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Women to get a new contraceptive choice

Women are getting another contraceptive choice

Date published: 8/20/2006

WOMEN TODAY have more contraceptive choices than ever before, and the choices are about to be become even wider. The FDA has just approved a new contraceptive device called Implanon.

Implanon is reminiscent of Norplant, which was pulled from the market by its manufacturer in 2000. Norplant consisted of six rods containing a hormone called progestin and was implanted in the upper, inner arm. The progestin was slowly released from the implants, providing protection from pregnancy for five years.

Implanon also contains a progestin. However, it consists of only one rod, which should make it easier to insert and remove than Norplant. It's also implanted in the upper arm, and lasts for three years, making it an appealing choice for women who don't want to become pregnant for a while. It may also appeal to women who can't remember to take a pill every day or change a patch/ring every week to three weeks.

The rod can be placed in just one minute during a visit to the doctor's office. It works by suppressing ovulation as well as thickening the mucus of the cervix. In trials, it was found to be 99 percent effective.

Implanon will not be provided to practitioners until a training program has been completed, a decision that is designed to alleviate some of the problems encountered with Norplant. Practitioners could place and remove Norplant without specific training, and there were problems with both insertion and removal.

The first providers will be trained, and able to start offering Implanon to patients, as early as the end of this year.

The benefit of Implanon is that it removes the need for a woman to remember to take a pill every day, to change a patch every week or to change a vaginal ring every three weeks.

However, there are some drawbacks. The most common side effect found in trials was irregular bleeding, which is found with other progestin-only contraceptives as well. Some women also experienced implant-site complications like swelling, redness, hematomas (collections of blood at the insertion site) and pain.

There can also be removal complications including an implant that can't be felt by the doctor trying to remove it, a broken or damaged implant, migration of the implant within the arm, and formation of scarring.

A woman who gets Implanon, then decides later she'd like to get pregnant, can have the implant removed. She may have to wait roughly six months for fertility to return, however.

Heavier women (those who are 30 percent above their ideal body weight) were not included in the initial trials; therefore it's unknown whether Implanon will be as effective in this group of women.

The price of Implanon has yet to be determined by the manufacturer.

Every form of contraception has its pluses and minuses. But more choices mean a higher likelihood that each woman can find the method that works for her.

DR. ARLENE LEWIS welcomes reader comments and questions. She can be reached by writing to her at Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va., 22401 or by e-mail at
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com.

DR. ARLENE LEWIS is a gynecologist in private practice at Thrive! Health and Wellness Center for Women in Fredericksburg.

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Date published: 8/20/2006