Caption

Contraceptive implant surgery. A doctor uses a stainless steel Trocar device to insert a contraceptive implant under the skin of a woman's arm. Ink lines are stencilled on the skin to mark implantation sites. Six Norplant implants will be inserted in a fan-pattern. Local anaes- thetic has been used on the area. The implants are small tubes filled with female hormone. They are designed to give a 5-year sustained release of hormone into the blood, providing a method of long term birth control for women. Fertility returns soon after the implants are removed. This method may also be suitable for women who are unable to use oral contraceptives. Norplant was withdrawn in 2002.