Wednesday, August 29, 2001

Fayette doctor offers new birth control option

In an effort to meet the birth control needs of women in Fayette County, Dr. Jennifer Freeman of A Woman's Place has completed an accredited training program to learn about newly available contraceptive methods and provide the latest options to her patients.

The program New Developments in Contraception, Featuring the Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System was sponsored by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals and is designed to update clinical knowledge about new birth control options with a primary emphasis on the levonogestrel intrauterine system, known as Mirena.

By participating in the program and receiving hands-on training about Mirena, Dr. Freeman is now one of the first practitioners nationwide to offer this contraceptive innovation to her female patients.

Mirena is a convenient, innovative method of contraception that was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has been available in Europe for 10 years. Its availability provides women in Fayette County with a much-needed contraceptive option that is as effective as tubal ligation (more than 99 percent) and lasts for five years, or until removed.

Mirena is also readily reversible and once removed, fertility returns rapidly. Approximately eight out of ten women who want to become pregnant conceive within 12 months after Mirena is removed.

"Mirena's convenience, long-lasting efficacy and reversibility is a combination that simply wasn't available before, and I am pleased to offer my patients a reliable method of birth control that they just don't have to worry about," said Dr. Freeman. "My patients will also appreciate that Mirena can be inserted or removed in just a few minutes. It's a simple procedure that can be performed right in my office."

In addition to preventing pregnancy, the use of Mirena may also result in shorter, lighter menstrual periods.

Mirena is an option for busy women who do not plan to get pregnant for several years and who occasionally forget to take pills. Ideal Mirena candidates are women in stable, mutually monogamous relationships with at least one child and no history of pelvic inflammatory disease. Mirena does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

For more information about Mirena, including its side effects, call Dr. Freeman at 678-817-6314 or visit www.mirena.com.