Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Your knowledge-sharing resource on family planning and reproductive health

Shopping Basket

Dr. Jim Shelton's Pearls "Pearl" for the week of May 18, 2004

Norplant® vs. Jadelle Use Years

I appreciate knowing that Norplant is effective for 7 years and Jadelle for 5. But does that really make much difference since many women discontinue before the maximum time anyway?

It clearly makes a difference for women on Norplant who want to continue after 5 years of use. Actually, based on data from the comparative trials of Norplant versus Jadelle, when use-experience for Norplant is limited to 5 years, average use was 3.63 years. But for experience through 7 years the average use was 4.40. Thus, the average increase in use was 0.77 years or 21%.

(This information courtesy of Irving Sivin of the Population Council.)

The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.