The safety and complications of Norplant use in Calabar

Four hundred and seven Norplant insertions were performed over a 2 year period, from January 1998 to December 1999. The clients were followed up over a period of 36 months ending in June 2002. The overall complication rate was 22.6%, and the cumulative continuation rate was 84.0%. Menstrual bleeding disturbances were the most common reported complication in 50 (12.3%) clients. However, there was no significant change in packed cell volume among those clients. Desire for pregnancy was the most common reason for discontinuing Norplant use in 24 (5.9%) cases. Norplant was inadvertently inserted in a client who was pregnant, 3 months after her last confinement. The implants were removed after 8 week use, and the pregnancy was carried to term. There was no fetal abnormality. Thirty-one (7.6%) clients were lost to follow-up.