Birth Control With A Boost

A Pill Up For FDA Approval Would Put A Stop To A Woman's Menstruation

(CBS)  When growing up, Rosa Nolasco and her friends called menstruation, "the monster."

Her period was so bad it became her monthly menace. The 39-year-old mother of four suffered all the classic symptoms of PMS. Then she took Lybrel.

"It was just no cramping, no bloating, no chocolate craving or any of that stuff," Nolasco tells CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.

Lybrel is a new kind of birth-control pill that not only prevents pregnancy, it eliminates periods. Period.

Dr. Anne Davis led a clinical trial on the drug.

"What women need to know about Lybrel that makes it different from other pills is that it's something you take every day," Davis says. "There's no week off as there is with traditional birth control."

Doctors studying the new pill say it's no riskier than the traditional pill. But medical researcher Linda Andrist would like to see more studies on its long-term safety.

"We don't know about bone health, breast cancer, heart disease, strokes — especially for young women," Andrist says.

The very idea of this drug makes some women nervous.

"Maybe it would be better to let nature run its course," one woman says.

"I feel that's slightly unnatural, and it would be a little unnerving," says another.

The fact is, women have been manipulating their menstrual cycles with birth control pills for the last 40 years. All forms of the pill work by stopping ovulation and suppressing periods.

There's already a pill that limits menstruation to four times per year. Lybrel will be marketed as the next step.

"I would call it more of an evolution, not a revolution," Davis tells Miller.

It's one with big business potential. One-third of women in one survey said they would like to say good-bye to what they call the monthly curse.

"It makes life a lot more convenient," one woman says.

That may be the real attraction to women — the ability to make periods a lifestyle choice and not just a fact of life.

[michele010]

My daughter is 16 years old and autistic. Each month, her period brings on agonizing cramps and epileptic seizures. It's terrible because she does not understand why she is suffering and with very little speech, she can only communicate by screaming. I want very much to start her on these meds which eliminate menstruation, but I am afraid of the long-term effects or side effects she may have. Too many drugs and vaccines are pushed through and marketed to the public, only to find that they are dangerous or studies were either not thorough enough .... or were fraudulent. I'm between a rock and a hard place here and I wish more were known about Lybrel.

[incog-nito]

bloggerbud:
That was pretty lame.

[homespunlady]

To each her own.
If they can tout Viagra, Cialis, etc for the guys AND DOWNPLAY the side effects in those pills despite ED "naturally" occurring as Men age and not gripe about it being "unnatural" - they can provide this to women that believe that it may provide "benefits" to also.

[barbaraf4]

Do you know the difference between God and doctors?

God doesn't think He is a doctor.

[sy2502]

All these new drugs promising to play God scare the willies out of me. I don't think any of them get sufficient testing and I think the FDA approves many that should not ever reach the market.
Posted by mkbjon at 04:52 PM : May 22, 2007

An aspirin takes away a headache, a coffee gives you energy you didn't have. Are these scary? Do they play god? Humans have used herbs from the beginning of time to alleviate pains, and discomforts. The difference now is that we have scientific methods and clinical trials.

I get the weird impression that every drug related to female sexuality and reproduction gets much more scrutiny and diffidence than others. Is there some lingering religious superstition hanging in the air? Why don't we get this kind of "are we playing god" postings for articles about the next drug for diabetes, migraine or arthritis?

[barbaraf4]

All these new drugs promising to play God scare the willies out of me. I don't think any of them get sufficient testing and I think the FDA approves many that should not ever reach the market.

Now, as for a drug that blocks your periods. When I was 40, I went through premature menopause. Back then, before they decided to pull hormone replacement therapy from the market for safety reasons, I took one Premarin and one Provera every day. I was told the Premarin built up the lining of your uterus and the Provera helped you pass the lining (translation, a period). I was told the Provera was critical, because in some studies, the lining not being passed caused cancer of the uterus.

So, there you have it ladies - I'd wait a few years until this drug is field tested.

[mkbjon]

After the birth of my second child many years ago, I started using Depo Provera and thought it was a godsend because it eliminated my periods. After about 2 of the injections (each lasts about 3 months)I noticed that my hip joints would hurt when I walked. I was in nursing school and looking over the side effects of Depo, found that it causes calcium to be leached from your bones. I stopped taking it and before long, the pain was gone and never returned. This medication (Lybrel) may be great, but I tend to steer clear of new drugs because so many have been taken off the market after adverse side effects have been found in those using them. I have no intention of being a guinea pig for new drugs unless I am at death's door and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

[slb43]

What is the big deal about this pill? I've been on Depo for about 12 years, (before it was mainstream) which you only have to get the shot 4 times a year. I haven't had a period since my first shot and have never had a problem.

[michellem99-2009]

BE CAREFUL LADIES. I would be uncomfortable here.I went thru the change of life at 37. The only thing besides no monthly , was I became weak.
I was used to being strong. The change of life robboed me of that. I am 52 now. I have every thing but they shut down years ago by nature. Be careful what you wish for.

[sy2502]

new meds are scary. Our drug testing/approval/release process is very political and highy influenced by profit motives (sorry, the proof is out there)...
Posted by lantz56 at 12:00 PM : May 22, 2007

This isn't a new drug. It is the exact same pill in commerce, except it doesn't have the "dummy" pills for the week you should have your period. I have been skipping my periods for a couple of years now, by simply starting a new pack of pills instead of taking the "dummies". So far, I haven't seen any negative side effect, and the convenience is way worth it.
Also for those that talk about changing nature, etc, you obviously are not aware that women in our early history almost never had periods because they were always either pregnant or nursing. The pill simply recreates the same condition, but without having to be pregnant to get there.