A preliminary report of Norplant® implant insertions in a large urban family planning program

During the 21-month period between August 1, 1991, and April 30, 1993, 2,358 women received Norplant system insertions in either Parkland Memorial Hospital or the Dallas Maternal Health and Family Planning clinics. Forty-three percent of these women were teenagers with 14% 16 years of age or less. Overall, 431 patients received Norplant implants insertions postpartum prior to discharge from the hospital. To date, 138 Norplant systems have been removed, with the proportion of contraceptive implant removals among teenagers being essentially the same as that in more mature women. Of the reasons given by women discontinuing the Norplant system, an unanticipated high incidence of pain in the arm containing the implants, hair loss, and mood changes were noted. We have found the Norplant system to be a highly effective and highly acceptable contraceptive method for a large number of indigent women.