A three-year evaluation of metabolic changes in Singaporean Norplant-2 rod acceptors

In this longitudinal study involving 100 Singaporean women, the effects of Norplant-2 rods on metabolic function were evaluated. With respect to liver function, the results indicate possible hepatocellular dysfunction as evidenced by a significant rise in serum bilirubin and a significant fall in total proteins and globulin during the three years of use. As regards lipid metabolism total triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were significantly decreased as compared to their preinsertion values at the end of three years. The HDL-cholesterol was also significantly decreased during the second and third year of use. Despite this, the HDL-cholesterol/total-cholesterol-HDL-cholesterol remained above 0.200. Thus, though speculative, it still appears to indicate that use of Norplant-2 rods is not directly contributory to cardiovascular risk. The use of Norplant-2 was not associated with any significant effect on carbohydrate metabolism after three years of use.