Adolescents and Norplant: Preliminary findings of side effects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate side effects such as menstrual irregularities, weight gain, and blood pressure changes among adolescent females who had been implanted with Norplant eight or more months. A retrospective chart review was completed on adolescents who received care through an outpatient adolescent gynecology service. Subjects (n = 110) with an average age of 17.2 years were implanted with Norplant between March 1991 and February 1992. The mean length of time since implantation was 12.7 months and 64% were African-American. Data collected included: dates of all medical visits; presence of acne, mood changes, and menstrual patterns following implantation. Measurements of blood pressure and weight were taken at implantation and at all subsequent visits. Weights for Caucasian females at the last visit were significantly higher than at baseline (P < .02). With regard to the African-American females' weight, significant differences were found between baseline weight and each follow-up visit. Although we could not determine the bleeding patterns in 22% of our study sample, almost 40% of the adolescent females followed reported their bleeding to be light as well as regular and cyclic. Weight gain was the most frequently observed side-effect of Norplant in adolescents in this study.