Contraceptive News and Research

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Viewpoints: 'Scrappy' debate offered little new on entitlement programs; Staring down the fiscal cliff

President Obama and Mitt Romney faced off Tuesday night in a scrappy, at times downright nasty town-hall debate that featured a feistier, more focused Obama than was seen in their first encounter and that broadened the discussion to social issues such as immigration, contraceptive coverage and gun control. ... In the end, on the domestic front, the debate performance of both has been about as disappointing as their dodging on the campaign trail.

19 Oct 2012

Planned Parenthood funding, abortion and women's health issues create debate flashpoints

President Barack Obama pivoted from a question about women in the workplace to criticize GOP candidate Mitt Romney for his positions on contraceptive coverage, funding for Planned Parenthood, and abortion.

18 Oct 2012

Lawsuits challenging health law's birth control coverage mandate: 35 and counting

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive coverage mandate have filed a total of 35 lawsuits against it so far, and they're hoping that at least one will result in the mandate being overturned.

17 Oct 2012

Transvaginal ultrasound effective in treating early-stage endometrial cancer

A common birth control device is effective in treating early-stage endometrial cancer in morbidly obese and high-risk surgery patients, said Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center researchers, and could lead to a cost-effective treatment for all women with this cancer type.

17 Oct 2012

Women with learning disabilities left out of contraception decisions

Women with learning disabilities are frequently left out of decisions concerning contraception, and often use contraceptives despite not being sexually active, show the results of a UK survey.

16 Oct 2012

Women's decisions about contraception may depend on factors over which they have little control

Young women who start using hormonal contraceptives for birth control often stop using condoms, but a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that if they later discontinue using hormonal contraceptives, they tend not to resume using condoms. This leaves them open to both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

15 Oct 2012

Blog examines contraceptive coverage in sub-Saharan Africa

"Between 1970 and 2010, most emerging countries achieved impressive gains in contraceptive coverage," but, "[b]y contrast, many sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries ... have started their contraceptive revolution very late and progress to date has been minimal," John May, a visiting fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), and Jean-Pierre Guengant, researcher emeritus at the Research Institute for Development (IRD) in Marseille, France, write in CGD's "Global Health Policy" blog.

15 Oct 2012

Gardasil does not increase sexual activity in girls

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine known as Gardasil is not associated with an increase in pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, or contraceptive counseling, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

15 Oct 2012

Contraceptive patch suppresses ovulation in obese, nonobese women

Use of a novel transdermal contraceptive patch suppresses ovulation in obese and nonobese women, research shows.

12 Oct 2012

Senate candidates spar over Medicare, health policies

Campaign debates in Virginia and Michigan focus on Medicare and health issues while the GOP candidate in Ohio says he has not yet signed on to Republican plan to revamp Medicare.

10 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 9, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how a new poll indicates GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney gained a significant bounce from last week's debate performance.

9 Oct 2012

Study: Free birth control lowered abortion, teen birth rates

A new study that gave free birth control to low-income teens and women in St. Louis has found that the free contraception dramatically lowered rates for teen births and abortions.

6 Oct 2012

Providing no cost birth control can reduce unintended pregnancies, abortion rates in women

Providing birth control to women at no cost substantially reduced unplanned pregnancies and cut abortion rates by 62 percent to 78 percent over the national rate, a new study shows.

5 Oct 2012

Improved access to contraceptives helps women plan families

In the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Gary Darmstadt, Monica Kerrigan, and Wendy Prosser of the foundation discuss a new partnership announced on Wednesday at the U.N. to improve access to contraceptive implants for women in the developing world.

29 Sep 2012

New partnership to provide access to contraceptives for more than 27M women

A new partnership announced today at the United Nations will make a safe, effective, long-acting, reversible method of contraception available to more than 27 million women in the world's poorest nations.

28 Sep 2012

Blogs recognize World Contraception Day

The following blog posts were published in recognition of World Contraception Day, observed annually on September 26.

28 Sep 2012

Texas budget cutting causes closure of 50 clinics offering family planning services

Cuts to Texas' budget have caused more than 50 clinics that provide family planning services to close, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports.

28 Sep 2012

Story describes need for male version of oral contraceptive pills

When will men have their own birth control pill? Scientists have been predicting the debut of a male pill within 5 years for the last 30 years. The factors accounting for that delay - and new optimism that a male pill will emerge within a decade - are the topic of a story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

27 Sep 2012

Gates blog series on World Contraception Day

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog continues its series, published in partnership with Women Deliver, to recognize World Contraception Day, observed annually on September 26.

21 Sep 2012

Challenges, solutions to sexual health education in South Africa

"South Africa faces significant challenges when it comes to sexual health, and with the high prevalence of rape, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases and infections, schools need to implement strong and informative programs on sexuality and contraceptive use," Jos Dirkx, founder of Girls & Football SA, writes in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

20 Sep 2012