News on Birth Control

Analysis: U.S. focus on birth control may raise new concerns

2011-12-11T11:30:15Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A ruling last week on the morning-after pill, as well as government recommendations on new forms of birth control, could have long-lasting effects on women's perceptions of its safety, health experts say.

Last Wednesday, the health secretary for the first time overruled government scientists, refusing to make the morning--after pill available to users of all ages witho...

Analysis: focus on birth control may raise new concerns

2011-12-11T11:30:14Z

Last Wednesday, the health secretary for the first time overruled government scientists, refusing to make the morning--after pill available to users of all ages witho...

FDA advisers stand behind Ortho Evra patch

2011-12-09T14:30:40Z

ADELPHI, Maryland (Reuters) - Drug advisers recommended that the label for Johnson and Johnson's Ortho Evra birth control patch should be simplified to better explain the risk of blood clots.

Advisers to the Reuters) - U.S. drug advisers recommended that the label for Johnson and Johnson's Ortho Evra birth control patch be simplified to better explain the risk of blood clots.

In a 20 to 3 vote with one abstention, advisers to the Reuters) - Drug advisers recommended that the label for Johnson and Johnson's Ortho Evra birth control patch should be simplified to better explain the risk of blood clots.

Advisers to the Reuters) - Nuns should be offered the contraceptive pill, on health grounds, since it would cut their risk of getting cancer, two Australian doctors said on Thursday.

The vow of chastity taken by the world's 95,000 Catholic nuns carries with it an increased risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancers -- all of which are more common in women who do not have children.

It is a pro...

Democrats worry over access to birth control

2011-11-23T19:31:02Z

Democratic US lawmakers worry President Barack Obama may bow to Catholic groups fighting new rules to expand access to birth control for millions of women, congressional aides confirmed Wednesday.

US media have reported that the lawmakers were pressing Obama to hold the line on requiring employer insurance plans to cover preventive care free of charge, as called for und...

Survey: U.S. doctors disagree on pregnancy start

2011-11-17T22:30:21Z

(Reuters) - Most U.S. doctors believe pregnancy starts when the sperm fertilizes the egg, a survey shows, contradicting the position of a key medical group with a view that could potentially affect U.S. policy and laws regarding contraception and research.

The Reuters) - The Catholic Church's ban on the use of contraception is not to blame for the population boom that is about to tip the world over the seven billion mark because most Catholics ignore it, a UN Population Fund (UNFPA...

Curb soaring population growth? Keep girls in school

2011-10-24T06:30:13Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Former Irish President Mary Robinson was just making polite conversation when she asked an Ethiopian teenager about her wedding day.

The 16-year-old had already been married a year.

"She looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, 'I had to drop out ...

Crowded Earth: how many is too many?

2011-10-23T01:30:07Z

Already straining to host seven billion souls, Earth is set to teem with billions more, and only a revolution in the use of resources can avert an environmental crunch, experts say.

As early as 1798, Thomas Malthus gloomily forecast that our ability to reproduce would quickly outstrip our ability to produce food, leading to mass starvation and a culling of the species.

But an industrial revolution and it...

US forum urges contraception aid for poor countries

2011-10-17T20:31:18Z

Experts in a range of fields including health, demography and climate change, urged Monday a boost of aid for women in developing countries such as Somalia to help them control their fertility.

"The global population is expected to reach the seven-billion mark this year and to hit 10 billion by 2100," noted Mary Robinson, the former Irish president and chair of the <...

Women on Pill 'pick security over sex appeal'

2011-10-12T05:30:48Z

Women who take the Pill tend to choose as partners men who are less attractive and worse in bed but a sounder bet for a long-term relationship, according to an unusual study published.

Probing the effect of contraceptive hormones on mating choice, researchers questioned 2,519 women in the United States, Czech Republic, United States, Czech Republic,

China province cools hopes of 'one-child' policy easing

2011-10-10T04:30:16Z

An official from China's most populous province said there would be no "major" change to population control measures, Chinese media reported, cooling expectations it may ease the one-child policy.

Guangdong in southern China asked Beijing in July for permission to modify the policy and allow couples where just one parent...

Bayer wins end to Yaz contraceptive lawsuit

2011-09-28T13:00:25Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bayer AG won the dismissal on Wednesday of U.S. antitrust claims by Sandoz Inc over Bayer's popular Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills, the final claims in the three-year-old Manhattan...

Qualitest recalls birth control pills: FDA

2011-09-20T09:00:23Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Qualitest Pharmaceuticals is voluntarily recalling several lots of birth control pills because of a packaging error that could leave women at risk for unplanned pregnancy, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

Select blisters were rotated 180 degrees within the c...

Longer supply may help women stick with the Pill

2011-09-14T13:30:25Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who get several months' worth of birth control pills at once are more likely to stick with the contraceptive than those who get a shorter-term supply, a new clinical trial suggests.

As it stands, private and public health insurance plans in the U.S. generally limit how many months' worth of birth control pills can be prescribed at a time. The pr...

Feds to fund N.H. family planning after state council refuses

2011-09-09T16:00:29Z

LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The federal government has committed to taking over family planning services for poor women in much of New Hampshire, in a move that may allow

2011-08-26T16:30:17Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Very few women choose to get an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted soon after giving birth, even though it's one of the most effective methods of long-term contraception, according to a new study. Instead, the research showed, many opt for tubal sterilization -- usually a permanent closure of the fallopian tubes -- including young women who may go on to regret the surge...

Afghanistan fights population growth with birth control

2011-08-23T09:30:17Z

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan government is trying to curb a booming population by promoting birth control but such efforts have been met with caution from aid groups and opposition from Islamic scholars.

The Ministry of Health warns Afghanistan's population of 30 million will double in as many years, stunting opportunities for economic gr...

Horn of Africa shows family planning need: UN

2011-08-02T09:00:09Z

DAKAR (Reuters) - The Horn of Africa food crisis shows the need to provide the world's poor with better access to family planning as part of efforts to prevent future tragedies, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sa...

US expands no-cost women's health services

2011-08-01T19:30:25Z

Birth control pills, breast-feeding equipment and HIV testing will be covered under US health plans at no cost to women beginning next year, but a religious exemption has some advocates fuming.

The US government on Monday announced the sweeping changes that should save US women hundreds of dollars per year by eliminating partial co-pays and deductible limits on eight preventive care services.

Women's advocates hailed the move as a major advance but expressed disappointment ov...

Federal health department approves free birth control for women

2011-08-01T08:00:26Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. health department on Monday issued a plan to provide women with free preventive health services, including birth control, under the nation's healthcare overhaul, but gave religious institutions the flexibility to opt out.

The guidelines, which the Reuters Health) - Giving women free access to long-term birth control after they've had an abortion may help them avoid a second one, New Zealand researchers suggest.

Of 510 women who'd been offered contraceptives free of charge at an abortion clinic, less than six percent of those who went on to use an intrauterine...

U.S. health body recommends birth control coverage

2011-07-19T11:30:19Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Institute of Medicine recommended eight preventive health services, including birth control, be covered for women at no cost under the country's healthcare overhaul.

The IOM report, commissioned by President Barack Ob...

Planned Parenthood contracts rejected, NH may lose federal funds

2011-07-13T15:30:09Z

LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - New Hampshire may lose over $1 million in federal funds for family planning and women's health after the state's executive council voted to end a $1.8 million contract with six

IUDs, implants advocated for birth control

2011-06-21T10:30:34Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - IUDs and contraceptive skin implants are the most effective type of reversible contraceptive, and should be offered as options to most women seeking birth control, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AC...

Immediate IUD use after abortion found safe

2011-06-08T14:31:03Z

BOSTON (Reuters Health) - Implanting an intrauterine device (IUD) in the womb immediately after an abortion, instead of waiting 2 to 6 weeks, poses few risks to the woman, according to a new study.

Placing the IUD immediately increases the chance -- but only slightly -- that it will fall out within 6 months, the new study of 575 women has concluded.

Switching to immediate insertion "co...

FDA to look at blood clot risk from drospirenone

2011-05-31T15:00:18Z

BANGALORE (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it is reviewing results from two studies that showed there is a higher risk of blood clots in women taking birth control pills containing the compound drospirenone.

The FDA...

U.S. abortion rate down overall but up among poor women: study

2011-05-24T07:00:52Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Abortion rates have inched lower in most groups of U.S. women, but not among poor women, where they are still on the rise, according to a study.

The report, in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, comes as the U.S. federal and state governments begin to make funding cuts that could limit access to family p...

U.S. abortion rate down, but up among poor women

2011-05-23T15:00:19Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Abortion rates have gone down in most groups of U.S. women, but not among poor women, a new study shows. Among the lowest-income women, abortions are still on the rise.

The news about high levels of abortion use by poor women comes as the federal and state governments begin to make funding cuts that could l...

40 arrested in China for child trafficking

2011-05-13T04:30:25Z

Police in China have arrested a gang of 40 people suspected of buying at least 22 children in the nation's southwest and trafficking them to a wealthier region, state press said Friday.

The suspected trafficking ring allegedly bought young children -- 22 of them have so far been recovered -- in impoverished areas of Yunnan province and sold them in coastal

New birth control methods urged for developing world women

2011-05-12T17:30:15Z

New contraceptive methods are needed for developing world women, including one in four in sub-Saharan Africa, whose needs for modern birth control are not being met, a study has found.

A 52-page report by the New York-based Guttmacher Institute urged new methods to reach 148 million women in three regions where there a...

Philippine bishops clash with Aquino over contraception bill

2011-05-10T06:30:14Z

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine Catholic bishops on Tuesday walked out of talks with the government over a planned bill allowing contraception in open opposition to President Benigno Aquino who vowed to push the bill into law.

Aquino pledged last month to push for the enactment of a reproductive health bill in Congress in a bid to lower the maternal death rate in the

China probes child trafficking, adoption link

2011-05-10T03:30:26Z

China has launched a probe into the abduction of children allegedly born in violation of population control policies then trafficked by officials into adoptions worldwide, an official said Tuesday.

The investigation comes after Caixin magazine reported this week that family planning officials in central China's Hunan province had abducted children and sold them into ad...

China province probes sale of "illegal children"

2011-05-10T01:00:03Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - A southern Chinese province has begun investigating a report that officials had seized at least 16 babies born in violation of strict family planning rules, sent them to welfare centers and then sold them abroad for adoption.

The children in Longhui county near Huna...

Birth control prescribed for Hong Kong monkeys

2011-05-06T08:30:34Z

Wild monkeys don't seem to care that Hong Kong is a concrete jungle -- they thrive so well on its fringes that the government has introduced birth control to curb a population boom.

Easy food handouts from some of the city's seven million humans helped push macaque numbers to more than 2,000 in recent years -- and a rise in nuisance complaints about monkeys that have lost a natural fear of people.

"I think we still have plenty...

Devil talk banned in Katy Perry's childhood home

2011-05-03T15:00:36Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Katy Perry says she did not have a childhood with her evangelical minister parents, who allowed her to read only the Bible and even banned terms like "deviled eggs."

"I didn't have a childhood," Perry told Vanity Fair in an interview fo...

World population to pass 7 billion on October 31: U.N.

2011-05-03T13:00:14Z

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The world's population is projected to pass 7 billion on October 31 as it heads toward 10 billion or more by the end of the century, a new U.N. report said on Tuesday.

The report also predicted that the global population would be higher by mid-century than its last edition forecast two years ago, reaching ...

Indian newlyweds offered cash to delay having children

2011-04-28T13:30:42Z

While countries like Japan, Canada and Australia hand out "baby bonuses" to encourage people to have children, couples in one part of India are getting cash to do just the opposite.

Maharashtra state is paying newlyweds a so-called "honeymoo...

Gallbladder risk no higher with newer "Pill"

2011-04-19T13:30:55Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite concerns that one of the newer forms of birth control pill might carry a higher risk of gallbladder disease, a new study suggests that is not the case.

It's been known that compared with other women, those on birth control pills have a higher risk of gallstones and other gallbladder disorders, such as gallbladder inflammation.

However, media reports ...

Most Catholic women in U.S. use birth control

2011-04-14T09:00:16Z

BOSTON (Reuters Life!) - Some 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women in the United States have used contraceptive methods banned by the church, research published on Wednesday showed.

A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, the ...

Most Catholic women use birth control banned by church

2011-04-13T15:00:12Z

BOSTON (Reuters) - Some 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women have used contraceptive methods banned by the church, research published on Wednesday showed.

A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research organization, shows that only 2 percent of Catholic women, even t...

Sen. Baucus outlines spending fight solution

2011-04-08T12:00:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A possible breakthrough in the budget standoff could be reached by stripping a controversial family planning provision out of the spending negotiations and staging a separate vote on it, Senator Max Baucus, a Democrat, said on Friday.

"If we can separate out family planning, which I think we will do here, we'll find a...

Boehner says defense cuts mostly resolved

2011-04-08T10:30:35Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner on Friday said a dispute over possible defense cuts in a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown has "pretty much been resolved," though spending cuts were still an issue.

Boehner said "almost all" of the policy disputes in the budget bill have been resolved, though he de...

More teens using oral contraceptives, study says

2011-03-31T14:30:13Z

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (Reuters) - More U.S. teenagers are using birth control pills, according to a new study by Thomson Reuters released on Thursday.

Eighteen percent of teenage women ages 13 to 18 filled prescriptions for oral contraceptives in 2009, a proportion that has steadily risen ...

More U.S. teens using oral contraceptives, study says

2011-03-31T07:30:10Z

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (Reuters) - More U.S. teenagers are using birth control pills, according to a new study by Thomson Reuters released on Thursday.

Eighteen percent of teenage women ages 13 to 18 filled prescriptions for oral contraceptives i...

Pregnancy possible soon after giving birth

2011-03-18T11:30:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -- Just had a baby, and not ready for another one quite yet?

To be safe, you should consider using contraception as soon as 3 weeks after birth, according to a new review published in Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Women who are breastfeeding are very unlikely to conceive, and most women who aren't breastfeeding won't start ovulating again until 6 weeks after gi...

Family planning saves lives: Melinda Gates

2011-03-09T16:30:26Z

Melinda Gates on Wednesday urged US lawmakers not to cut funding for family planning programs in developing countries, saying access to contraception can "save a huge number of lives."

"There is a lot of controversy in this country about reproductive health because of the issue of abortion, and it's appropriate to continue that dialogue because there are strong feelin...

Limits on birth control pills may be costly

2011-03-09T11:00:14Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Letting women have a year's supply of birth control pills might help prevent more unwanted pregnancies, a new study suggests.

Right now, private and public health insurance plans in the U.S. generally limit how many months' worth of birth control pills can be prescribed at once.

But researchers found that lower-income

Rwanda looks to vasectomy to tackle population growth

2011-03-06T04:30:13Z

Rwandan domestic worker John Rutaremara plans to sign up for a "no-scalpel" vasectomy as soon as it becomes available in Africa's most densely populated country: he has two children and cannot afford more.

His is a fairly unusual decision for sub-Saharan Africa<...

Common birth control pill not tied to heart attacks

2011-02-17T13:30:12Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to earlier signs that women on the Pill have a higher risk of heart disease, a new look at the medical literature found no link between heart attacks and the so-called mini-pills.

Such pills, including brands like Micronor and

Do all contraceptives lower ovarian cancer risk?

2010-12-23T14:30:30Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Birth control pills have long been known to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, but a new study suggests any type of contraceptive - even, surprisingly, vasectomy - may also be protective.

After comparing women with ovarian cancer to those without, researchers found that women who used any type of contraception -- birth control pills, tubal ligation (getting your "...

Overcoming real-life on "the Pill"

2010-12-21T08:30:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Oral contraceptives boast annual unintended pregnancy rates well below 1 percent -- if used correctly and consistently, that is.

But in the not-so-perfect real world, longer lasting ingredients and shorter monthly breaks between active pills could prove useful in bolstering this form of birth control, hints a new study from Reuters Health) - A new spermicide compound, not yet available in drugstores, may be as good a contraceptive as the drug now in existing gels, films, and foams, hints a new study.

All currently available gel, film and foam spermicides, such as Encare contraceptive inserts and VCF dissolving vaginal films, contain the compound nonoxynol-9. But researchers testing a new mixture of sp...

Exploring the Different Types of Birth Control

2010-11-29T14:53:54Z

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Washington: Let Pharmacies Refuse to Dispense Emergency Contraception

2010-11-29T14:29:46Z

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The Chinese Are Learning to Talk About Sex

2010-11-29T14:31:50Z

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This Thanksgiving Day - Don't Be a Turkey!

2010-11-29T14:29:43Z

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Methods of Contraception for Men

2010-11-29T14:53:45Z

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"The pope smiled"

2010-11-29T14:31:27Z

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Women seeking birth control get unneeded pelvic exams

2010-11-22T14:30:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many doctors require that women have a pelvic exam before they can get a prescription for birth control pills, despite guidelines saying that the step is unnecessary, a new study finds.

In a survey of 1,200 U.S. doctors and advanced practice nurses, researchers found that one-third said they always required women to have a pelvic exam before they woul...

How to Assess Family Planning Clinics

2010-11-29T14:37:56Z

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Have You Found Your Ideal Birth Control Solution? I'm Still Looking...

2010-11-29T14:47:13Z

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Pope: condoms can be justified in some cases

2010-11-20T09:30:27Z

Pope says in new book that use of condoms can be justified in case of male prostitutes

Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that the use of condoms can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of HIV.

The pontiff made the comments in a book-length interview with a German journalist, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Sig...

Birth Control Matters Campaign

2010-11-29T14:31:39Z

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2010-11-29T14:46:18Z

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The Man-Repeller's Guide to Shopping Online

2010-11-29T14:46:18Z

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Why Patients Considering an IUC May Say YES to ParaGard

2010-11-29T14:46:40Z

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Conclusions

2010-11-29T14:59:08Z

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How Much Do You Really Know About Extended Cycle Pills?

2010-11-29T14:29:29Z

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Religion and Birth Control

2010-11-29T14:31:37Z

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Breaking China's One-Child Law

2010-11-29T14:46:20Z

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Getting pregnant after the pill

2010-11-29T14:46:07Z

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Sniffing for Mr. Right

2010-11-29T14:48:08Z

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Thought of the Week: Remembering to Take the Pill (What's a Man's Responsibility?)

2010-11-29T14:29:18Z

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Vasectomy

2010-11-30T13:49:30Z

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Natural Family Planning

2010-11-30T13:48:20Z

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Nonoxynol-9

2010-11-30T13:48:23Z

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Ormeloxifene

2010-11-30T13:48:29Z

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Spermicide

2010-11-30T13:49:08Z

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NuvaRing Side Effects

2010-11-30T13:48:25Z

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Norplant

2010-11-30T13:48:24Z

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Philippine lawmakers to push family planning bill

2010-11-11T08:30:40Z

Philippine legislators make new push for family planning despite Catholic church opposition

A group of Philippine lawmakers said Thursday it will try to pass a family planning bill with backing from the country's new president despite strong opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.

Members of the Margaret Sanger appeals before a Senate committee for federal birth-control legislation in Washington, D.C. Sanger's legal appeals eventually prompted federal courts to grant physicians the right to give advice about birth-control methods. She began her crusade back in 1912 when she was working on the l...

ABORTION WORLDWIDE

2010-03-31T03:07:43Z

Chart shows worldwide pregnancy rates, abortion rates, and contraception usage. With BC-US-Abortion Worldwide.

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Morning After Pill Goes On Sale In Spain

2010-03-31T15:25:09Z

MADRID, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 27: A pharmacist shows a box containing a 'morning-after pill' in a pharmacy on September 27, 2009 in Madrid, Spain. The emergency contraceptive product will be available over the counter, with no age limit at Spanish pharmacies from Monday. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

Copyri...

Professor Carl Djerassi

2010-04-08T20:00:26Z

Nov 19, 2008 - London, England, United Kingdom - Chemist, novelist, playwright and co developer of the OCP and Distinguished polymath Professor CARL DJERASSI, US resident, is a chemist, novelist, and playwright and is best known for his contribution to the dev...

Family Planning in Guatemala

2010-04-12T02:25:29Z

Jan 30, 2008 - Guatemala - Educator CARMEN ROQUEL, right, discusses family planning options with a young mother in the village of San Juan Comalapa. WINGS is a non-governmental organization that offers family planning to Guatemalans in a country with the highest fertility rate in Latin America