Contraceptive Implant Placement is Seldom Complicated

A growing number of women use subdermal etonogestrel implants for contraception. To describe clinical outcomes of the occasions when these implants migrate away from the insertion site on the inner side of the upper arm, researchers summarized data directly reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System.

From 2006 through 2015, 38 cases of pronounced etonogestrel implant migration were reported (9 of which occurred in the U.S.). Migration sites included the lung or pulmonary artery (9 cases), other vasculature (14 cases), and extravascular sites (chest wall, axilla, clavicle, neck, or shoulder; 15 cases). Most cases were asymptomatic, being discovered when the patient requested implant removal; however, 7 women experienced pain, discomfo…