Users perspective on the Norplant contraceptive method

The objective was to present the experiences and opinions of women who chose Norplant as their contraceptive method. The women were selected in family planning clinics at 3 institutes: the Federal University of Parana in Curitiba the State University of Campinas Sao Paulo and the Assis Chateaubriand Maternity School in Fortaleza Ceara. A total of 280 women were interviewed by means of a pretested structured questionnaire in their own homes by trained interviewers during May and November 1985. 46.4% had pain in the arm after insertion and 1/3 said the arm was swollen. Ecchymosis was claimed by 85% of women at clinic B 57% at clinic C and only 35% at clinic A a significant difference. Burning was the most frequently mentioned (40.3%) local symptom during use followed by itching of the arm or the hand (25.4%). 49.6% of women said that the implants were hardly visible. One-third of the women who had reported menstrual cramps diarrhea headache and nervousness said these symptoms diminished with the use of Norplant but 24.3% said that the headache increased. More than half of the women had amenorrhea for 2 or more months or menstruated had bleeding and/or spotting for 10 or more days in a month. However 26.9% of these women disliked the occurrence of amenorrhea and 42.1% disliked prolonged bleeding. Weight gain was reported by 42.9% vs. weight loss by 30.5% breast size increase by 9.3% vs. decrease by 2.5% and the decrease of libido by 22% vs. the increase of libido by 17%. 58.8% said that the bleeding interfered with their sex life. On the other hand 24.4% reported that they had sex while having bleeding. The great majority of users (77.2%) considered their experience with Norplant good or very good and 80.6% said that they would recommend it to other women.