She will keep the one in her arm for now until all of the medication is used up (they actually can last almost 2 years usually). The doctor is going to check her again in 9 months at which time we will probably schedule removal of the implant.
The Supprelin implant has been wonderful for her and has worked perfectly with absolutely no issues or concerns, but as a mother - I have always worried about the long term effects of the medication considering in 2008 when she got her first implant, it was a fairly new option. (approved on May 3, 2007 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). We would really like her to use the medication for the least amount of time necessary and her endocrinologist agrees. If absolutely necessary, we can always opt for a few Lupron injections to keep things at bay should things start to progress extremely quickly once the implant is empty.
The Supprelin implant has been wonderful for her and has worked perfectly with absolutely no issues or concerns, but as a mother - I have always worried about the long term effects of the medication considering in 2008 when she got her first implant, it was a fairly new option. (approved on May 3, 2007 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). We would really like her to use the medication for the least amount of time necessary and her endocrinologist agrees. If absolutely necessary, we can always opt for a few Lupron injections to keep things at bay should things start to progress extremely quickly once the implant is empty.
I will follow up here after her next appointment in 9 months.
Edited 2023 - I left this blog for a long long time. After the 9 months passed - we took her to have the implant removed. They were unable to easily locate it. The surgeon said if it were his daughter, he would leave it in rather than create a large area of scar tissue from digging around for it. It has been about 11 years since - and she has had no issues with it being there. She did not start getting regular cycles until 16 years old. I still have concerns about what long term affects there may be in areas of fertility, etc from the condition itself and from the method of treatment. But, so far, everything seems good.
