A popular birth control method that lasts for up to three years is getting lost in women’s bodies — sometimes ending up in the lungs, chest and vital arteries, according to a report.
Nexplanon, made by Merck, an American pharmaceutical company, is a hormone-releasing matchstick-sized device which is implanted in the arm. Patients filed thousands of “adverse reports” with the Food and Drug Administration over the past six years, a Circa investigation found. At least 400 of those reports were classified as “device dislocation,” meaning the implant had moved, and the FDA listed 100 of those cases as “serious.”
Tenayah Dawson, a nursing assistant and mother of three, said it took doctors over an hour to fish Nexplanon out of her arm after it became dislodged. Doctors sent Dawson for an MRI after two medical professionals failed to find the implant.
“I was angry,” Dawson told Circa. “I was like, what do you mean it moved? I was really concerned. It moved? How can it move?”
Once a doctor found the device, it took over an hour to remove it.
“She was just digging, digging, digging,” Dawson said of the surgery. “She was fishing for a long time.”
Nexplanon is widely considered by gynecologists to be a safe birth control method but it comes with risks. In addition to possible side effects like mood swings, acne and weight gain associated with hormonal birth control, Nexplanon lists problems with insertion and removal as potential risks.
“Location and removal of the implant may be difficult or impossible because the implant is not where it should be. Special procedures, including surgery in the hospital, may be needed to remove the implant. If the implant is not removed, then the effects of NEXPLANON will continue for a longer period of time,” reads the warning on Nexplanon’s website.
“Implants have been found in the pulmonary artery (a blood vessel in the lung). If the implant cannot be found in the arm, your health care professional may use x-rays or other imaging methods on the chest. If the implant is located in the chest, surgery may be needed,” the warning continues.
Nexplanon is a newer version of another Merck product called Implanon, which has a history of migrating. In an ongoing lawsuit, women claim that they were not properly warned about the side effects of Implanon, according to LawyersandSettlements.com. If the device becomes lost and irretrievable, women may have trouble getting pregnant and they are exposed to other health risks and side effects of having the hormonal implant, which is meant to be removed after three years.
Nexplanon is supposedly an easier-to-find version of Implanon.
“The product was revised and it was made radio-opaque so that you could find it on X-ray and so that way if it did migrate, it would be easier to find,” said Diana Zuckerman, with the nonprofit National Center for Health Research.
Merck provided Circa with the following statement: “Merck is committed to providing women with safe and efficacious birth control options, including Nexplanon. Nothing is more important to Merck than the safety of our medicines and the people who use them.”
A spokesperson from Merck was not immediately available for comment.