Contraception with two levonorgestrel rod implants - A 5-year study in theUnited States and Dominican Republic

A 5-year trial of a two-rod contraceptive implant, which releases the proge stin levonorgestrel (LNG rod), was conducted at four clinics with 594 women . Mean age and weight at admission were 25.5 years and 62.4 kg, respectivel y. Consent to continue through 5 years was sought and obtained when the 3-y ear cumulative pregnancy rate proved to be 0.8 per 100. No pregnancies occu rred in the fourth or fifth years. The 5-year cumulative pregnancy rate was , therefore, 0.8 per 100 with an annual average pregnancy rate below 2 per 1000 women. Prolonged bleeding/spotting (8.2 % of subjects) and irregular b leeding (5.6 %) were the most frequently cited medical reasons for removal. Removals for headache (4.7%) and weight change (4.0%) were the next most f requent medical reasons. Between 1 % and 2 % of subjects during the 5-year trial sought removals for each of the following conditions: mood changes, l ower abdominal pain, depression, or pain at the implant site. The mean annu al continuation rate during the study was 77 per 100. Use per woman average d 2.96 years. Mean removal time was 5.9 +/- 0.6 min. These data indicate th at, for a 5-year period, the two LNG rod implants are equivalent to the six Norplant(R) capsule implants with respect to safety and efficacy parameter s, but permit easier and more rapid implant removal. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce Inc. All rights reserved.