title: Three years' experience with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device and Norplant-2 implants: a randomized comparative study.
abstract: A randomized comparative study of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) and Norplant-2 implants was carried out in 200 women for 36 months. Three thousand one hundred woman-months of use were observed with each device. Only one pregnancy occurred in users of LNG-IUD at the 12th month of use. The change in bleeding pattern was the most frequent reason for discontinuation. The discontinuation rate for irregular bleeding with Norplant-2 was 17.3 and 26.8 at 24 and 36 months, respectively, as compared to 3.3 with LNG-IUD at both 24 and 36 months. The differences were statistically significant. Removal for amenorrhea and pain only occurred in acceptors of LNG-IUD. About 20-40% of women using Norplant-2 had prolonged bleeding through 36 months. The percentage of amenorrhea in LNG-IUD was the highest (29.3%) at the end of two years of use. More than 97% of subjects reported satisfaction with the methods used by themselves.
authors.affiliation: National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000209:etiology; D003267:Contraception; D004343:Drug Implants; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007436:Intrauterine Devices, Medicated / Q000009:adverse effects; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D015993:Life Tables; D008598:Menstruation / Q000187:drug effects; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D004343:Drug Implants; D016912:Levonorgestrel