CHARACTERISTICS AND EXPERIENCES OF AMERICAN WOMEN ELECTING FOR EARLY REMOVAL OF CONTRACEPTIVE IMPLANTS

The study describes the experiences of 430 women who had Norplant(R) c ontraceptive implants removed prior to the five years of method effect iveness. Each subject was surveyed when the implants were inserted and again at the time of removal. Descriptive data are presented concerni ng perceptions of the method before insertion and after removal, react ions to the contraceptive and experiences associated with the removal procedure. Subjects' use of Norplant implants ranged from 14 days to 4 0 months, with a mean of 13.3 and median of 13 months. Over 95% report ed changes in menstrual bleeding patterns and 95% experienced other no n-bleeding related side effects. Non-bleeding side effects were the mo st frequently indicated reasons for removal, followed by bleeding chan ges. The mean removal time was 34 minutes with a median of 25 minutes. Over 48% reported experiencing significant pain during the removal pr ocedure, and 27% stated that the pain was greater than expected. Despi te electing for early removal of implants, the majority of women surve yed indicated satisfaction with all aspects of the method save its eff ect on their overall health. Although method-related side effects were intolerable for most subjects, their overall perception of the method was generally satisfactory.