Levonorgestrel implant use among adolescents.

The levonorgestrel implant (Norplant System; Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, Philadelphia, Pa.) is a highly effective and desirable form of contraception for the adolescent population today. Not originally marketed toward this group of young women, it has become a very popular form of birth control for this age group. Even though common side effects are frequently experienced with the use of the Norplant System, timely and reassuring counseling from nurse practitioners is very effective in allaying fears and dissatisfaction. At the Pediatric Clinic for Denton County, Texas, nearly one half of all teenagers enrolled in the Teen Pregnancy Program in 1992 chose the Norplant System as their method of birth control, with very successful results.