"i had nexplanon in for a year and 3 months. before inserting the implant, take the mini-pill which is progestrin only (just like nexplanon) that way you&#039;ll know if you can handle the progestin-only effects. most bc pills that the majority of us start off with are a combination of estrogen and progestin, the mini pill and implant have no estrogen to be more marketable since a lot of women are allergic to estrogen. on the implant i did not have periods, just spotted when i was stressed which i loved. i gained 29 lbs which i did not love. i was nauseous and constantly felt dehydrated. the body thinks its pregnant so you definitely feel &quot;off.&quot; i didn&#039;t gain any weight on the combo pill- not looking forward to taking a pill everyday again."