A multicenter randomized clinical trial of etonogestrel and levonorgestrel contraceptive implants with nonrandomized copper intrauterine device controls: effect on weight variations up to 3 years after placement.

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Copper (Supplement), published as a randomized controlled trial.

To evaluate weight changes in women randomized to either the etonogestrel (ENG)- or the levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing contraceptive implants and to compare with users of the TCu380A intrauterine device (IUD).

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were young adults and adults, women only.

A multicenter randomized trial with 1:1 allocation ratio of the ENG and the LNG implants with nonrandomized, age-matched control group of women choosing TCu380A IUD.

All women were enrolled in nine centers at seven countries.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized and multicenter.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Copper (Supplement) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Running at several centres spread the Copper (Supplement) study over different clinics and patient groups.

Weight change was evaluated from time at device(s) placement.

Confounders were sociodemographic, baseline weight and body mass index, center and time from insertion.

The researchers used a linear mixed-effects regression modeling with random intercept and slope.

Weight was compared between the two implants groups and between the implants and the IUD groups through linear mixed multivariable regression model.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Contraceptive Agents, Female, Desogestrel, Intrauterine Devices, Copper, Levonorgestrel, Long-Acting Reversible Contraception and Weight Gain.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Body mass index, Copper intrauterine device, Etonogestrel implant, Levonorgestrel implant and Weight variation.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and multicenter study of Copper (Supplement).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 5 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2018 (Contraception), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Copper (Supplement) compound page, all human trials.