Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

The history of contraception reached a new high with the development of hormonal implants. One popular brand is Norplant which is more effective than the pill and has other advantages as well. There is no need to take any medication daily or use any physical device. What’s more, Norplant is effective for five years from the time it is used which makes it a worry-free method.

How does it work? In this method, six small plastic rods are inserted with a needle inside the skin either on the forearm or upper arm. While there, the implants slowly release the hormone levonorgesterol, a form of progestin, which inhibits ovulation and thickens the cervical mucus, making it inhospitable to sperm.

The implantation is usually done in a doctor’s office and takes about 15 minutes. A mild anesthetic is used and the woman has to return after a month to check the incision and hormone levels. At present, Norplant is used by over 1.5 million women in 26 countries.

“Norplant has been studied in more than 55,000 women. So far, the method has only rarely failed. Only four in a thousand women have gotten pregnant in the first year,” said Deborah Franklin in Health maga¬zine.

“Norplant was available in the United States throughout the 1990s. In 2000, however, questions about the strength of certain lots of the drug led its manufacturer to stop U.S. distribution. Two years later, the company decided not to reintroduce Norplant to the U.S. market. Doctors continued to implant new Norplant devices until the already-distributed supply ran out. Unless your doctor recommends otherwise, you can safely use an existing Norplant insert for five years after implantation, when it loses its effectiveness,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

As yet, the long-term effects of Norplant are unknown. But since it contains no estrogen which has been linked to some serious health problems in the pill, this method is unlikely to have any side effects.

“It’s still too son to have detected rare or long-term side effects, but there is no evidence of cardiovascular, respiratory or central nervous system problems in the short run. Also, the hormone in Norplant - a form of progestin - has been used in higher doses in oral contracep¬tives for more than 20 years, so there’s good reason to think that surprise side effects will be few,” Franklin said.

For those interested in Norplant, however, there are a few things to consider. First, it’s expensive and not for women who decide to get pregnant in a few years. While this contraceptive is reversible, the rods are quite difficult to remove.

Besides, doing so before the contraceptive’s five-year lifespan is a big waste of money. Due to its high cost and tricky removal procedure, Norplant may not be appro¬priate for all women. In addition, this contraceptive offers no protection against AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease.

Poor candidates for Norplant include those who cannot tolerate oral contraceptives, those who have been breast¬feeding for less than six weeks, and women with a history of breast cancer, liver damage or abnormal vaginal bleeding. If you’re taking anti-seizure medications like phenytoin, carbamazepine or phenobarbital, you shouldn’t use Norplant. (Next: Sterilization for birth control?)

To enjoy sex in your later years, keep fit, eat right and love life. That simple advice can go a long way in preserving your sex life. For extra help, take Fematril, a safe and natural female sexual enhancer that can stimulate your mind and body. For details, go to http://www.fematril.com

By: Sharon A Bell

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