Could implanon be the cause of my depression?

I have been on the implant for all my adult life. I had my first one put in at the age of 18, I am now 25. During this time I have had major cycles of depression however I have always managed to find a cause for it. Recently I have found myself feeling depressed and suffering from low self esteem for no apparent reason. I now put this down to my hang ups from past events. The problem is I don't really know if I would deal with things differently if not on the implant as I never had to deal with any real problems before the age of 18. I don't really want to have the implant removed as I find it a highly effective and convenient form of birth control. Do you think I might notice an improvement in my mood if I have it removed?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Implanon has been linked to a depression in a few individuals. However it cannot be predicted if this is the situation in your case. You may give the implanon a removal trial and see if it helps. You may also discuss other alternative modes of contraception and the ones that would suit you the best, with your gynaecologist.
Hope this is useful.

Take care!