"Two highly effective contraceptivesthe intrauterine device IUD and the implantactually last much longer than they are currently recommended according to new research. In a new study httpjournals.lww.comgreenjournalAbstractpublishaheadUse_of_the_Etonogestrel_Implant_and_Levonorgestrel..aspx published in the journal Obstetrics  Gynecology researchers discovered that the hormonal IUD and the implant are highly effective a year after they are currently approved for use. MORE The IUD Answer Why The Best Form of Birth Control is the One No One Uses httptime.comthebestformofbirthcontrolistheonenooneisusing The researchers followed  women who were using an implant like Implanon and Nexplanon and  women using the Mirena hormonal IUD. The implants are currently approved for three years and the hormonal IUD used in the study is approved for five. There is also a nonhormonal IUD that is approved for  years but it was not included in the current study. All the women were between the ages of  and  and their contraceptives were within six months of expiring before they enrolled in the study. The women were informed of the pregnancy risk associated with using their device longer than recommended and the researchers called them for followup every  months for  months or until the women had their device removed. By the end of the trial period none of the women using the implant were pregnant and there was one pregnancy among the women using the IUD. Still the failure rate was similar to the failure rate of the IUD when used during the fiveyear period which is under  http The study is still ongoing and the researchers plan to recruit up to  women and ultimately test whether the IUDs and implants were effective for up to three years after their current FDAapproved duration. The benefit of being able to use the implant and IUD for a longer period of time is that it could reduce costs for individuals and insurance. The longer use also makes the IUD and implant more convenient for women since maintenance is reduced. Though the data is preliminary the researchers say they believe that the hormonal IUD and the implant can both be used for an additional year longer than the FDA recommends. That doesnt mean you should extend your own use of the contraceptives without talking to your doctor. The study is still continuing and it could be quite a long time before any changes to clinical recommendations are considered."