Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

Viewpoints: Looking for the budget's true bottom line; The debate on Plan B reignited; Medicare cuts have impact

President Obama will release his overdue budget on Wednesday. It will doubtless project a reduction in the federal budget deficit-;a projection that journalists, commentators and policy makers should ignore.

10 Apr 2013

Argentina's ANMAT approves AUBAGIO for patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, announced today Argentina's National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology has approved once-daily, oral AUBAGIO 14 mg as a new treatment indicated for patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

9 Apr 2013

Plan B ruling raises political, practical questions about next move

A federal judge's ruling on Friday that the Food and Drug Administration has to lift age restrictions on emergency contraception has set up choices for pharmacists, consumers and the Obama administration about whether this is the end of the controversy.

9 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 8, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the politics surrounding the Wednesday unveiling of President Barack Obama's budget as well as other news about the health law's implementation.

8 Apr 2013

Fighting for abortion rights in Ecuador

Writing in RH Reality Check, Heather Sayette of Planned Parenthood Global/Latin America examines how Ecuador's newly re-elected President Rafael Correa this week "voiced unconditional support for contraception, including emergency contraception."

6 Apr 2013

Federal judge rules morning-after pill must be available over the counter for all ages

A federal judge has ruled that the United States government must make the most common morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages, instead of requiring a prescription for girls 16 and under (Belluck, 4/5).

6 Apr 2013

Ala. lawmakers approve controversial new abortion clinic regulations

The measure, which still must be signed by the governor, would make abortion clinics use doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals, a move opponents say could force the state's five clinics to close.

5 Apr 2013

States boost laws, regulations governing abortion

States have passed a record number of abortion bills since 2011, including curbs on clinics and chemically induced abortions and in North Dakota, a ban on abortions as early as six weeks.

2 Apr 2013

Women over 40 need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause

Women reaching the age of 40 tend to be less vigilant about birth control because they think the risk of pregnancy is low - or that birth control can cause health problems - but a review of the evidence by a team that includes a Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island physician recently underscored the need to be vigilant about contraception even in perimenopause.

26 Mar 2013

Study projects potential impact of FDA-approved anti-obesity medications on Medicare spending

VIVUS, Inc. announced today that a new study demonstrates that effective medical treatment providing 10% to 15% weight loss could lead to significant improvements in Medicare spending by reversing or reducing significant health consequences such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia in obese or overweight patients.

25 Mar 2013

Mo. lawmaker wants appeal of ruling striking state law that allows employers to opt out of contraception, abortion coverage

Missouri's House speaker is calling on their state's attorney general to appeal a ruling that stops a state law from allowing employers to exclude contraception and abortion from insurance coverage.

22 Mar 2013

Philippines government must support reproductive health law

"Women in the Philippines have lacked autonomy over their bodies for decades. The overwhelming political power of the country's Catholic church leaders -- and the government's acquiescence to many of their demands -- has resulted in reproductive health care restrictions so severe they amount to human rights violations," Melissa Upreti, regional director for Asia at the Center for Reproductive Rights, writes in The Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

20 Mar 2013

Opinion pieces address U.N. CSW declaration

The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women on Friday adopted a declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls, despite pushback from some conservative Muslim countries and the Vatican during negotiations.

20 Mar 2013

Analysis, commentary examine access to, unmet need for contraceptives

In an analysis published online in the Lancet, researchers from the National University of Singapore and the U.N. Population Division "estimated and projected indicators of contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning from 1990 to 2015," according to the paper's abstract.

20 Mar 2013

ABC News examines how newly selected Pope's stance on contraception might impact Catholic organizations working on HIV/AIDS

ABC News examines how the selection of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina to be Pope might impact Catholic organizations' work in disease prevention, including HIV/AIDS prevention.

16 Mar 2013

Federal judge in Michigan blocks birth control coverage mandate for pizza chain

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff granted this preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the health law's contraception coverage requirement.

16 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about President Barack Obama's third day of Capitol Hill visits in pursuit of progress on the budget.

15 Mar 2013

Cultural preferences for sons dampens contraception usage

While poverty and under-education continue to dampen contraception use in Nepal, exacerbating the country's efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, researchers say another, more surprising factor may be more intractable: Deeply held cultural preferences for sons over daughters.

15 Mar 2013

Delegates at CSW meeting push to reach compromise on final document

"Delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a consensus deal on a final document by Friday, and some diplomats say the future of the commission -- a global policy-making body created in 1946 for the advancement of women -- is at risk if they fail to broker a compromise," Reuters reports.

15 Mar 2013

Unmet need for modern contraceptive methods projected to reach more than 230 million women worldwide by 2015

New research on contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for contraception in married or co-habiting women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years), based on data from 194 countries, suggests that although the proportion of women in this group using contraception has risen in the last two decades, and unmet need has fallen, 233 million married or co-habiting women are projected to have an unmet need for modern contraceptive methods by 2015.

12 Mar 2013