New oral contraceptive means 365 period free days a year

Women in the United States can now access the first low-dose combination contraceptive pill which stops their periods.

The pill Lybrel will mean women can be period free for as long as a year and is now available in pharmacies following Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in May.

The pill is meant to be taken 365 days a year, without a placebo phase or pill-free interval.

Drug company Wyeth says some breakthrough bleeding and spotting during the first three to six months of taking Lybrel can be expected.

The company says the contraceptive will give women 13 additional weeks of hormone intake per year than conventional cyclic oral contraceptives containing the same strength of synthetic estrogens and similar strength of progestins.

Lybrel like other oral contraceptives should not be used by women who have blood clots, breast, uterine, or liver cancers, a history of heart attack, stroke, or breast cancer as well as those who are or may be pregnant.

Smokers too are at increased risks associated with the pill such as blood clots, stroke and heart attacks.

The most common side effects reported with Lybrel in a clinical trial were headache, menstrual cramps, upper respiratory infection, vaginal bleeding, and nausea.

Lybrel price compares favourably to other oral contraceptive products but does not protect against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.