Implanon: most women happy
28 February 2003
Most Implanon users are happy with the contraceptive implant, according to preliminary results of the first study surveying Australian users.
(Implanon is a contraceptive medication device that is injected by your doctor as an implant under the skin of the inner, upper arm. It is effective as a contraceptive for 3 years; a new implant is injected after this time.)
The Family Planning Association (FPA) Health survey, conducted independently of the implant's manufacturer, charted women's experiences 6 months after insertion. This was before the much-reported concerns about incorrect insertion technique.
The results were based on 317 returned questionnaires from 600 participants (53 per cent response rate), said Dr Edith Weisberg, FPA Health director of research.
The survey, presented at a recent meeting of doctors who train other doctors to insert the implant, found 85 per cent of respondents rated Implanon good to excellent at 6 months.
‘It was overall a positive experience,’ Dr Weisberg said, adding that 82 per cent of respondents who continued to use Implanon would recommend it to a friend, as would 58 per cent of those who had it removed.
Compared with their previous contraceptive, 60 per cent of those who still used the implant, and 18 per cent who had it removed, rated Implanon as excellent.
Convenience and ‘nothing to remember’ were the main reasons women liked Implanon, followed by its 3-year duration.
Only 50 per cent said effectiveness was a reason for choosing the implant, followed by little or no bleeding and lack of side-effects.
Irregular bleeding was the main reason for disliking the implant, but many women were prepared to put up with it for the sake of convenience.
Prolonged and/or frequent bleeding was a problem for less than one in 3 (30 per cent) women, and about 70 per cent achieved amenorrhoea (an absence of periods) or infrequent bleeding.
By 6 months, 23 per cent of women had had their implant removed. Prolonged and/or frequent bleeding was the reason for about 90 per cent of removals.
Last Reviewed: 02 March 2003
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