birth-control-4.matches:
birth control pill
The people yet to come; avoiding the demographic trap.

Brown LR.

PIP: The demographic trap is defined as the condition where a nation has passed through the process of lowering death rates, but has not been able to lower birth rates before ecological carrying capacity is exceeded. A minimal estimate predicts that by the year 2000, 63 countries, or 1.1 billion people, will be trapped by starvation, dependence on imported food, and resulting economic and political instability. Such a country that failed to complete the demographic transition will fall back to the original stage, of high death as well as birth rates. Most nations in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa are at risk, notably Mexico, India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, because they already have falling living standards coupled with rapid growth rates. Most governments are unaware of the subtle signs that carrying capacity has been exceeded. Even those that are able to understand such events, often practice ineffective policies. For example, the U.S. has dropped U.N.F.P.A. support ostensibly because one nation, China, allowed forced abortions. On the other hand, some third world countries have initiated novel campaigns to reduce births, for example popular media campaigns in Mexico, free dissemination of birth control pills to all women in Brazil, and a separate family planning ministry in Zimbabwe.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12341670&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-4.matches:
birth control pill
New contraceptive vaccines, implants may prove promising.

[No authors listed]

PIP: There are several possible new contraceptives on the horizon. For example, there are at least four second generation Silastic implant contraceptives similar to Norplant in development. These new systems have fewer numbers of implants than Norplant, which will make removal easier. Norplant 2 consists of only two rod implants instead of the six in the original Norplant system, while single-implant systems are also being developed. A biodegradable implant is also being researched; such a device would not have to be removed once its expected period of service transpired. A vaccine to prevent pregnancy is also being studied, with the most comprehensive research program being conducted currently in India. Vaccine research sponsored by the World Health Organization has also taken place in Australia. A version of a vaccine could be ready in India some time after the year 2000. On yet another front, researchers in China are studying the use of gossypol in a birth control pill for men. Gossypol is a substance found naturally in cottonseed. More than 10,000 Chinese men have taken gossypol, with as many as 99.4% developing lower sperm counts. Findings from some of the gossypol studies, however, indicate a decline in potassium levels in men. Moreover, some studies have shown that after a year of taking gossypol, approximately 80% of men have resumed normal sperm production, but some men remain azoospermic even after several years. The acceptability and usefulness of gossypol as a male contraceptive will clearly be influenced by its reversibility. Synthetic analogues which work either as potent agonists or antagonists of the polypeptide LH-RH, and an injectable pituitary-suppressing dose of androgen, progestin, or a combination of both are also possible male contraceptives. Findings from this latter research have not been promising. The article stresses that much of male contraceptive research is in its early stages.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12343461&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-5.matches:
birth control pill
Birth control and family planning.

Harvey PD.

PIP: The writer challenges the belief expressed in previous articles that birth control and family planning programs must be a part of general health care systems. It would be better to make such items as condoms and birth control pills available to many people for whom the total health package is inaccessible. Greater accessibility of birth control methods enhances the chance for improved health care generally.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12333391&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-5.matches:
birth control pill
Prescription of the pill in Britain.

[No authors listed]

PIP: A Working Group reporting to various statutory committees in the British Health Service has recommended that birth control pill prescriptions could be written by nurses, midwives, health visitors, and pharmacists as well as physicians. It suggested that many single women did not like approaching a clinic or their doctors for such a prescription. A direct channel of communication between whoever prescribes the pill and a registered medical practitioner should be maintained in case a women needs to be referred for medical problems or side effects and training in screening techniques should be required. The group was opposed to sale without screening and a prescription. If safer pills could be developed, say pills with less than 50 mcg estrogen, these might be suitable for more general means of distribution.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12335019&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-6.matches:
birth control pill
Tiger cubs and little flowers.

[No authors listed]

PIP: Short vignettes are related to show the conditions for girls and women in Morocco. Descriptions are given for child labor, literacy, the government's education campaign, youth group efforts to enhance family planning (FP) knowledge, the impact of FP outreach in rural areas, and unmarried mothers. In Morocco's cities, young boys can be seen hawking cigarettes and working in market stalls; in the countryside, boys herd goats or do other farm work. In rural areas girls are hidden by having them perform work around the house or on the farm primarily indoors. Women are supervised by women. 54% work as maids and 39% are apprentices in carpet factories. Parents prefer to have their daughters working and consider it protection from mischief as well as needed income. Only 60% of girls are enrolled in primary school vs. 80% of the boys. In rural areas, only 44% of girls are enrolled, and 20% stay to complete their primary education, while 76% of boys enroll and 63% complete primary school. Literacy of women has an effect on the ability to accurately take birth control pills. All ages of women gather at schools in the evening for lessons in reading and writing in a program supported by the King. Women are pleased with their success in just learning how to write their own names. Television advertisements promote sending children to school, as another part of the Ministry of Education's campaign to increase girl's educational status. There are still not enough schools; many schools are double shift, and communities are building their own schools. Youth clubs, which refer to boys as "tiger cubs" and girls as "little flowers," try to familiarize young people with some basic information about contraception. A traditional midwife relates some problems with girl's education: costs for clothing and supplies, worry about male teachers, and poor role models. In some remote areas, farm families do not send their children to school, because of the distance to schools and the need for farm workers. Husbands divorce wives for not producing children, and turn away FP workers who knock on their doors. Unmarried mothers aged 14-19 are usually illiterate and poor and cannot afford abortion. Orphanages are full. FP is practiced only by the married, after having proven their fertility.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12318178&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-6.matches:
birth control pill
Contraception issues and options.

[No authors listed]

PIP: Contained in this issue of "National Women's Health Report," published by the National Women's Health Resource Center, is an overview of current issues and options in the field of contraception. The discussion is summarized in a chart that cites the failure rate (lowest experienced and typical), method of use, benefits, and risks/contraindications for oral contraceptives, diaphragm with spermicide, condom, contraceptive sponge, cervical cap with spermicide, female condom, IUD (Progestasert and Copper T 380A), implants, injectables, and surgical sterilization. Also discussed are contraception considerations for three subgroups: adolescents, women over 40 years of age, and breastfeeding women. Readers are urged to carefully assess the risks and benefits associated with the various contraceptive options as well as personal life-style issues. Finally, two women's health specialists present positions for and against the over-the-counter availability of birth control pills.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12319085&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-12.matches:
birth control pill
Pill poses danger to older heavy smokers.

[No authors listed]

PIP: If they do not smoke, women over age 40 who use birth control pills have a lower risk of death from heart attack than recent reports had suggested. The annual risk is estimated to be 7/100,000. Those who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day have a 12 times greater risk than those who do not smoke at all. Even for women in their 30s use of the combination pill and heavy smoking increases the risk considerably. However, due to lower dose levels, current pill use may have a lower risk than formerly reported. Other risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure, are also to be considered.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12277715&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-6.matches:
birth control pill
The attitude towards nature, and incidence of sexual intimacy among students at a South African University.

Meyer JC, Le Roux JA.

PIP: The authors, of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, surveyed 60 male university students of mean age 21.37 years and 79 female students of mean age 20.13 years with the goal of gaining insight into their sex behavior and their attitudes toward sexuality. The home language of 83% of the women and 85% of the men was Afrikaans, while the remaining subjects had English as a home language. One student was married, three were engaged to be married, and two lived together with a person of the opposite sex. 51 students were in steady relationships and 82 were single. 82% of the men and 90% of the women choose to have sex with someone of the same race. The study found a relatively low occurrence of sexual intercourse and promiscuity, and a very high percentage of subjects regarded themselves as heterosexual and as morally and religiously conservative. 97% of the men and 99% of the women regarded themselves as being heterosexual, and 3% of men and 1% of women regarded themselves as being bisexual. 6.6% of men and 1.34% of women, however, reported having had sexual contact with someone of the same sex. 37% of the men and 32% of the women reported having ever had sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex. These percentages are notably lower than those found by other investigators and the authors believe that a higher proportion of students at the university are actually sexually active than that suggested by this survey's findings. Among those sexually active, 17% of men and 18% of women were involved in sexual relationships with more than one partner. 68% of the sexually active men and women report using condoms often, 14% of men and 8% of women use contraceptives on an irregular basis, and 18% of men and 25% of women never use contraceptives. The birth control pill and condom were the most widely used methods. 85% of men and 86% of women felt that both partners should be responsible for taking precautions against unwanted pregnancy. These findings indicate that the overwhelming majority of subjects in this study are not at high risk for contracting AIDS.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12319708&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-6.matches:
birth control pill
Japanese government takes steps toward approving birth control pill.

[No authors listed]

PIP: On September 12, 1995, the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council of Japan recommended approval of low-dose oral contraceptives as a method of family planning. Doctors should be able to prescribe the pills after the standing members of the Council, part of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, meet next March. High-dose oral contraceptives can be obtained currently to treat menstrual irregularities, although many of the 200,000 prescriptions written annually are used for family planning. Approval for the low-dose contraceptives has been slow because of concerns regarding a possible relaxation of sexual mores (1965); adverse side effects (until 1987 when the Japanese Ministry of Health initiated clinical trials that established the safety and efficacy of the contraceptives); increased rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (1992); a higher number of drug reimbursement claims under the national health insurance system; and a decline in Japan's birthrate. Japan's birthrate fell from 4.5 children per woman in 1947 to 1.5 in 1993. 80% of contraceptive users rely on condom; 22% use the rhythm method, usually in conjunction with the condom; 7% use the IUD; and less than 2% use sterilization. Sterilization is only permitted for married couples and only when the woman's life or health is in danger, or either spouse has a mental illness, leprosy, or a hereditary disorder.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12319897&dopt=Abstract birth control pill



birth-control-6.matches:
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Emergency contraception: it can change our world. An interview with James Trussell.

[No authors listed]

PIP: Half of all American women will have an unintended pregnancy during their lifetime. Emergency contraception is a woman's last chance to prevent becoming pregnant following unprotected sexual intercourse. The strategy most often involves a woman taking a higher-than-usual dose of regular birth control pills within 72 hours after having unprotected vaginal sexual intercourse with a male partner. A second dose of oral contraception is taken 12 hours later. The consumption of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) prevents about 75% of pregnancies. ECPs work equally well in both adolescents and older women, imposing no long-term or serious side effects for most women of any age. Short-term side effects, such as nausea and vomiting for 1-2 days, do, however, affect some women. Women of all ages have been safely using ECPs in Europe for 20 years. The pills most likely function by either preventing or delaying ovulation long enough to prevent pregnancy. It may also be that ECPs prevent fertilization in some way or change the uterine lining just enough to prevent the implantation of a fertilized egg. ECPs do not affect established pregnancies. Studies show that the availability of ECPs increases neither the prevalence nor degree of risky sexual behavior among women. The widespread availability of ECPs could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by half. The recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration of PREVEN, a drug specifically developed for ECP, and the anticipated advertising of the drug should help to broaden the use of ECPs among women in need.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12321921&dopt=Abstract birth control pill