The study aimed to investigate the effect of a subcutaneous etonogestrel-containing contraceptive implant on the quality of life (QoL) and sexual function of women who had undergone termination of an unplanned pregnancy.
At pregnancy termination, 140 women received contraceptive counseling on the etonogestrel implant. The Short Form-36 questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Female Sexual Distress Scale were used to investigate the QoL, sexual function, and sexual distress of the women at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up.
The study group comprised 86 (61.4%) women who chose to use the contraceptive implant. The control group included 28 (20.0%) women who decided to use short-acting reversible contraception (SARC) and 26 (18.6%) women who chose not to use hormonal contraception. There were 23 (88.5%) unintended pregnancies before the three-year study period in the women not using hormonal contraception. QoL, sexual function, and sexual distress improved in the study group from the six-month follow-up until the end of the study (p < 0.001).
Compared with SARC and non-hormonal contraception, the contraceptive implant promoted better QoL and sexuality in users and reduced unplanned pregnancy incidence.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1760240
