Clinical experience and acceptability of the etonogestrel subdermal contraceptive implant.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate efficacy, adverse effects, and user continuation rate of an etonogestrel subdermal single-rod contraceptive implant. METHODS A total of 417 healthy volunteers of childbearing age were included in this multicenter trial. After implant insertion, the women were followed up during the 3 years of contraceptive action. At each visit, clinical findings, side effects, and bleeding patterns were recorded. Efficacy and continuation rates were analyzed using the Pearl Index and Kaplan-Meier life tables, respectively. RESULTS The observation period totaled 958.5 woman-years (27.5 months per woman). The Pearl Index score was 0. Side effects were reported by 44.4% of users, but the proportion had decreased to 16.5% by the end of the study. The continuation rate was 61.4%. The most common reason for early discontinuation (in 21.1% of the participants) was menstrual disturbances. CONCLUSIONS Etonogestrel subdermal contraceptive implants demonstrated high efficacy and an acceptable continuation rate. Counseling potential users explicitly about the side effects will optimize patient success with this long-acting contraceptive.