A woman identified as Danielle Jarrett has said that an operation to remove the contraceptive implant left her with nerve damage that paralysed her arm.

Danielle Jarrett, 24, from Dartford, Kent, had a 4cm Nexplanon implant inserted and had no issues until visiting her GP to get the device replaced after the recommended three years.

After her doctor was unable to remove the implant, Danielle was sent to a specialist who said she would require an operation to remove the device, which had sunk too far into her arm to retrieve, Metro reports

After a two-hour surgery her arm went ‘numb’, and when Danielle went to her local A&E, she was told she’d suffered nerve damage but would regain movement after 12 weeks with regular physio appointments.

But two years on from the operation, the insurance worker hasn’t regained any movement or feeling in her left arm and has to rely on mum Alison, 53, to complete everyday tasks.

There is anecdotal evidence of other women experiencing a ‘lost’ contraceptive implant, and according to Nexplanon: ‘A deep insertion may cause problems with locating and removing the implant.’

The implant can continue to be effective for up to two years after the three year lifespan.

‘It’s ruined my life,’ Danielle said. ‘I don’t wish to be dramatic but it kinda has. I’ve completely lost my left arm. I can’t use it, I can’t feel it, nothing.

‘I have a disability now, but you wouldn’t think to look at me. I really took for granted what I could do before. Now I can’t use a knife and fork. I have to get someone else to cut up my food.

Danielle visited her local A&E and was told she had suffered nerve damage but would regain movement after 12 weeks with regular physio appointments. But one year on from the operation, she hasn’t regained any movement or feeling in her left arm, which she can’t use at all.

The insurance worker from Dartford, Kent, has been forced to rely on her mum Alison, 53, to cut up her food, wash her hair and help her get dressed.

‘It’s ruined my life,’ she says.

‘I don’t wish to be dramatic but it kind of has. I’ve completely lost my left arm; I can’t use it, I can’t feel it, nothing. I have a disability now but you wouldn’t think to look at me.

‘I really took for granted what I could do before. Now I can’t use a knife and fork. I have to get someone else to cut up my food.’

As well as being unable to wash her hair, simple tasks like using a zip or putting on her bra, are impossible for Danielle.

‘It’s just really changed my life when I was doing something responsible,’ she says.

‘I’m worried now that when I go out shopping and I’m taking a long time at the till people are going to be getting annoyed with me.

‘I don’t know what this is doing to my body or whether or not I’m able to have kids. I just really regret it.’

The contraceptive implant is a small flexible plastic rod that’s placed under the skin in your upper arm by a doctor or nurse.

It releases the hormone progestogen into your bloodstream to prevent pregnancy and lasts for three years.

The NHS says this form of contraception is more than 99% effective, and it can be useful for women who can’t use contraception that contains oestrogen. However, there are some risks.