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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Since around August of 2023, I have considered getting a birth control implant. I have taken a birth control pill from ages 14-18. However, recently it has gotten more difficult to take because I don’t have the same schedule as I used to. As most people know, for the pill to be as effective as possible you have to take it at the same time every day. I cannot always take it at the same time every day since I am not always in my dorm at the same time. This made me think about getting a new birth control method that I would not have to worry about taking every day. After immense research I decided on getting the Nexplanon implant in my arm.

I went to get the implant on January 11th, 2023 at 8:30 in the morning. I know, very early in the day, especially over winter break. I had my mom take me because I was absolutely terrified of getting it. I made the mistake of going on TikTok and seeing so many negative reviews on it and people saying how it ruined their bodies. It scared me for what the future held. The procedure was actually surprisingly simple even though I cried because I am a very emotional person. It only took around 15 minutes for the entire thing, and after that I no longer have to take my birth control pill.

It has been a little over two weeks since I got the implant and I think it has had an overall normal effect on me. Due to the fact that it is a progesterone-only birth control method I have gotten a little more acne than usual but other than that I feel completely normal. This is because I used to be on a progesterone and estrogen pill so it has taken my body a little to get used to when you take away the estrogen. Other than the small amount of acne, I have not had any negative impacts and now I do not have to worry about taking a pill every single day at the exact same time. I have only gotten it recently so I am unaware of all of the impacts, but overall I think that this was a good decision. Especially for my extroverted lifestyle when I am not always home. I cannot wait to see what my future holds with this simple form of birth control.

Gabby Martin is a sophomore writer for Her Campus. This is her second year writing for this organization. She writes about her emotions and current life situations while also talking about mental wellbeing and self care. Outside of Her Campus she is studying Childhood Education, Early Childhood Education, and Inclusive Education. Last year writing for Her Campus brought her so much happiness that she cannot wait to embark on a second year with this amazing chapter. She is from Caledonia, New York which is about 30 minutes outside of Rochester. In her free time she's love to spend time with her friends going out to eat or going on walks. She love reality tv shows as well as cheesy romantic comedies. Her favorite food is bagels and she drinks a coffee every single morning when she wakes up. Her main goal in life is to have an imprint on someone's life or have a positive influence on the choices they make in life. She's a girl who definitely makes a ton of mistakes and tries to help others not make the same ones.