November 5, 2010

Birth Control Gel in testing stages

Filed under: birth control,birth control methods,birth control options,birth control types,contraception,contraceptive,contraceptives — Tags: birth control, birth control benefits, birth control effects, birth control methods, birth control options, birth control types, contraceptive, contraceptives, hormonal contraceptive, progesterone — Janine @ 12:07 pm

Birth Control comes in many forms including implant, injection, patch, ring, IUD, pills, and soon gel! The birth control gel is still in its early testing stages, but the results are looking optimal. The gel can be rubbed onto the arms, legs, shoulders or abdomen much like a moisturizer. Applying 3 milligrams of the gel daily will deliver the right dosage of progesterone and estrogen, much like the birth control patch, through the skin to stop the ovaries from releasing an egg every month.

The main ingredient to this gel is Nestorone, a newly developed type of synthetic progesterone very similar to the natural hormone that contains a chemically identical type of estrogen that is produced in a woman’s body. This birth control gel will not cause users to experience common side effects such as nausea and weight gain. Women who are breastfeeding are also able to use the birth control gel because the hormones in the gel will not interfere with the milk supply.

The New York Population Council research center’s director of clinical development of reproductive health, Dr. Ruth Merkatz is the researcher behind the latest study on this birth control gel. Over a seven month period, there were 18 women in the age range from 20 to 40 who had used the birth control gel. So far, none had become pregnant from using the gel. Dr. Ruth Merkatz finds that the birth control gel can improve the choice of methods and options of birth control for women.

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November 1, 2010

Contraceptive Alternatives-Hormonal Contraceptives–Implants

Filed under: contraceptives — Tags: birth control, birth control methods, birth control options, Birth Control Pill, contraceptives, hormonal contraceptive, implants — Candace @ 12:08 pm

Hormonal contraceptives are defined as the birth control methods that affect the endocrine system. This includes the pill, patch, vaginal ring, injection, implants, and plan B. Here we will be focusing on implants.

Implants have been approved by the FDA since 1990. The implant method consists of 6 silicone rubber rods which are put into the women’s upper arm. The implant works by releasing levonorgestrel each day. This method provides protection for 5 years. This method slowly loses its efficiency over time. When it first starts it is 99.8 percent effective and by the fifth year it is 98.9 percent effective. This method of contraceptive is beneficial to use because of the length of time it is effective. Once the device is removed you are immediately returned to a state of fertility. There is also no effect on breast milk production.

There are disadvantages of using this device as a contraceptive and it is always important to know all about the birth control before committing to one. Unfortunately to insert this device the patient must undergo minor surgery, and it is difficult to remove. You may experience menstrual irregularities from using this method of contraceptive. You may also suffer from headaches, mood changes, galactorrhea (excessive milk flow during lactation) and acne. If you experience any of these complications you should talk to your doctor: thrombophlebitis, genital bleeding, liver disease, liver tumors, suspected breast cancer, and hypertension. A few studies have shown that implants tend to have complications.

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October 5, 2010

Women More Likely to Use Birth Control if Partner Supports It

Filed under: birth control methods,birth control options,Birth Control Pill,birth control statistics,birth control types,condoms,contraception,contraceptive — Tags: birth control methods, birth control options, Birth Control Pill, contraceptives — Amanda @ 11:46 am

The “birth control” question can be confusing for partners, and birth control options are predominantly aimed towards women, putting the decision in their hands, however a new study suggests that women are twice as likely to use birth control if their partners are very much in favor of it.

The study was done in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City; lead by Marie Harvey – a professor of public health at Oregon state University. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the study looked at 435 couples that were between the ages of 18 and 25. The women in the couples were not pregnant and were not trying to become pregnant.

The men and women in the study said they both participated in deciding whether or not to use birth control. However, agreement between partners on whether they had discussed birth control was low. Harvey claims that this contradiction is typical in male and female relationships. To a woman, a conversation about birth control might include weighing in all birth control options and having a long detailed conversation. To a man, it could be as easy as asking a woman if she is on birth control.

Both partners were interviewed on contraception use and pregnancy motivation. It was found that even among women not trying to get pregnant, less than 60% said avoiding pregnancy was extremely important. Regardless of what the women had said about avoiding pregnancy, a large number of surveyed women were engaging in unprotected sex. This reflects mainly on the education that health care providers are giving to young women. “Providers need to probe more to understand women’s’ motivations and help them clarify their desires about whether or not to use contraception” Harvey said.

“We are trying to better understand the influence of partners…Public health research in the past has largely focused on the woman alone, but we know that a woman’s partner can be very influential. Yet, research rarely addresses the influence of sexual partners on protective behaviors.”

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August 23, 2010

Women using Birth Control Pills have Increased Brain Function

Filed under: birth control,Birth Control Pill,birth control pills,birth control statistics,birth control types,contraceptive,the pill — Tags: Birth Control Pill, brain, contraceptives, estrogen, hormonal contraceptive, memory, progesterone — Amanda @ 2:14 pm

A recent study from Salzburg University in Austria has concluded that contraceptive pills can increase the areas of the brain associated with memory and social skills.

The research showed that contraceptives enhance the brain’s conversation area which leads to improved social skills. Gray matter area essential for memory also grows in size by about 3% with oral contraceptive use.

Scientists took images of the brains of 14 men and 28 women (some of which were using the pill). The women who were not using birth control pills were scanned several times over a one month period to tract their natural hormonal fluctuations. Areas of the brain in women taking the pill were larger than the brains of the women who were not. The growth in women only occurred in regions of the brain that were naturally larger than men to begin with – such as the areas involved in conversation. The pill had little effect on the areas of women’s brains that are more dominant in men, such as special skills and map reading.

The results were the same regardless of the type of birth control used or the length of time it had been prescribed for.

Studies have previously been conducted on the differences in brain structure between men and women, however this is the first time a study has looked at the impact of hormonal contraceptives on the brain.

It was concluded that the sex hormones in the pill have a significant effect on the brain. An increase in the volume of a brain area can actually improve the functions related to that area. The changes are more likely to affect the skills (such as memory and verbal skills) that are already more developed in women compared to men.

It is possible that the estrogen and progesterone in the pill can help strengthen the links between nerve cells in the brain. The brains size overall did not increase with the use of hormonal contraceptives, and it is not known whether the increased areas will return back to their original size if a woman stops using the pill.

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