Doctor warns of family planning complications

BIRTH control implants are a reliable method of contraception but it also has side-effects, a doctor says.
Pacific International Hospital’s obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Mathias Sapuri said the use of implants by women in PNG had increased in the past seven years.
He said the most common side-effects women experienced were significant weight gain, irregular period and sometimes it stopped the period completely.
Dr Sapuri said minor side-effects included headache, hair loss, nausea and vomiting.
He said if the implant was given to young women, it could suppress ovulation and fertility. Once the three-year period is over and the implant is removed, fertility returns but it may take up to between 18 months and three years, and for some women, much longer.
“It’s a reasonably good contraception but it’s better not to be used by women having a baby for the first time or second time because it can delay fertility,” he said.
“If they are planning to have another child in three or four years, they might end up in a situation where they may not get pregnant at all so my point is that it’s a very reliable contraceptive method but you must use it correctly and with the right age group of women, with a certain number of children.”
Dr Sapuri said sometimes the insertion of the implant could cause infection if not done properly. He said implants might be inserted too far damaging blood vessels or nerves.