Posted on 05/24/2007 11:03:17 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The first birth-control pill that allows women to suppress their monthly menstrual cycle, and skip periods, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration yesterday.
The pill, called Lybrel, a name its maker, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, intends to symbolize "liberty," is unlike other prescription birth-control pills that include placebos and have been standard since the sales began in the 1960s.
Lybrel is taken 365 days a year, rather than the typical 21-day regimen followed by a seven-day series of placebo pills, the combination that causes a mild, artificial period.
The drug contains the lowest dose of two hormones widely used in birth-control pills, ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel.
After specifically looking for cancer and other side effects as a result of suppressing the menstruation cycle, the FDA determined the drug is as safe as other oral contraceptives. The most significant risk is cardiovascular problems in women who smoke, which is why the pills are packaged with a warning not to smoke.
"We don't expect any surprises down the road," said Daniel Shames, deputy director of the FDA's Office of Drug Evaluation, adding that to ensure safety the FDA requested that Wyeth conduct further studies once the drug has been put on the market.
Avoiding monthly periods is not a new practice for women taking birth-control pills; however, because Lybrel is designed to be taken continuously all year, periodic bleeding will all but be eliminated, according to Wyeth. FDA officials say some surprise bleeding or spotting is likely to occur.
"This pill is not for all women," said Natalie de Vane, spokeswoman for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. "It is intended for women who want a choice of whether to have their period or not. There are women who want that lifestyle option; for women who do not, it is probably not for them."
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
Menstruation is a "lifestyle option"???
Of course, the most common side-effect is ... unscheduled bleeding.
It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!
I’ll never understand why people think it’ll be completely okay to mess with our bodies so much (in this case by completely stopping menstrual cycles), without there being consequences for it down the road.
I get horrible thoughts of vast numbers of women being sterile in the future.
“Doctor, I think that testosterone you prescribed for me is having some ill effects. I have grown hair between my breasts” - woman patient
“How far down does it go?” - Doctor
“All the way down to my balls.” - woman patient
Monthly menstruation is an artifact of birth control. Historically and in primitive societies, women are pregnant or breast feeding most of their adult lives.
And who can argue with that logic?
Smart one this fellar..
I wonder if this has any use for perimenopausal problems, such as controlling unusually heavy periods. Probably too early to assess the off-label uses.
Hmmm ... does this mean that women who take this drug will be in a perpetual state of PMS?
I’m bookmarking this for future reference so that a year or two down the road when the studies and cases (and inevitably, lawsuits) begin to appear showing bad unintended health consequences of taking this new drug, I can look back and see where they said it was safe. It’s not smart to chemically re-engineer normal body functions.
My menses is not an inconvenience. It’s a blessed reminder of my fertility. If you know NATURAL things to do for yourself, a period doesn’t have to be painful mind jarring events. Sheesh is all the side effects of chemically supressing a period worth it? Breast cancer dropped seven percent after premarin stopped being popular. I guess we’ll see the uptick in about ten or fifteen years.
There is a reason why “nature” does things. Interfering with “nature” can lead only to trouble.
Disgusting vanity. When will we see a pill that will stop all from peeing or to stop the hair from growing out a man’s ears and nose. Sorry, I think this is over the top and has no real value except control over population.
Of course it is. It’s designed to appeal to the uberfemme of the Western World listening to Independent by Destiny’s Child on the latest mp3 device, plugged into the latest SUV on the way to their high powered career.
And oh yes... let’s not inconvenience the boyfriend when he can’t go one more day without ‘it’. Or heaven forbid A PREGNANCY.
These women are happily rushing to be guinea pigs, to be sacrificial lambs at the altar of convenience.
We already have the stop peeing pill. It is called Detrol.
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