Comparing Injectables
| Characteristic | DMPA | NET-EN | Monthly Injectables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time between injections | 3 months | 2 months | 1 month |
| How early or late a client can have the next injection | 2 weeks before or 4 weeks after scheduled injection date. | 2 weeks before or after scheduled injection date. | 7 days before or after scheduled injection date. |
| Injection technique | Deep intramuscular (IM) injection into the hip, upper arm, or buttock. Subcutaneous injection into back of upper arm, abdomen, or front of thigh. |
Deep intramuscular injection into the hip, upper arm, or buttock. May be slightly more painful than DMPA-IM. | Deep intramuscular injection into the hip, upper arm, buttock, or outer thigh. |
| Typical bleeding patterns in first year | Irregular and prolonged bleeding at first, then no bleeding or infrequent bleeding. About 40% of users have no monthly bleeding after 1 year. | Irregular or prolonged bleeding in first 6 months but shorter bleeding episodes than with DMPA. After 6 months bleeding patterns are similar to those with DMPA. 30% of users have no monthly bleeding after 1 year. | Irregular, frequent, or prolonged bleeding in first 3 months. Mostly regular bleeding patterns by 1 year. About 2% of users have no monthly bleeding after 1 year. |
| Average weight gain | 1–2 kg per year | 1–2 kg per year | 1 kg per year |
| Pregnancy rate, as commonly used | About 4 pregnancies per 100 women in the first year. | Assumed to be similar to DMPA. | About 3 pregnancies per 100 women in the first year. |
| Average delay in time to pregnancy after stopping injections | 4 months longer than for women who used other methods. | 1 month longer than for women who used other methods. |
1 month longer than for women who used other methods. |