Conceptus Appoints Steve Bowman Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 25, 2002

Experienced Medical Device Executive to Oversee U.S. Launch

and Coordinate Worldwide Sales and Marketing Efforts for Essure(TM)

Conceptus, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPTS), developer of the non-incisional permanent birth control procedure Essure(TM), has appointed Steve Bowman, 57, to the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He will report directly to Steven Bacich, chief executive officer of Conceptus.

Mr. Bowman has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device field, including the building, supervising and motivating of major global sales forces, and developing, launching and marketing a wide variety of medical products and devices. Mr. Bowman was most recently Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Northridge, Calif.-based MiniMed, Inc. from 1999 to 2001, when Medtronic, Inc. acquired the company. At MiniMed, the world's largest provider of external programmable insulin pumps and glucose monitoring systems, Mr. Bowman grew worldwide revenues by 50% in 1999, and by 40% in 2000 to over $300 million.

Prior to his employment with MiniMed, Mr. Bowman worked for eight years at Sulzer Intermedics, a manufacturer and distributor of implantable and disposable medical devices based in Angleton, Texas. From 1992 until 1999, he served as Vice President of International Sales and Marketing, and during his six years in this position he grew sales from $75 million to $130 million. He was responsible for all aspects of sales, marketing and distribution, as well as clinical and regulatory issues for all countries outside the U.S. Mr. Bowman successfully introduced several medical devices into Asia, Europe and North America.

In addition to his tenure at MiniMed and Sulzer, Mr. Bowman has held senior-level positions at Biotronik and at Medtronic.

"We are very pleased to attract someone as talented as Steve Bowman to Conceptus," said Steven Bacich. "His experience makes him the ideal person to oversee the United States launch for Essure, as well as to coordinate international sales, marketing and distribution efforts, which includes the development of physician education and training programs."

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Bowman stated, "I am very excited to be part of the Conceptus team. Essure is a revolutionary product that has been developed and supported by the outstanding management and regulatory teams at Conceptus. I welcome the opportunity to direct the U.S. launch and to coordinate worldwide sales and marketing efforts for this extraordinary product."

Permanent Birth Control

Surgical tubal ligation has become the most common form of birth control worldwide, despite the fact that it is invasive and costly. About 93% of the procedures in the U.S. are performed in a hospital or surgi-center under general anesthesia, requiring between four to five hours of hospital recovery time and an average of three to 10 days before returning to regular activities. An Essure procedure does not require cutting or penetrating the abdomen, and can be performed in a less costly procedure setting without general anesthesia. Accordingly, a woman is expected to average about 30 minutes for an Essure procedure, and to return home about 45 minutes after the procedure is completed. 92% of Essure patients who were employed returned to work in one day or less, excluding the day of the procedure. Reliance on Essure does not involve taking drugs or hormones.

About Conceptus

Conceptus, Inc. is developing Essure, an investigational medical device and procedure in the U.S., which is designed to provide a non-incisional alternative to tubal ligation, the leading form of contraception worldwide. Data from the United Nations show that worldwide, 33% of reproductive couples using contraception rely on surgical tubal ligation. Additionally, a survey performed by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that surgical tubal ligation continues to be the most prevalent form of contraception in the United States, and that 35% of women age 35-44 have had a surgical tubal sterilization. An estimated 700,000 to 800,000 surgical tubal ligations are performed each year in the United States.

The Essure procedure is based on a unique and proprietary catheter delivery system for minimally invasive transcervical tubal access. Additional information about Conceptus and the Essure procedure is available at www.conceptus.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties. The receipt of regulatory approvals, results of product development programs, and clinical efficacy of and market demand for our product, among other matters discussed in this release, may differ significantly from the discussion of such matters in the forward-looking statements. Such differences may be based upon factors within the Company's control, such as strategic planning decisions by management and re-allocation of internal resources, or on factors outside of the Company's control, such as delays by regulatory authorities, scientific advances by third parties and introduction of competitive products, as well as those factors set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.