A five-year evaluation of NORPLANT II implants in China

A five-year study of NORPLANT II rod implants was undertaken in four large cities and metropolitan areas in eastern China. Designed to test the safety, efficacy and acceptability of these implants, the study involved 1,208 women and was conducted concurrently with a similar study of NORPLANT capsule implants. At the end of five years, the gross pregnancy rate was 0.65 per 100, and the continuation rate was 65.3 per 100. Both these values were similar to and not statistically different from the rates of the capsule implant users. In 4,828 woman-years of use, there were few severe adverse events reported. Users and providers found the method to be an acceptable long-term contraceptive method of great reliability.