A mother-of-two was horrified to discover her “lost” contraceptive implant ended up in her lungs.
Rebecca Hardy, from Nottinghamshire, went to have the matchstick-sized implant removed because she had had it inside her left arm for three years.
But the 29-year-old’s doctor and many other health professionals were unable to locate him.
When they finally found the device, it was in one of his pulmonary arteries, critical blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs.
Hardy says doctors warned him about the potential dangers of removing the implant, fearing it could rupture an artery if it was removed. For this reason, he affirms that they have decided to leave him where he is.
Rebecca Hardy, 29, from Nottinghamshire, went to remove her Nexplanon contraceptive implant after having had it for the maximum amount of time (three years), but doctors couldn’t find it.
She said: “I was given the option to try the extraction but I was told it is a very dangerous procedure.”
“There is not a 100 percent chance that it will turn out well, or that it will even be possible to remove it.” Plus, it could make things worse and rupture my artery.
‘As I have had no signs of problems or difficulties over the years, I agreed to leave it where it is and not take any risks as it is a big procedure.
“I have two children to think about.”
Ms Hardy is not the only woman whose contraceptive implant migrated.
In 2019, a 31-year-old Portuguese woman also needed to have the implant removed from her lungs.
Doctors couldn’t feel the device, which can usually be felt as a small hard rod in your upper arm, as could scans where it appeared inside your chest.
In their report they suggested that the device could have moved from its place in the arm (where it is supposed to remain for three years to release hormones) and entered veins and arteries.
When doctors located the implant after a CT scan, it was in one of his pulmonary arteries, blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.
Before Covid struck, UK health chiefs even issued guidance in the wake of growing reports that Nexplanon (the same implant Hardy had) was ending up in arteries.
Hardy, who shared her story on TikTok, recalled being worried about the device after it was inserted into her upper arm in 2018.
“I could never feel it in my left arm,” said Hardy, who has two children, Lexxie, six, and Dexter, seven.
“I called the clinic the next day after they put it in and said I couldn’t feel it in my arm, and they told me to wait and call back if I still couldn’t feel it.”
He visited the clinic that same month for a check-up and claims he was told not to worry and that it was “just a deep implant.”
Ms Hardy (right), mother of six-year-old Lexxie (left) and seven-year-old Dexter (centre), said she did not want to risk surgery to remove it.
Mrs Hardy added: “It just fell into disrepair, but over the years I continued to worry and worry about it.”
Nexplanon is a contraceptive implant that helps prevent pregnancy by gradually releasing progestin into the body.
Studies suggest that progestogen prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg each month and the implant is 99 percent effective in stopping pregnancy.
The plastic device is about 4cm long and is inserted under the skin of the arm and can remain there for up to three years, according to the NHS.
Hardy said he vividly remembered his feeling of fear and worry in March 2021, when it became clear that the implant was not where it should be.
“I started crying with worry,” she said.
‘Not only did I panic, but I had to wait weeks for the CT scan and x-rays, and then even longer for the results.
“I didn’t know until a year later where my implant was.”
Ms Hardy shared on TikTok that she received the implant in 2018 and would have it removed in 2022, three years later, as shown on her implant card (left). She was sent for a chest x-ray to locate him on July 7, but she claims that after months of waiting, she did not get the results until she was scheduled for a face-to-face appointment at Queen’s Medical’s Radiology Department. Center on February 4, 2022. She posted her CT scan on TikTok showing her implant in her lung (right)
He was sent a chest x-ray to locate it on July 7, but says he didn’t get the results until an in-person appointment was scheduled in February 2022.
He also says doctors told him the implant had traveled to his pulmonary artery and warned him about the potential dangers of trying to remove it.
Ms Hardy said: “As far as pregnancy is concerned, I have been told I will still be able to conceive but it could take around eight years for the hormones to completely wear off.”
“They have offered me support if I ever want to try to have more children.”
A letter from his doctor says the implant “came to rest in a branch of the pulmonary artery” of his left lung.
He adds that it is likely that at the time of insertion or shortly afterward, the implant has passed through your blood vessels, down the right side of your heart and into the artery.
The doctor calls it “extremely rare but recognized complications with implant adjustment” and says it was “extremely unfortunate.”
Ms Hardy recently shared her story on TikTok, where the clip has so far garnered more than 1.2 million views.
In the clip, he attaches three images, the first is a card from the clinic that indicates when to remove the implant.
She writes at the top: “I had the implant placed in 2018 and it was supposed to come out in 2021, but they couldn’t find it.”
Ms Hardy also shared her story on TikTok, where the clip has so far garnered more than 1.2 million views.
In the second image he shows a series of letters about his CT scans and X-rays, revealing that they had found it in his artery.
He also posted the X-ray image, showing the implant lodged in his chest.
Mrs Hardy said: “Now, after almost seven years, it is still there because it is too dangerous to remove.”
As she tries to move on, Mrs. Hardy becomes upset by the situation and its lasting effects.
She said: “I am currently feeling very depressed about the whole situation over the years and knowing that it will be inside me forever.”
“I’m emotionally devastated thinking it’s going to take a long time to get pregnant again, but I’m just trying to think positively.”
As she tries to move on, Mrs. Hardy becomes upset by the situation and its lasting effects.
A spokesperson for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We have offered Ms Hardy an appointment to allow us to advise her on her ongoing assessment and treatment as necessary.
‘Unfortunately, implant migration is a rare and known complication (1 in 1.3 million); The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (NHRA) issued a safety alert about the risk in 2016.
Although it is very rare for implants to be lost, in several cases it has been recorded that it is possible for the implant to reach the lungs, as in the case of Mrs Hardy.
The first reported case of “intravascular implant migration” was in 2014.
11 more cases have been reported, according to a 2021 report report published by the British Institute of Radiology.
The report suggested that deep insertion, insertion close to mobile joint space, and patients with low BMI are at higher risk of “migration.”
However, the manufacturer updated its advice for implant insertions in 2020.
He explored the anatomy of the arm to identify an insertion site with the fewest vascular structures to reduce the risk of migration.