The PBCN is greatly concerned about a highly
pressing issue between women’s rights to family planning and the prevention of breast cancer.
In the 2nd
SONA of President Duterte, he asked the Supreme Court to lift the TRO on contraceptive implants
such as Implanon and Implanon NXT. Duterte said the purchase of the contraceptives was not a
“reckless purchase” for it was in preparation of the implementation of the RH law.
He further said the stocks would soon expire and to better donate them to a
nation who allows its use.
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| What is this contraceptive implant? |
It is a contraceptive implant preloaded in a
disposable applicator. Inserted in the inner arm, the implant contains 68 mg of
the active substance etonogestrel which is a synthetic female hormone
resembling progesterone. A small amount of the hormone etonogestrel is
continuously released into the bloodstream for three years. The rod itself is
made of ethylene vinylacetate copolymer, a plastic that will not dissolve in
the body. Implanon NXT contains small amounts of barium sulfate (which renders
it visible under X-ray) and magnesium stearate.
The result is no more menstrual periods by stopping ovulation,
thickening the mucus around the opening of the cervix and
altering the lining of the uterus, thereby providing
pregnancy protection for a period of three years.
Question: Isn’t monthly menstruation normal for
all women? Then if so, interfering with a woman’s natural menstrual cycle could
very well adversely affect her reproductive health!
This has already been experienced with birth control
pills and Depo Provera, where women developed breast cancer among many other
cancers within 2-5 years. But because implants have a much longer period of birth control,
governments have thought this latest method to be perfect for population
control, most especially among the poor sectors of society.
Let us now briefly view the history of Implanon:
2006
July 18th – US FDA approves Implanon for birth control
2010
October – Implanon is discontinued and replaced by Nexplanon by Merck.
2012
Dec 21st – Aquino signs the
Reproductive Health Bill (Republic Act 10354)
2015 Dec 21st – PhilHealth Subdermal
Contraceptive Implant Package
2016 August – Supreme Court issued a TRO
on Implanon and Implanon NXT
2017 July 24th – Duterte asks Supreme
Court to lift TRO or have DOH give to another country their supply of near
expiring Implanon.
Just from the above, very glaring points of
question come to mind:
1. Why was Implanon phased out in 2010, just four years after it
was approved by the USFDA?
2. If Implanon was already phased out and replaced by Nexplanon
in 2010, why did PhilHealth purchase Implanon and not Nexplanon five years
later?
The reason for the first is that Implanon was discontinued to reduce the risk of insertion errors.
Nexplanon implants contain a substance called barium, which allows them to be
easily located using X-rays and CT scans. Nexplanon
is simpler and avoids placing the implant too deep under the skin. Considering that Implanon were given for free in targeted
urban poor communities like in Tondo, Manila by mainstream NGO Likhaan Center
for Women’s Health in partnership with the DOH, the risk of insertion errors was not a matter to be concerned with.
For the 2nd question, having been
phased out in 2010, Implanon was either fully donated to our government or
purchased at a give-away cost that was
very timely as a political campaign gimmick by Senatorial wannabe Risa
Hontiveros, who at that time was appointed to PhilHealth for national electoral exposure.
The Supreme Court TRO was a result of efforts from pro-life sectors but what was overlooked is the risk of developing breast
cancer from implants!
Going back to how these implants work by stopping
menstruation, just imagine what can happen to one’s hormonal health? The female
reproductive system will eventually go haywire and result into hormonal
imbalance. If menopause is a natural occurrence for all women and hormonal
replacement therapies (HRT’s) have been found to result into breast cancer, stopping
menstruation long before menopause would also invite breast cancer because of
the absence of natural estrogens and the entry of harmful foreign estrogens.
Further consider that it has been just a decade
since these implants have been put into use. Only after a prolonged period of
time will it be definitely known that this 3-year birth control product
indeed causes breast cancer! So, would you want to take this risk?
The PBCN has had several cases of such implants
that have resulted in serious breast concern:
Two were young mothers from Tondo who started to
experience lumps in their breast just a year after having an implant from the
NGO Likhaan. The PBCN advised them to have them removed immediately and instead
practice the rhythm method or have their husbands use condoms.
One young mother was charged
Php10k for the implant by her Ob-Gyn and when she wanted it removed due to
breast problems she was experiencing, she was charged Php5k for the removal and
told that the lumps in her breast only showed how effective the implant was.
This brings out a very terrible scenario!
