A year ago, on July 18, 2006, Implanon was approved by the FDA and is now available to women in the United States. Implanon is the first and only single-rod birth control implant. It only needs to be replaced once every three years. To make sure it is used properly, the FDA and Organon require special training programs for health care professionals nation- and world-wide.

Why Consider Implanon?

Implanon is outstanding among the birth control methods for several reasons.

• The single implant placed under the skin of the upper arm works for 3 years.
• It has the highest effectiveness rates of any of the reversible methods. Its "perfect" and "typical" use effectiveness rates are the same: 99.5%
• Implanon has no estrogen, making it suitable for women who cannot tolerate estrogens.
• It has been shown to be safe in use world-wide. It is currently used by women in over 30 countries.
• It can be removed at any time and pre-fertility levels return very quickly.
• It is easy to insert and remove.

This spring, California Family Health Council had an extremely productive meeting with representatives from Organon and subsequently conducted a survey of Title X Delegate Agencies in which about 75% responded. Results showed that providers are overwhelmingly in favor of making this method available. However, many would need financial assistance for the costs of the product and services entailed in making it available to clients, especially for those clients largely funded under Family PACT. About 75% of the respondents plan to offer Implanon, and of these, over half of the agencies have had at least one of their health care providers trained in Implanon insertion/removal.

In addition, the majority of agencies that responded were very interested in having their health education staff trained in how to counsel and educate clients about the method. Many providers also reported that their clients were making inquiries about Implanon and its availability.

How Can You Get Implanon?

At this time, Implanon is not yet on the state of California's MediCal formulary and as such is not available through Family PACT. The best way to obtain the method at a reasonable price is to go the 340B Prime Vendor.

• You can contact the Prime Vendor by calling toll-free at 1-888-340-2787 or email them by visiting their website at www.340bpvp.com.

Title X-funded agencies that want to provide Implanon at the present time can request changes in their budgets which would allow them to purchase the method. Agencies interested in doing this should contact their Area Manager.

Implanon Training at the Women's Health Update

Title X agencies and other providers wanting to provide Implanon to their clients should also take advantage of California Family Health Council's upcoming Women's Health Update on October 17, 2007. Providers will be able to attend an Implanon insertion training sponsored by Organon during the Update. Only providers who have gone through one of Organon's trainings are able to prescribe this method.

• If you would like to register for CFHC's Implanon training this fall, go online to www.healthed.org's Women's Health Update pages or call 1-800-428-5438 and ask for the Women's Health Update.

Do Your Clients Want Implanon?

It might be useful to find out if your clients would be interested in using the birth control implant when it becomes available. CFHC has developed a survey in English and Spanish that you can use to gauge your clients' interest in this method.

• If your agency would like to be part of the statewide client survey, please contact Barbara Kass-Annese at kass-anneseb@cfhc.org or (800) 440-3238 ext. 4567.

[ Return to Summer 2007 ]