tenderness for a few days either way.
Across Europe, implants are fitted by trained family doctors, gynaecologists and family planning or sexual health clinics; which of these applies, and whether the implant and the procedure are subsidised, varies country by country. Part of the value of the consultation is leaving with a concrete local answer rather than a general one.
What are the side effects of the implant?
Bleeding pattern changes are the most common side effect and the most common reason implants are removed early: some users' periods become infrequent or stop altogether, which is safe; others get irregular, unpredictable or prolonged bleeding that may persist.[2] There is no reliable way to predict which pattern you will get. Other reported effects include headaches, acne, breast tenderness and mood changes; some users report weight gain, though the evidence that the implant causes it is not consistent. Because the implant contains no oestrogen, it avoids the blood clot risk attached to combined methods and suits many people who cannot take the combined pill.[3] Troublesome bleeding can often be settled after assessment, sometimes with a time-limited course of additional hormones, which is exactly the kind of problem a video review handles well.
Is the implant the right method for you?
This is the decision framework our doctors use in implant consultations:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Your situation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Considering the implant, generally healthy | Suitability counselling against WHO criteria, honest bleeding-pattern discussion, referral for fitting | Yes, for everything except the fitting itself | Fitting is always an in-person procedure |
| Wants top-tier effectiveness but unsure between implant and IUD | A comparison consultation: duration, bleeding effects, procedure differences | Yes, for the decision | Both methods are fitted in person |
| Has an implant, bothered by irregular bleeding | Structured review; reassurance or a time-limited additional prescription after assessment | Often yes | Bleeding with pain, fever or pregnancy symptoms needs examination |
| Implant reaching three years, or wants it out | Plan removal or replacement locally; bridging contraception if there is a gap | Yes, for planning and bridging | Removal and replacement are in-person procedures |
| Cannot feel the implant, or it seems bent or migrated | Condoms now, then examination and sometimes imaging to locate it | Initial advice only | Locating and removing a non-palpable implant is specialist, in-person work |
Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.
Weighing up the implant? A doctor can tell you in one consultation. €47, exact price shown before payment.
See available times →What the doctor checks in an online contraceptive implant consultation
The consultation is structured, and each item earns its place because it changes the recommendation:
- Why the implant, and why now: what you want from contraception, what has failed you before, and whether a method you control day to day would actually suit you better.
- Your bleeding tolerance, honestly explored: if unpredictable bleeding would be unacceptable to you, that is a strong signal to discuss, not to discover after fitting.
- Medical eligibility: current or past breast cancer, unexplained vaginal bleeding, significant liver disease and some other conditions restrict progestogen-only methods under WHO criteria, and the doctor screens for all of them.[3]
- Interacting medicines: enzyme-inducing drugs, including some epilepsy and tuberculosis treatments and St John's Wort, can make the implant less effective, which may change the recommendation entirely.[2]
- Pregnancy possibility: timing of fitting relative to your cycle, recent unprotected sex, and whether a pregnancy test is needed first.
- Procedure practicalities: bleeding disorders or anticoagulants worth flagging to the fitting clinician, and what is actually available near you.
- The bridge: which method covers you between this consultation and the fitting appointment, prescribed the same day where appropriate.
Living with the implant
Once fitted and settled, the implant is close to maintenance-free: no daily routine, nothing to collect monthly, nothing that stops working because of vomiting or diarrhoea, and it can be used while breastfeeding.[2] Keep a note of the fitting date and set a reminder for the three-year mark; clinics usually give you a card, and losing it should not mean losing track. If you move country, as many of our patients do, any competent contraception service can take over care, and a video consultation can help you re-plan removal or replacement wherever you land. If you decide you want to conceive, removal is all it takes: for most, ovulation returns within weeks.[5]
Treatment options
What you can do yourself
Before committing, keep a simple record of what matters to you: how you would feel about absent periods, about unpredictable spotting, about a three-year horizon. After fitting, keep the site clean and dry for the first days, expect a bruise, and get into the habit of feeling for the rod occasionally so you would notice a change. If bleeding becomes bothersome, track it for a few weeks before deciding the method has failed you; patterns in the first months often settle, and a dated diary makes any review far more useful.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. The implant itself is supplied and fitted through in-person services, but around it the doctor can prescribe what online care does well: a bridging method such as the progestogen-only pill, which uses a similar hormone and gives a preview of how your body handles progestogen-only contraception; a time-limited course to settle problematic bleeding after assessment; or, if you conclude the implant is not for you, a full alternative such as the combined pill, patch or ring after the standard safety screening. Prescribing rules vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies to you.
When we help with the implant online, and when we refer you
We help online: full suitability counselling and method comparison; eligibility screening against WHO criteria; bridging prescriptions while you wait for fitting; bleeding-pattern reviews for existing implant users, with treatment after assessment where appropriate; and planning removal or replacement, including when you have moved country and lost your original clinic.
We refer or redirect you: fitting, removal and replacement, always, because they are procedures on your arm, not conversations; a non-palpable or possibly migrated implant, which needs examination and sometimes imaging; implant-site infection signs, which need hands-on assessment; any positive pregnancy test with an implant in place, promptly, and urgently if there is one-sided pain; and unexplained vaginal bleeding that screening cannot attribute to the implant, which needs investigation rather than reassurance.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department for severe one-sided lower abdominal pain with a positive pregnancy test, or for signs of a severe allergic reaction such as facial swelling or difficulty breathing. See a doctor in person promptly if the implant site becomes hot, swollen and increasingly painful or starts discharging, if you develop fever after fitting, or if you cannot feel an implant you could feel before.
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Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you. Open daily 7am–11pm, often the same day.
- Speak to a licensed doctor by video, from anywhere in Europe.
- Leave with a clear decision, a route to fitting, and bridging cover prescribed where appropriate.
Frequently asked questions about the contraceptive implant
Can an online doctor prescribe the contraceptive implant in Europe?
Not the implant itself: it is fitted in person by a trained clinician, so no legitimate online service supplies it directly. What the online consultation provides is suitability screening, honest counselling on side effects, directions to a fitting service in your country, and a bridging prescription so you are covered while you wait.
How much does an implant consultation cost, and how fast is it?
A video consultation costs €47. The exact price is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. Appointments are available daily from 7am to 11pm, often the same day.
How effective is the implant compared with the pill?
The implant is more than 99% effective in real-world use because nothing depends on remembering it. The combined pill matches that only with perfect use; as commonly used it is around 93% effective. If missed pills are part of your life, the gap between those numbers is the implant’s strongest argument.
Does getting the implant fitted hurt?
The fitting is done under local anaesthetic, so you feel the anaesthetic injection sting and then pressure rather than pain. It takes a few minutes. Expect a bruise and some tenderness for a few days afterwards. Removal is similar, through a small cut, and usually takes a little longer.
Will the implant stop my periods?
It might. Some users’ periods become infrequent or stop, which is safe and for many people welcome. Others get irregular or prolonged bleeding, which is the most common reason for early removal. There is no reliable way to predict your pattern in advance, which is why honest counselling before fitting matters.
How long does the implant last, and what happens then?
The etonogestrel implant is licensed for three years. After that it is removed in person, and a new one can be fitted in the same visit if you want to continue. Keep the fitting date somewhere safe and set a reminder; if you are late, use condoms until it is replaced.
Will the implant affect my fertility afterwards?
No lasting effect: the hormone clears quickly once the implant is removed, and for most people ovulation returns within weeks. If you are planning a pregnancy, removal is the only step needed, though it is worth booking it a little ahead of when you hope to start trying.
- Family planning/contraception methods: fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 2023.
- Contraception: progestogen-only methods, Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, accessed August 2026.
- Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use, 5th edition, WHO, World Health Organization, 2015.
- Long-acting reversible contraception (CG30), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2005, updated 2014.
- Types of contraception and how long they take, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), accessed August 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →Speak to a doctor about contraceptive implants today
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