Guide to Birth Control

Text messages little help in remembering the Pill

2010-09-02T12:40:18Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A cell phone text message -- and the buzz or beep that signals its arrival -- may not help a woman remember to pop her birth control pill, a new study suggests. The finding comes as a surprise to some researchers who have seen benefits of text message reminders for everything from keeping kids inhaling their asthma medicine to sunbathers applying sunscreen. "We've been ...

Kenya's population soars by 10 million

2010-08-31T05:15:30Z

Kenya announced on Tuesday its population stands at 38.6 million after a national census conducted last year, marking an increase of around 10 million since the last census in 1999. Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya said the increase of about one million people per year puts pressure on resources and he urged for more investment and family planning to improve the welfare of the 38,610,097 Kenyans. "This high rate of population grow...

US agency approves 'five-day-after' contraceptive pill

2010-08-13T17:15:20Z

A US regulatory agency on Friday approved an emergency contraceptive pill that can prevent pregnancy if taken up to five days after unprotected sex. The Food and Drug Administration said it granted approval for the drug, called ella, after two phase III clinical trials that "provided compelling data on efficacy and sufficient information on safety." The drug, manufactured by French firm Rights group: Argentine health system fails to meet reproductive health needs

Argentina's public health system is failing many of the women who depend on it for access to birth control and abortion, a human rights group said Tuesday. In a new report, Human Rights Watch said the Argentine government hasn't implemented its own reproductive health car...

Giving diaphragms to sex workers may not up risk-taking

2010-08-05T13:30:17Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Giving sex workers diaphragm contraceptives does not seem to have the unintended effect of lowering their condom use, a new study suggests. The study, which followed 140 female sex workers in Kenya, found that after the women received diaphragms, along with counseling on condom use and safer-sex practices, their sexual risk-taking declined over the next ...

DC pushes female condoms to fight HIV epidemic

2010-07-28T02:15:11Z

Go on, give it a try: DC works to educate women on female condom use to fight HIV epidemic

Charlene Cotton will talk to anyone about sex. Several days a week she stands behind a table decorated with a bowl of flavored condoms and safer sex pamphlets, calling to women passing on the street, "Come check out my table. Don't be scared." She asks: "Have you heard of the female condom?" Then, to show how it works, she picks up her demonstration kit — a condom and ...

Iran to pay for new babies to boost population

2010-07-27T12:45:25Z

Ahmadinejad inaugurates plan to pay bonuses for newborns, repudiating family planning

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inaugurated a new policy on Tuesday to encourage population growth, dismissing Iran's decades of family planning as ungodly and a Western import. The new government initiative will pay families for every new child and deposit money in...

It works, but female condom neglected in anti-AIDS battle

2010-07-20T11:16:42Z

Campaigners on Tuesday lamented the fact that the female condom, just as effective as its male equivalent, has failed to gain the profile it deserves in the fight against AIDS. "Women are tired of asking permission to save their own lives," Serra Sippel, president of the Washington-based Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) told journalists at the World AIDS Confe...

Shooting park gives back, though itÕs losing money

2010-07-14T02:15:58Z

Fourth of July firecrackers echo the gunfire that helped the colonies win their independence more than 200 years ago.During last weekendÕs Independence Day celebration at the Clark County Shooting Park, you could have heard the real thing. And for active and retired military, the shooting was free.
The park gave free rounds of trap or skeet shooting, or free passes for the rifle-pistol center and archery ranges, to active a...

FDA panel unanimously backs new morning after pill

2010-06-17T12:30:11Z

Federal health experts say a new type of morning-after pill that works longer than existing products is safe and effective. The Food and Drug Administration's panel of reproductive health experts voted unanimously that the pill ellaOne successfully reduces the chance of pregnancy for up to five days after sex. Plan B, the most widely used emergency contraceptive pill, is only effective if women take i...

Syria grapples with surging population

2010-06-03T05:30:21Z

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Ibrahim Issa, a jovial Syrian taxi-driver who wears a blue robe over an ample belly, has nine children from two wives. He plans to marry a third wife soon. He says it is up to Allah whether more children arrive, and not for him to interfere, say, by using contraception. Like all Damas...

More teens using rhythm method for birth control

2010-06-02T09:00:22Z

CDC survey shows more teens using rhythm method for birth control, support single motherhood

A new national survey found that a growing number of teens say they use the rhythm method for birth control, and more teens also think it's OK for an unmarried female to have a baby. Experts say those findings may help explain why there hasn't been a drop in teen births in recent years. The Teva Pharmaceutical Industries launches generic version of Bayer's contraceptive pill Yaz

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Tuesday it launched a generic version of Bayer's birth control pill Yaz, prompting a patent infringement lawsuit. In Apri...

The Power to Choose

2010-06-01T09:00:08Z

Laura Eldridge's In Our Control offers a thoughtful look at contraceptive options

Elaine Benes had the sponge. Carrie Bradshaw had the diaphragm. And that’s about it. In popular culture—and the doctor’s office—the pill reigns supreme for female contraceptives, wi...

FDA approves new birth control pill Natazia

2010-05-07T07:30:25Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it approved Bayer AG's new birth control pill Natazia. The pill, already licensed in Europe under the brand name Qlaira, is the first four-phase oral contraceptive mar...

America's favorite birth control method turns 50

2010-05-07T02:45:23Z

'The pill' turns 50: debate continues over cultural significance; women have new options

A world without "the pill" is unimaginable to many young women who now use it to treat acne, skip periods, improve mood and, of course, prevent pregnancy. They might be surprised to learn that U.S. officials announcing approval of the world's first oral contraceptive were uncomfortable. "... Our own ideas of morality ha...

Bayer wins U.S. approval for new birth control pill

2010-05-06T15:00:26Z

FDA approves new birth control pill from Bayer

2010-05-06T14:30:34Z

FDA approves Natazia birth control pill from Bayer, combining 2 hormones

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a novel birth control pill from Bayer Healthcare that combines two female hormones. Bayer's Natazia combines the hormones estrogen and progestin in doses that adjust four times throughout a woman's period cycle. T...

Despite Catholic teachings, women religiously take the pill

2010-05-06T09:16:51Z

Fifty years after the birth control pill went on the US market, millions of women around the world are still under orders from the Roman Catholic hierarchy to eschew its use. But all indications are that women stopped listening long ago. "Catholics use the pill the same way everyone else does... Priests don't even preach against it any more," said Jon O'Brien, president of Texas researcher having trouble finding effective birth control for 400-pound feral hogs

There's a saying that when a feral hog has six piglets, only eight are expected to survive. That's no joke in Texas, however, where the 400-pound beasts do an estimated $50 million in damage to crops and property each year. Texas has half the nation's feral hogs, but they're now found in about 38 other states, up from fewer than 20 sta...

China city targets 10,000 in sterilisation drive: report

2010-04-16T09:16:26Z

Officials in southern China have launched a campaign to sterilise nearly 10,000 people as part of a crackdown on parents who violate family-planning rules, state media reported. Family planning authorities in Puning, a city in the southern province of Guangdong, have detained more than 1,300 people in the drive, the Nanfang Countryside Daily said in an investigative report publis...

DA's sex ed warning befuddles Wis. teachers, kids

2010-04-09T13:45:51Z

Wis. teachers, parents befuddled by DA's warning about teaching proper contraceptive use

Mike Taake has taught sex education for 30 years, and he says he knows what doesn't work: just telling kids to wait. The Mauston High School health teacher has used abstinence-only and comprehensive curriculums, and he said students need all the information they can get about sex to make the best choices. Bu...

Women who take contraceptive pill live longer: study

2010-03-25T10:15:59Z

A 39-year study of women taking the contraceptive pill found that they had a lower risk of dying from any cause compared with women who had never taken it, researchers said. "Oral contraception was not associated with an increased long term risk of death in the large UK cohort, indeed a net benefit was apparent," said the study published in the British...

China to try swingers over group sex parties

2010-03-24T11:16:48Z

Prosecutors in east China have charged a group of 22 alleged swingers with criminal licentiousness, state media said Wednesday, stoking calls for greater sexual freedom in the Asian country. The 14 men and eight women, who met via an online chat room, have been charged in the city of Nanjing with engaging in dozens of group sex encounters between 2007 and 2009, the Procuratorial Daily said. If convict...

Calif. board to study requiring condoms in porn

2010-03-18T15:46:05Z

Calif. worker safety board to study mandating condoms for porn actors to curb spread of STDs

California's worker safety board voted Thursday to further study a proposal that would require porn actors to wear condoms during sex scenes. The six-member California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted unanimously to assign an a...

Women on the pill live longer: study

2010-03-12T14:15:22Z

LONDON (Reuters) - One of the world's largest studies of the contraceptive pill has found that women who have taken it can expect longer lives and are less likely to die from any cause, including cancer and heart disease. British researchers said their study, which should reassure many millions of women across the world who have taken oral birth control pills, found no link between the drugs and an increased long-term risk...

Women on the pill may live longer

2010-03-12T10:15:46Z

Study: Women who took the birth control pill starting in the late 1960s lived longer

Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says. British researchers observed more than 46,000 women for nearly four decades from 1968. They compared the number of deaths in women on the pill to those who never took it. In the study, women on the pill generally took it for almost four years. Experts conc...

Philippine voters would defy church on birth control: poll

2010-03-12T09:16:22Z

Seven in 10 Filipinos would defy the powerful Roman Catholic church and elect a president who supported the use of condoms and pills for birth control, according to survey released Friday. The church has stepped up its efforts in the mainly Catholic Philippines ahead of national elections in May against the introduction of legislation to allow state-funded contraceptives. But while the church remains an extremely influential political...

Vatican criticizes condom machines in Rome school

2010-03-11T14:45:43Z

Vatican, Italian bishops slam Rome school's move to install condom-vending machines

The decision by a Rome high school to install condom vending machines has set off a storm in Italy, with the Catholic Church charging the move will encourage young people to have sex and Rome's mayor saying it sends the wrong message. But the Keplero high school vowed Thursday to go ah...

Hysterectomy for bleeding may cause urinary woes

2010-03-04T12:30:07Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who undergo a hysterectomy to treat heavy menstrual bleeding may have higher rates of urinary tract problems over the long term than those treated with the contraceptive device Mirena, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the medical journal BJOG, do not mean that Mirena is the better treatment option for heavy menstrual. But they suggest that the risk of urinary symptoms shoul...

Philippine bishops demand ban on condom ads

2010-03-03T10:17:06Z

Bishops in the predominantly Catholic Philippines called for a total ban on condom advertisements on Wednesday as an ongoing tussle over contraceptives flared again. The influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued a resolution saying that condoms do not protect against AIDS, despite advice t...

Mullahs help promote birth control in Afghanistan

2010-03-02T17:15:27Z

Some mullahs in Afghanistan are distributing condoms. Others are quoting the Quran to encourage longer breaks between births. Health experts say contraception is starting to catch on in a country with the world's second highest maternal death rate. Afghanistan has one of the world's highest fertility rates, averaging more than six babies per woman despite years of war and a severe lack of medical care. Awareness of, and access to, con...

Poor fit may explain why men refuse condoms

2010-04-16T07:05:55Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Condoms that do not fit right could break and may reduce sexual pleasure for both partners, suggesting reasons why men and women often fail to use them, researchers reported on Monday. The study has implications for countries trying to encourage people to use condoms to reduce the risk of AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy, the researchers reported in the journal Sexua...

Sterilization surgery not linked to sexual problems

2010-04-16T07:06:31Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who have their "tubes tied" to prevent future pregnancies do not seem to have an increased risk of sexual dysfunction afterward, according to a new study. In fact, researchers found, women in their study who'd had the procedure showed lower risks of certain sexual problems and tended to be happier with their sex lives than other women. The surgery, known as tubal ligation, involves blockin...

Group uses condoms in endangered species crusade

2010-04-16T07:08:09Z

'Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl,' says environmental group in Valentine's handout

An environmental group plans to distribute 100,000 free condoms across the U.S. beginning on Valentine's Day to call attention to the impact of human overpopulation on endangered species. The packages have slogans such as "Wrap with care, save the polar bear," and "Wear a condom now, save the spotted owl." The

Female Condoms

2010-07-28T02:00:24Z

A Washington, D.C. Metro bus displays an advertisement for a female condom, in Washington, Monday, July 26, 2010. To encourage their use, community groups are handing out 500,000 of the female condoms, flexible pouches that are wider than a male condom but similar in length, during instruction sessions at beauty salons, barber shops, churches and restaurants. (AP Photo/Drew...

The Pill Turns 50

2010-05-07T07:00:41Z

FILE - In this March 1, 1934 file photo, renowned birth control pioneer 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.

...

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...