If taken properly, birth control pills are 99.9 percent effective (relieving, right?). But taking them effectively includes timing them right, storing them properly, and making sure your body is clear of other drugs or chemicals that could interact with your hormones and throw your body off whack. With so many things that can have a slight effect, from common medication to everyday foods, it can be hard to tell if we really our taking that pill effectively. If we aren’t, it can be equally difficult to pinpoint where we’re going wrong.
Month: December 2015
New Screening Tool for IVF Embryos Leads to Birth of Healthy Children
New research may potentially improve the chances of success for some women and couples looking to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization.
Why Over-the-Counter Birth Control Is Stalled
Women in California and Oregon will soon be able to get hormonal birth control from a pharmacist without a doctor’s visit, thanks to new state laws passed by blue-state legislatures and signed by Democratic governors. Meantime, key Republicans in Congress have taken up the mantle of over-the-counter birth control, partly to weaken the Democratic rallying cry that the GOP is waging a “war on women.”
IVG Represents a Long-Overdue Shift in Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Parents
In the not-so-distant future, same-sex couples may be able to have children that are biologically related to both of them. A recent article in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences outlines a new process known as in vitro gametogenesis, or IVG, through which scientists use stem cells—taken from embryos or adults—to create gametes, the technical name for eggs and sperm, regardless of gender. Scientists have already had partial success with IVG on mice, and were able to create offspring that came from a mixture of one gamete created through this new process and one created naturally.
Teen Birth Rate, Multiple Births Reach Historic Low
The number of women who gave birth to triplets, quadruplets or larger sets of babies declined again in 2014, showing a 40 percent decrease since their peak in 1998, according to data released Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number indicates a decline in high-risk pregnancies associated with fertility treatments, though the number of twins born in 2014 increased slightly. The data also show that births to teenage mothers hit yet another historic low, down 52 percent from 1991, and the number of births by cesarean section declined as well.
With In Vitro Fertilization, Persistence Pays Off, Study Suggests
In their quest to become parents, most infertile couples undergoing in vitro fertilization must grapple with a tough decision: when to call it quits. After three or four unsuccessful embryo transfers, doctors have long assumed that the chances of eventually bringing home a child were dismal.
Long-term Outcomes of Preventing Premature Menopause During Chemotherapy
Compared with receiving chemotherapy alone, women with breast cancer who also received the hormonal drug triptorelin to achieve ovarian suppression had a higher long-term probability of ovarian function recovery, without a statistically significant difference in pregnancy rate or disease-free survival, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Canada Just Took A Huge Step For Fertility Treatment
Starting Monday, couples in Ontario will be able to seek government-funded fertility services at 50 clinics across the Canadian province.
Income, Education Affect Metabolic Risk During Menopause
Several social and lifestyle factors appear to play a role in women’s risk for metabolic syndrome as they experience menopause, according to a Korean cohort study published online December 3 in Menopause.
Other Benefits of Birth Control Pills
You know that birth control pills can keep you from getting pregnant. But the pill can have other benefits, too. One survey found that more than half of women who take birth control pills do so for reasons other than avoiding pregnancy.