Tuesday November 21 1:22 PM ET

Experimental Contraception Technique Promising 
By Merritt McKinney 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have tried a nonsurgical form of permanent birth control appear to be satisfied with the procedure, report researchers who are performing a clinical trial of the device for the manufacturer. 

The majority of women who underwent the selective tubal occlusion procedure (STOP) rated the experience as ``good,'' ``very good'' or ``excellent,'' according to a study presented in Orlando, Florida, last week at the annual meeting of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists. 

In a study of 200 women, a 3-month follow-up of 177 women revealed that 88% considered the device to be ``excellent.'' In 70 women evaluated at one year, 99% said their experience was excellent. 
Dr. Jay M. Cooper, the director of the Women's Health Research Center in Phoenix, Arizona, told Reuters Health that none of the women who received STOP have become pregnant. So far, about 6% of the women have experienced side effects from STOP, primarily due to improper placement of the coils. 

During the procedure, a physician inserts a 4-centimeter long (1.6 inch) metal coil into each of a woman's fallopian tubes via a scope passed through the cervix into the uterus to the openings of the fallopian tubes. Over the next few months, tissue grows over the coil to form a plug that prevents fertilized eggs from traveling from the ovaries to the uterus. The technique is not reversible and is designed as an alternative to surgical sterilization. 

The technique, which is not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) (FDA), takes 15 to 30 minutes, can be performed in a doctor's office and usually requires only a local anesthetic. During the 3 months after the coils are inserted, women have to rely on other forms of birth control until a physician verifies with an x-ray that the fallopian tubes are completely blocked. 

This has the potential to dramatically change the way women avail themselves of permanent contraception,'' said Cooper, who is involved in testing STOP. 

According to Cooper, the procedure has several advantages over surgical tubal ligation. During that operation, a woman's fallopian tubes are ``tied'' to prevent fertilized eggs from traveling from the ovaries to the uterus. Though highly effective at preventing pregnancy, a woman has to go under general anesthesia during tubal ligation and may have to take several days off work afterwards. 

Cooper said that he expects that many women who are reluctant to have tubal ligation due to concerns about general anesthesia and incisions made during surgery may choose STOP since it may provide the same benefits without surgery. 

The birth control procedure is not currently available, but Conceptus, Inc., the company developing STOP, plans to seek approval from the FDA once studies of its effectiveness and safety are completed. Enrollment in the next study of STOP, which will include about 400 women, is set to be completed by the end of this year, according to Cooper. Final results of that study will not be available until 15 months after the last women are enrolled, he said.