Title: Contraceptive implants
Course: Family Planning - Ethiopia (Full)

Contraceptive implants

A contraceptive implant is a reversible, long-acting progestin which resembles the natural hormone progesterone in a woman's body. It consists of flexible tubes or rods, each about the size of a match stick, inserted under the skin of a woman's upper arm by a trained professional. Implants can give continuous protection for three to seven years, depending on the number of rods inserted. This method of contraception has been used for more than 25 years. There are four types of contraceptive implants used today. These are Norplant, Jadelle, Implanon and Sino-implant, according to their sequence of discovery. In this section, you will learn about their mechanisms of action, effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages, side effects, and how to manage the side effects.