Australian women's experiences of the subdermal contraceptive implant: A qualitative perspective

Background: The number of prescriptions for contraceptive implants has steadily increased in Australia, but implant use is still low.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to describe women's nuanced responses, and characterise their multidimensional and complex reasons for (dis)continuing use of the contraceptive implant.

Method: A descriptive qualitative approach was used for this study. A larger qualitative study using in-depth, open-ended interviews, conducted in New South Wales between 2012 and 2013 with 94 women aged 16-49 years who had used contraception, included 10 interviews containing accounts of implant use. The 10 interviews were analysed thematically in the present study.

Results: The three main themes analysed from the 10 interviews were perceived benefits, undesirable experiences and perseverance.

Discussion: The participants were well informed about the benefits of the implant. Many persevered with it for a significant period of time before discontinuing it, despite experiencing side effects such as bleeding or mood changes. A decision to discontinue was often only made after an accumulation of multiple side effects.