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Published on: October 19, 2018
Clinical experience and acceptability of the etonogestrel subdermal contraceptive implant
J B Otero Flores1, M Lozano Balderas, M Cortés Bonilla
1Family Planning Division, Office of Reproductive Health, Public Health Unit, Mexican Social Security Institute, Mexico City, Mexico.
Objective:
To evaluate efficacy, adverse effects, and user continuation rate of an etonogestrel subdermal single-rod contraceptive implant.
Methods:
A total of 417 healthy volunteers of childbearing age were included in this multicenter trial. After implant insertion, the women were followed up during the 3 years of contraceptive action. At each visit, clinical findings, side effects, and bleeding patterns were recorded. Efficacy and continuation rates were analyzed using the Pearl Index and Kaplan-Meier life tables, respectively.
Results:
The observation period totaled 958.5 woman-years (27.5 months per woman). The Pearl Index score was 0. Side effects were reported by 44.4% of users, but the proportion had decreased to 16.5% by the end of the study. The continuation rate was 61.4%. The most common reason for early discontinuation (in 21.1% of the participants) was menstrual disturbances.
Conclusions:
Etonogestrel subdermal contraceptive implants demonstrated high efficacy and an acceptable continuation rate. Counseling potential users explicitly about the side effects will optimize patient success with this long-acting contraceptive.
