Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

Label change for Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal Patch

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved additional changes to the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal (Skin) Patch label to include the results of a new epidemiology study that found that users of the birth control patch were at higher risk of developing serious blood clots, also known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), than women using birth control pills.

21 Jan 2008

Abortions down in U.S. and everyone wonders why

The study by Guttmacher Institute researchers found that in 2005 the total number of abortions fell to a total of 1.2 million in 2005, way below the all-time high of 1.6 million abortions in 1990.

20 Jan 2008

Sense of personal control influences Latinas' decisions about sexual debut

A sense of personal control over sexual behaviors strongly influences Latina women's decisions of when to first engage in sex, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

17 Jan 2008

New York City mortality rate at all-time low in 2006

The death rate in New York City reached an all-time low in 2006, the Health Department reported today, as the number of deaths fell to 55,391 - down from 57,068 in 2005 and 60,218 in 2001.

10 Jan 2008

Start sex education at age five says top medical expert

One of Britain's top medical experts says children as young as five should be given sex education lessons when they start school.

2 Jan 2008

Sex education works for teenagers and delays sexual intercourse

According to the latest research sex education in schools is effective and makes it more likely that teenagers will delay having intercourse.

20 Dec 2007

FDA warns vaginal contraceptive offers no protection against AIDS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decreed that the over-the-counter vaginal contraceptive and spermicidal product Nonoxynol-9, or N9, must carry a warning about its use.

19 Dec 2007

Schering-Plough acquires Organon BioSciences

Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Organon BioSciences N.V., creating a stronger combined company with broader human and animal health portfolios, an enhanced pipeline and increased R&D capabilities. Schering-Plough's agreement to acquire Organon BioSciences was announced on March 12, 2007.

20 Nov 2007

Questions raised over the safety of the long-term use of the birth control pill

New research has again raised concerns about the safety of the long-term use of the birth control pill.

7 Nov 2007

Roche's organ-rejection drug CellCept increases risk of birth defects, miscarriage, FDA says

FDA on Monday said Roche's organ-rejection drug CellCept increases the risk of birth defects and miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy, Reuters reports. CellCept prevents organ rejection among kidney, liver and heart transplant recipients.

31 Oct 2007

Pope says pharmacists have right to conscientiously object to fill emergency contraception

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday at the 25th International Congress of Catholic Pharmacists in Rome told attendees that they have a right to conscientiously object to dispensing drugs such as emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if take up to 72 hours after sexual intercourse, the AP/Google.com reports (Winfield, AP/Google.com, 10/29).

31 Oct 2007

Hopkins project asks public help to send vital family planning information overseas

Health providers in developing countries need accurate and up-to-date reproductive health information that could help them save hundreds of thousands of lives each year, help women and men plan their families, and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

30 Oct 2007

Transplant rejection drug boosts the risk of birth defects

Authorities in the United States have issued a warning with regard to a drug used to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs.

30 Oct 2007

Contraceptive pill with no side-effects in the pipeline

Scientists in the United States are developing a new contraceptive pill with no side-effects.

17 Oct 2007

Large gap between physician and patient understanding of necessity of monthly periods

More than the two thirds of the women in a national survey say that they are interested in suppressing their menstrual periods but many of them aren't sure if it's safe.

4 Oct 2007

Connecticut Catholic Bishops agree to comply with law requiring hospitals to dispense EC to rape survivors

Connecticut's Roman Catholic bishops on Thursday said that the state's four Catholic hospitals will comply with a law (SB 1343) that takes effect Monday and requires all hospitals in the state to dispense emergency contraception to rape survivors, the Hartford Courant reports (Keating, Hartford Courant, 9/28).

2 Oct 2007

Male contraception

For decades, pundits have predicted new contraceptives for men within the next 5 to 10 years.

29 Sep 2007

Women prescribed drugs linked to birth defects not often advised to use birth control

Although prescription medications that may increase the risk of birth defects are commonly used by women in their childbearing years, only about half receive contraceptive counseling from their health care providers, according to a large-scale study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reported in the Sept. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

18 Sep 2007

The contraceptive pill may reduce risk of developing cancer

Taking the contraceptive pill does not increase a woman's chances of developing cancer and may even reduce the risk for most women, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

12 Sep 2007

Intrauterine contraceptive devices are underused in developed countries

Misconceptions around intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) mean that they are underused in developed countries, despite being a safe and effective form of contraception, says a women's health expert in this week's BMJ.

3 Sep 2007