Mirena: new contraceptive option listed on PBS
17 January 2003
GPs will be able to prescribe the intrauterine system Mirena on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 February for contraception but not menorrhagia (excessively heavy bleeding during your period).
(Mirena is an intrauterine system that releases a synthetic hormone called levonorgestrel that mimics the action of progesterone; it is effective in the body for up to 5 years.)
This means women with menorrhagia who were sterilised or infertile and wanted Mirena to reduce bleeding would have to pay full price, said Gab Kovacs, Monash University professor of obstetrics and gynaecology.
Professor Kovacs said he hoped the next step would be PBS listing for heavy bleeding.
Despite the restricted benefit listing, Professor Kovacs was 'thrilled' the device would be subsidised for contraception.
'It will never be as popular as the [contraceptive] pill but it is another option,' he said. 'It would also have the double whammy of treating heavy bleeding at the same time.'
Professor Kovacs said the listing would reduce the number of hysterectomies in Australia, as it had done in the UK.
Last Reviewed: 16 January 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 17/01/03
