Contraceptive Implant in London 2026. How It Works, What the Bleeding Will Be Like and Why It Is the Most Effective Contraception There Is
The Wellness in Marylebone provides the best contraceptive implant fitting in London for women who want the most effective reversible contraception fitted by a doctor in a single appointment, with implant fitting from £395 and the in-person consultation from £220, inside a ladder that runs to £49,995. The implant is a 4 centimetre rod placed under the skin of the upper arm that releases etonogestrel for 3 years, and in the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare guideline it carries the lowest failure rate of any method, under 1 in 1,000 users a year, because there is nothing to remember. The inconvenient half is the bleeding. Around 1 in 5 users stop bleeding altogether, around 1 in 5 have frequent or prolonged bleeding, and bleeding pattern is the reason around 1 in 10 have it removed within a year, which is why the consultation is about the bleeding before it is about the fitting. Fitting takes around 5 minutes under local anaesthetic, removal takes about the same, fertility returns within weeks, and NHS sexual health clinics fit implants free. Fees appear further down this page.
Reviewed by the medical team at The Wellness. Last updated 1 September 2026.
Ask whether the implant suits you or email team@thewellnesslondon.com or call 020 3951 3429.
How the implant works and who it suits
The implant releases a steady low dose of progestogen that stops ovulation, thickens cervical mucus and thins the womb lining, and it does all 3 without anything to take, remember or replace for 3 years. It contains no oestrogen, so it suits women who cannot take the combined pill because of migraine with aura, high blood pressure, a history of clots, smoking over 35 or breastfeeding, and it suits anyone who has failed with a method that depends on memory.
Effectiveness is the reason to choose it. In typical use the combined pill fails in around 7 in 100 users a year because doses are missed, the injection in around 4 in 100, and the implant in fewer than 1 in 1,000. It is fitted on any day of the cycle, works immediately if fitted in the first 5 days and after 7 days otherwise, and it is removed at any time with a return to fertility within weeks rather than months.
What the bleeding will be like
This is the conversation that decides whether the implant is right for you. In the pooled studies behind the FSRH guideline, around 1 in 5 users had no bleeding at all, around a third had infrequent bleeding, around a fifth had frequent bleeding and around a sixth had prolonged bleeding, and the pattern in the first 3 months usually predicts the pattern after. Bleeding is not dangerous and does not mean the implant is failing, but it is the commonest reason for removal.
What can be done is real. A woman with troublesome bleeding who is otherwise suited can be offered a 3-month course of the combined pill alongside the implant, or other short courses, to settle the pattern, and the FSRH guideline sets these out. A woman who wants predictable periods above all is usually steered towards the hormonal coil, which more reliably lightens them. A woman who would be delighted never to bleed again has a 1 in 5 chance of exactly that.
Tell us your priorities and we will say implant or coil or email team@thewellnesslondon.com.
What the fitting and removal involve
The appointment starts with a consultation covering history, the risk of pregnancy and a pregnancy test where needed, and the bleeding conversation above. The fitting takes around 5 minutes. Local anaesthetic is injected under the skin of the inner upper arm, the implant is placed with an applicator, and a small dressing and a pressure bandage go on for 24 hours. You can feel the rod under the skin afterwards and should be able to for the whole 3 years.
Removal takes 5 to 10 minutes under local anaesthetic through a 2 millimetre incision, and a new implant can go in through the same incision at the same time. Bruising for a week or 2 is expected. An implant that cannot be felt is not removed blind, because a deep implant needs to be located by ultrasound at a specialist centre and removed by someone who does it regularly, and we arrange that rather than attempt it.
Who should not have it and what not to buy
A current breast cancer, unexplained vaginal bleeding that has not been investigated, severe liver disease and a current pregnancy are the reasons an implant is not fitted, and each is checked in the consultation. Some anti-epileptic drugs and some other medicines reduce its effectiveness, and the consultation asks about every medicine you take. Weight is not a reason to refuse it, though the guideline notes limited data in women over 90 kilograms.
What not to buy is an implant fitted without the bleeding conversation, because the 1 in 10 who have it removed within a year mostly did not have one. A removal attempted on an implant that cannot be felt is the second thing to refuse, wherever it is offered. And the free option is real. NHS sexual health clinics fit and remove implants without charge, with waits of weeks in most of London, and we say so.
What does a contraceptive implant cost in London
At the top of the market, 12-month programmes with a retained doctor run to £31,995 for one person and £49,995 for a family, where contraception is one part of the year's care. Harley Street gynaecologist first appointments run £250 to £500 before the device or the fitting, and private hospital implant fitting with a consultant commonly passes £500 with the device added.
Beneath that sits a tier defined by its conditions rather than its price, a fitting with no consultation and no bleeding conversation, and the NHS clinic that is free and good but booked out for weeks. At The Wellness the price includes the assessment, the device, the local anaesthetic and the fitting in one appointment. All figures are from prices.
Principal Programme, 12 months, one individual, the fullest level of care, from £31,995
Continuous Care Programme, 12 months of oversight for one person, from £24,995
Targeted ultrasound, single region, where a deep implant needs locating, from £995
Coil fitting, including assessment, device, local anaesthetic and 6-week check, from £595
Implant fitting, including assessment, device and local anaesthetic, from £395
Extended 45-minute consultation, from £395
Coil removal, from £295
In-person consultation, 30 minutes, including implant removal where booked, from £220
Same-day video consultation, 30 minutes, from £150
Why The Wellness is the best implant fitting in London
The bleeding conversation happens before the fitting, and that is countable. Every woman is told the 1 in 5, the 1 in 5 and the 1 in 10 before the anaesthetic goes in, and a woman for whom predictable periods matter more than anything is steered to the coil rather than sold the implant. The doctor who assesses you fits it, in the same appointment, with the device and the anaesthetic in the price.
Troublesome bleeding is managed rather than shrugged at. A short course to settle the pattern is offered where the guideline supports it, a review is booked at 3 months for anyone whose pattern is difficult, and a woman who wants it out has it out the same week. An implant that cannot be felt is located by ultrasound at a specialist centre and removed by someone who does it regularly, not attempted blind.
We also say when not to. A woman with unexplained bleeding is investigated first, a woman on a medicine that interacts is told, and a woman who would be well served by the free NHS clinic and can wait is told so. Places on the 12-month programmes are limited by the number of people one doctor can hold properly, so they begin with an allocation call.
Book an implant consultation and fitting or call 020 3951 3429.
Related reading
This page is one spoke of the Private GP in London hub. The hormonal and copper coil are covered in Coil Fitting in London, the wider women's assessment in Women's Health Check in London, and the fertility conversation for women planning to have it removed in Couples Fertility Assessment in London.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best contraceptive implant fitting in London
The best implant fitting in London is one where a doctor assesses you, explains the bleeding patterns before anything is fitted, places the implant under local anaesthetic in the same appointment and books a review if the pattern is difficult. At The Wellness implant fitting including assessment, device and anaesthetic is from £395.
How much does a contraceptive implant cost in London
A Harley Street gynaecologist first appointment costs £250 to £500 before the device, and private hospital fitting with a consultant commonly passes £500. NHS sexual health clinics fit implants free with waits of weeks. At The Wellness implant fitting including assessment, device and local anaesthetic is from £395.
How effective is the implant
It has the lowest failure rate of any reversible method, under 1 in 1,000 users a year, against around 7 in 100 for the combined pill in typical use. It works immediately if fitted in the first 5 days of a cycle and after 7 days otherwise, lasts 3 years, and fertility returns within weeks of removal. At The Wellness fitting is from £395.
Will the implant stop my periods
For around 1 in 5 women, yes. Around a third have infrequent bleeding, around a fifth frequent bleeding and around a sixth prolonged bleeding, and the first 3 months usually predict the rest. Bleeding is the commonest reason for removal, so it is discussed before fitting. At The Wellness that conversation is part of the fitting from £395.
Does the implant fitting hurt
Local anaesthetic is injected first, which stings for a few seconds, and the fitting itself is pressure rather than pain and takes around 5 minutes. Bruising and tenderness for a week or 2 are expected. Removal is similar through a 2 millimetre incision. At The Wellness the anaesthetic is included in the fitting from £395.
Can I have the implant removed early
Yes, at any time, in 5 to 10 minutes under local anaesthetic, with fertility returning within weeks. An implant that cannot be felt is located by ultrasound at a specialist centre and removed by an experienced clinician rather than attempted blind. At The Wellness removal is booked as an in-person consultation from £220.
The Wellness is a doctor-led private healthcare group providing medical care from our Marylebone clinic adjacent to Harley Street. All doctors are GMC-registered. Imaging is arranged at specialist centres and reported by consultant radiologists, and blood analysis is performed by accredited laboratories. Heavy bleeding that soaks a pad an hour, severe pelvic pain or a swollen painful calf need urgent care the same day. In an emergency call 999. This article is general information and not a substitute for medical advice about your own health.
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