The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the government regulator on the safest maximum time women can use her contraceptive implant or intrauterine device based on their approved duration of use. However, a new study suggests that these long-term contraceptive methods may last longer that what is prescribed.
Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine found out that these long-term contraceptive methods namely hormonal intrauterine devices and implants remain highly effective one year after their approved duration of use.
The authors published their study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology on Thursday wherein they were able to examine 237 women who used implants and 263 women who used intrauterine devices (IUD). They examined 500 women but intended to have at least 800 participants.
According to statistics, all American women aged 15 to 44 years old who had sexual experience, used a contraceptive method at some point in their lives. Aside from natural planning methods, modern contraceptives are highly effective.
The most effective methods for contraception or prevention of pregnancy are hormonal implants, intrauterine devices, injectables, vasectomy and tubal sterilization. Also, according to FDA, contraceptive implants and IUDs are approved to last for about three and five years respectively.
Now, the researchers wanted to see if the efficacy of the methods would last longer than the recommended duration of use. The studied methods were implants namely Implanon and Nexplanon; and Mirena for IUD. They all showed efficacy even after a year upon the expected expiry.
The findings show that none of the 237 women, who are using implants, has become pregnant after its expiry. However, in the IUD group only one got pregnant after the recommended use of five years.
In a press release in the website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "The longer a contraceptive method is effective, the bigger the impact it can have. In the long term, this work has the potential to change how we provide contraceptive methods around the world and can enable women to control their reproductive health and family size," said senior author Jeffrey Peipert, MD, PhD, the Robert J. Terry Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
