Sahel Medical Journal (Jan 2018)
Subdermal contraceptive implants: Experience at a tertiary health institution in Southwestern Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Norplant, a six-rod implant, was the first-generation subdermal contraceptive implant containing levonorgestrel. This had been replaced with the second-generation Implanon® and Jadelle®, which contain one rod and two rods, respectively. These second-generation implants have been shown to be as effective as the first-generation Norplant, but with less cumbersome insertion and removal techniques. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and use of subdermal contraceptive implants and the side effects among contraceptive method acceptors. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the case notes of clients who chose subdermal implants as a contraceptive method at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016. Mean and standard deviation were used to summarize continuous variables whereas frequency and percentage were used for categorical variables. Level of significance was set at a value of P < 0.05. Results: One hundred and forty-two clients made Implanon (115) and Jadelle (27) their contraceptive method of choice during the study period, accounting for 15.3% of the 928 contraceptive acceptors. Most of the acceptors were married (93.7%), and child spacing was mostly the reason for their choice (55.6%). The duration of the use of the method ranged between 6 and 49 months, and only 25 (17.6%) discontinued the method during the study period. The reason to discontinue the method was mostly to conceive (80%). Subdermal implants were well tolerated by the clients as 112 (78.9%) reported no unwanted side effects, and irregular vaginal bleeding was the most unwanted side effect in those that had them (59.3%). Conclusion: Subdermal implant contraceptives were well tolerated by the clients, and most clients did not report any side effects.
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