A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF USERS OF LONG-TERM CONTRACEPTIVE SUBDERMAL IMPLANTS AND FEMALE SURGICAL CONTRACEPTION IN KENYA

This was a comparative study of users of Norplant contraceptive, Subde rmal implants and LA Minilap, in rural, urban and peri-urban sites in Kenya during 1991-1993. Both methods are very well accepted by well co unselled women seeking long-term, continuous, convenient, highly effec tive contraception. Norplant users had a mean age of 27.3 years, an av erage of 2.6 living children and 25.3 per cent were unmarried, while 3 2.9 percent had completed their families. This compares with 31.3 year s, 6.2 living children, 0.6 percent unmarried and 100 percent complete d families respectively for LA Minilap. Norplant acceptance rates have continued to rise over the few years since programme inception, and n ow stand at 5.4 percent of all new acceptors. LA Minilap acceptance tr ends shows a plateau or moderate down-turn at 21.6 percent of new acce ptors. The possible reasons and implications of these observations, al ong with user characteristics are discussed.