Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

Late motherhood boosts family lifespan

Women who have babies naturally in their 40s or 50s tend to live longer than other women. Now, a new study shows their brothers also live longer, but the brothers' wives do not, suggesting the same genes prolong lifespan and female fertility, and may be more important than social and environmental factors.

4 May 2009

Small RNAs can play critical roles in male infertility/contraception

University of Nevada School of Medicine scientists in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology have discovered insight into the reproductive workings of the male sex chromosome that may have significant implications for male infertility and contraception.

12 Apr 2009

The invisible woman: Availability and culpability in reproductive health jurisprudence

Women's health is increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights, including clashes based on moral objections under so-called conscience clauses, a new study by a University of Illinois legal expert found.

12 Apr 2009

Youth as young as 12 engaging in risky sexual activity

Middle school youth are engaging in sexual intercourse as early as age 12, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health.

9 Apr 2009

Women's health increasingly undervalued in conflicts over reproductive rights

Beth Burkstrand-Reid says a review of recent reproductive rights cases shows that judges may shortchange women's health when it is pitted against other legal interests, such as religious freedom, potentially leading to rulings that could put health at risk.

1 Apr 2009

Older singles starting new sexual relationships often put their health at risk

Adults aged 45 and over starting new sexual relationships are taking chances with their sexual health and are at risk of getting sexually transmitted infections, reveals new research from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

1 Apr 2009

Research may support Pope's comments against condom use in Africa, opinion piece says

Pope Benedict XVI "set off a firestorm of protest" earlier this month when he commented that condom distribution "isn't helping, and may be worsening" the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, but "in truth, current empirical evidence supports him," Edward Green, a senior research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

30 Mar 2009

New York judge orders FDA to reconsider permitting 17-year-olds to Use Plan B emergency contraception without prescription

U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in New York on Monday ordered FDA to reconsider allowing 17-year-old girls access to the morning-after pill Plan B without a prescription within the next 30 days and consider allowing access to the pill for women of all ages (Stein, Washington Post, 3/24).

24 Mar 2009

Philadelphia Inquirer examines developments, ethics in microbicide research

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday examined issues surrounding microbicide research, including recent developments and ethical issues. Philadelphia Inquirer examines developments, ethics in microbicide research

24 Mar 2009

Federal Court rules FDA must reconsider Plan B decision

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York rejected the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to limit over-the-counter access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B to women over 18, ruling that it was based on politics and ideology, rather than science.

23 Mar 2009

Advocates, Vatican respond to Pope statement that condom distribution will not curb HIV/AIDS in Africa

Pope Benedict XVI's statement on Tuesday that condom distribution will not curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa has "sparked an international outcry" among HIV/AIDS advocates and prompted a response from the Vatican, AFP/Google.com reports (AFP/Google.com, 3/18).

23 Mar 2009

Gleevec reduces risk of cancer returning in patients with life-threatening gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Data published online and in an upcoming print issue of The Lancet show that Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) tablets, when taken after surgery, substantially reduces the rate of recurrence of Kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) compared with placebo.

20 Mar 2009

Researchers clone key sperm-binding proteins

New treatments for infertility could be closer to reality, thanks to a discovery from scientists at the Université de Montréal and Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre.

17 Mar 2009

Men moving to Venus, women to Mars - research looks at changing roles of mothers and fathers

Elvire Vaucher is a professor at the Université de Montréal School of Optometry.

11 Mar 2009

Better physician education would improve hospital prescription of emergency birth control to teens

Many doctors don't offer emergency contraception pills to adolescents who may benefit from them during emergency department visits because of misinformation about how the medicine works, according to a study by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

5 Mar 2009

Birth control shot causes significant weight gain

Women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known as the birth control shot, gained an average of 11 pounds and increased their body fat by 3.4 percent over three years, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

4 Mar 2009

Guidance for evaluating menopause-like condition in girls and young women

A comprehensive plan to help health care professionals diagnose and treat primary ovarian insufficiency-a menopause-like condition affecting girls and young women that may occur years before normal menopause is expected-has been developed by a scientist at the National Institutes of Health.

5 Feb 2009

At last a male contraceptive jab!

At last a male contraceptive jab has been developed and is all set to be trialled - and Sydney men will be the first guinea pigs!

3 Feb 2009

Study shows restrictive law fails to limit number of abortions

Despite abortion being severely legally restricted - and potentially unsafe - in Peru, the incidence of abortion is as high as or higher than the incidence in many countries where it is legal and safe, found researchers from Peru, the United Kingdom and the United States in an article published in CMAJ.

2 Feb 2009

Repeat teenage pregnancies increasing in the UK

An expert in health services at The University of Nottingham is calling for urgent action to improve contraceptive advice and services to reduce the growing number of repeat teenage pregnancies in the United Kingdom.

29 Jan 2009