The Daily Tar HeelThursday, April 4, 19915
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Norplant offers new birth control
By Mary Moore Parham
Staff Writer
It is no surprise that most birth
control is geared toward women,
simply because one egg is easier to
manipulate than the 200 million sperm
found in an average ejaculation. For
researchers in the field of birth control,
the number of sperm and eggs alone
dictate the type of contraceptives
produced.
Because most birth control is made
for women, the user must assume the
responsibility that comes with re
membering to take a pill every day or
routinely using a barrier method, such
as a diaphragm or sponge to prevent
pregnancy.
With the development and recent
Federal Drug Administration approval
of Norplant, however, women may
chose a surgical implant which, once
in place, provides five years of effec
tive birth control.
The implant process for Norplant
takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes
and requires only a skin anesthetic
such as Novocain and a Band-Aid to
cover the incision, said Joanne Steane
of the Student Health Service's Gy
necology Clinic.
Six tubes are inserted in a fan-like
fashion above the elbow on the inner
part of the arm. Once inserted, the
UNC ensemble brings dignified status
Mozart may be magnificent and
Beethoven may be beautiful, but music
does not necessarily need to be old to be
good. Contemporary music marks a new
age of expression that can make a last
ing impression on our generation. The
UNC department of music proved this
Tuesday night when they presented a
concert of music composed this century.
The concert opened with "27514," a
work written by UNC alumnus Dalton
Winslow. It featured UNC's New Mu
sic Ensemble conducted by Roger
Hannay. This exciting piece, made up
of syncopated, conversational patterns
running back and forth between the
parts, was accented by a full array of
traditional percussion instruments. The
symmetric balance among the instru
ments made for a well-organized and
Poll shows Americans value God, health and a
The Associated Press
NEW YORK The Age of the
Yuppie is dying. Faith in God is the
most important part of Americans' lives,
followed by good health and a happy
marriage, according to a poll.
Money
have received about $2.5 million apiece
for advancing to the Final Four, Mickle
said.
"We took kind of a big hit from the
NCAA plan, but I think our people felt
it was fair," he said. "It was good to split
it between the whole membership."
Ballen said, "I think because of our
conference being so strong, we will
come out OK. Some conferences may
not feel that way."
In the Big West Conference, one
unhappy team may be the University of
Nevada-Las Vegas, last year's national
champion and a Final Four participant
PUT A I
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Contraceptives requiring daily attention are challenged by development of long-term implant
tubes release a low dose of the same
progesterone found in birth control pills
to prevent ovulation, she said.
The woman's body will naturally
produce a fibrous capsule around the
tubes to help keep them in place, while
their elastic composition prevents them
from breaking, no matter how athletic
or active the woman may be. There is a
small scar from the initial insertion
process, but unless the woman is very
thin, the tubes cannot be seen, only felt
under the skin.
Unlike birth control pills which have
a theoretical failure rate of 0.1 percent
in the best possible conditions, Norplant
has nothing to do with the user. In
clinical tests of 55,000 women in 40
countries, the failure rate has been only
0.04 percent, a figure comparable only
to surgical sterilization, said Karen Price
of Chapel Hill's Planned Parenthood.
In addition to its efficiency, Norplant
was found to have few side effects in
comparison with its contraceptive
equivalents. Although there are reports
of irregular bleeding and headaches,
there is no risk of more serious effects
such as pelvic inflammatory disease
associated with an intrauterine device
(IUD) or toxic shock syndrome which
may result from a contraceptive sponge.
Norplant is also totally reversible
and may be taken out before the five
years is complete if the woman chooses
Concert
wonderfully shocking performance.
The Sextet for Wind Quintet and
PianoOp.6byLudwigThuillefollowed,
featuring The University Chamber
Players. The group projected a dramatic
rendition of the piece, including expres
sive solos for the French horn and piano,
thus adding poignancy to the flowing
melodic lines. But often the lower in
struments overpowered the higher
voices of the flute and oboe, which
produced a dense and cloudy sound.
The highlight of the evening was
Forty percent of respondents said
they valued their relationship with God
above all else, while only 2 percent said
a job that pays well was the most im
portant thing in their life.
The telephone survey of 600 adults
this year.
In 1990,UNLVreceived$l.l million
for winning the title, said Big West
Commissioner James Haney. This year
the school will probably make about
$200,000 under the reforms.
"I think it's difficult for UNLV or
any institution if they've grown into the
habit of depending on that money be
cause of their success in the tournament,"
Haney said.
"Obviously it affects UNLV more
than others, but they clearly have ac
cepted it graciously," he said.
But the plan may do wonders for the
Susie Rickard
to become pregnant. The pregnancy rate
of Norplant is 98 percent six months
after removal, Price said.
When the implant was approved by
the FDA in December 1990, it had
undergone extensive testing in other
countries as well as three clinical trials
in the United States. But in the wake of
problems with the IUD and its subse
quent lawsuits, Norplant was researched
"more than most drugs," Price said.
As with most contraceptive devices,
Norplant is not the answer for everyone.
Women with blood clotting disorders,
undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, aknown
or suspected pregnancy, kidney disease
or breast cancer are usually referred to
alternative contraceptives.
Heavy smokers (15 or more ciga
rettes a day) are also cautioned about
the risk of serious cardiovascular
problems similar to the risk of smoking
while on birth control pills, Steane said.
Although Norplant is approved and
available in some parts of the country,
the problem remains in training gyne
cologists and general practitioners in
the implanting process. Steane recently
completed the one-day training session
for Norplant given by the Association
of Reproductive Heath Professionals.
Steane is currently the only member
of the Student Health staff with a
working knowledge of the implant, but,
she said, they do not know when it will
Edith Gettes' superb performance of
Eugene Ysaye's "L'aurore" from Sonota
No. 5 Op. 27 for unaccompanied violin.
The stirring piece, filled with syncopated
pizzicato notes and colorful phrases
marked with glissando (a backwards
motion with the finger against the string),
was performed with remarkable grace
and candor. Gettes' playing sounded
much like poetry, perfectly controlled
and beautifully executed.
Guests from East Carolina University
made up a percussion ensemble and
continued the program with a trio for
marimba. "Stuberic," composed by
Marc Ford, was written in reminiscence
of the marimba bands in Nicaragua.
The composition, as well as the per
formance, was particularly interesting
and amusing. The mallets danced in a
was conducted Jan. 17-20 for the Life
time television show "The Great
American TV Poll." The survey by
Princeton Survey Research Associates
has a margin of sampling error of plus
or minus 4 percentage points.
from page 1
"little guys" of the NCAA. For ex
ample, the University of Toledo, of the
Mid-American Athletic Conference,
finished seventh in its conference last
year and received $62,000, almost
$300,000 less than the MAC's first
place team, said Karl Benson, MAC
commissioner.
Toledo finished seventh again this
year. But the NCAA will give the school
about $250,000 the same as the
conference's first-place squad, Eastern
Michigan, Benson said.
"Overall, 1991 is much greater for all
conference members," he said.
UTX
NO
DTH illustrationJim Holm
alternative
become available to students.
"The association has taken upon
itself to train people and usually gives
two sessions a month around the
country that train 100 people each. I
think they will have people trained
fairly quickly so that the implant be
comes readily available," Steane said.
Norplant's next obstacle is its cost
which can run from $300-500 for the
tubes in addition to a $200 insertion
fee and a $300 removal fee. Because
the implant lasts a full five years, the
cost is comparable to what one might
pay for birth control pills from a local
drug store over the same amount of
time. As with most birth control,
Norplant is not necessarily covered
by health insurance.
Because of its cost, Norplant does
not present itself as an option to
teenagers. But Price said that Planned
Parenthood never turned away any
one seeking birth control if they could
not afford it.
"Although we are not yet implant
ing Norplant, we would try to work
out a payment plan over the five-year
period or refer them to the Health
Department or N.C. Memorial Hospi
tal," Price said. "There haven't been a
lot of new methods since the pill, and
one more option for women is a real
breakthrough. We need all the options
we can get."
to new music
spritely manner over the entire instru
ment, including the sides and pipes,
producing a magical effect.
The program concluded with a mu
sical extravaganza. Lou Harrison's
Concerto for Violin with Percussion
Orchestra once again featured Gettes,
this time with the ECU Percussion En
semble. Gettes' commanding solo was
accompanied by a host of unusual per
cussion instruments, including flower
pots, washtubs and coffee cans. The
finale was an original and expressive
musical experience.
Although contemporary music may
sound a bit foreign to the well-trained
listener of Mozart, "new music" holds
aprominent spot in musical society. It is
the future as well as a true feast for the
ears.
happy marriage
Fifty-eight percent of the respondents
to a 1990 Associated Press poll con
ducted by ICR Survey Research Group
said religion was very important in their
lives, and 86 percent said it was either
very important or fairly important.
Professional goals ranked at the
bottom of the things Americans said
were most important m their lives.
In addition to the 40 percent who said
faith in God was what they valued most,
29 percent cited good health and 21
percent said a happy marriage was most
important.
Move
from page 1
That will give the department room
to expand its employee training pro
grams, Manwaring said.
"We've already scheduled training
programs," he said. The department will
continue to conduct on-campus training
meetings for faculty and staff, he said
On Thursday, April 25, go see
The DurhamBulls play the
Lynchburg Redsox for $1.
More details coming soon in
The Daily Tar Heel.
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