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6 silastic, soft, flexible capsules, 34 mm long x 24 mm in diameter, loaded with 36 mg levonorgestrel, which is slowly released: contraceptives, birth control, norplant, oral contraceptives, tubal ligation, Norplant, lupus, autoimmune disease
Capsules are nonbiodegradable in order to insure that they can be removed upon request or indication prior to end of effective life
SUMMARY OF BENEFITS OF NORPLANT CONTRACEPTIVE SYSTEM
Achieves excellent effect with very low, consistent Norplant dose of steroid
hormone. Side effects for hormonal therapies are generally dose-related
Long lasting 1. Up to 5 years 2. 6th year pregnancy rate is roughly equivalent to OC failure rate
Low motivational method: once inserted, no further compliance efforts are needed
Rapid onset: protection starts in 24 hours
Rapidly reversible: first cycle fertility is normal (18% pregnancy rate)
High level of continuation rates
FAILURE RATES WITH NORPLANT
Overall
First year failure rates: 0.2%
Cumulative 5-year failure rates: 3.9%
Initial data suggested higher failure rate for heavier patients (Table 1, next page).
However, this was based on combined data for the older "hard" (less permeable)
capsules and for the "soft' (more permeable) capsules
Only 'soft' capsules are marketed in the United States No published data exist
stratifying failure rates by weight for
No comparable information available on possible differential failure rates by weight
group with OCs or any other birth control method
IV. OTHER PREGNANCY-RELATED