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 The U.S. FDA is likely going to approve Lybrel, a birth control pill that eliminates monthly menstruation entirely, in the near future.
No extra risks are known to be caused by this form of the pill, but many people are uneasy about the idea.
Some doctors have cautioned that little research has been conducted on potential long-term effects. The subject has caused debate within the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, which studies medicine and social science relating to menses.
In 2003, the group issued a position statement that more research was needed before women could make an informed decision. Some members have pointed out that the same hormones that work on the menstrual cycles also act on the brain, bones, and skin.
Lybrel is the next step in a growing trend of pills that alter the 28-day menstrual cycle. The first was 2003's Seasonale, which results in four periods each year. The Ledger April 20, 2007
International Herald Tribune April 19, 2007
The past few months have been punctuated with plenty of news about birth control, from patches to less effective forms of contraception in a pill. Now Lybrel, developed by Wyeth, is set to launch soon, despite reports that oral contraceptives that limit periods aren't performing in the drug marketplace as expected.
However, that hasn't stopped business analysts from making predictions about the market for Lybrel -- $250 million annually -- or Wyeth's announcement last week that nearly two-thirds of the women they surveyed were interested in giving up their periods.
Of course, the powers that be can't tell you or anyone else how controlling a woman's menstruation with a pill will affect her overall health, due to absolutely no data being available.
So, it is certainly possibly one could use these pills for a few months without major problems -- IF one did not factor in the matter of this manipulation being achieved with ARTIFICIAL hormones that are prescriptions for disaster over the long run.
Oral contraceptives are synthetic hormones that your body is not designed to be exposed to in any way, shape or form. Long-term use will invariably increase the user's risk of developing serious chronic illness, including blood clots and other problems.
Additionally, long-term suppression of periods will minimize blood loss and could contribute to iron overload syndromes that are so pervasive in men. Elevated iron stores are one of the primary risk factors for cancer and heart disease.
Most drugs do have some legitimate purpose on occasion and do provide some benefit in certain situations; but this just isn't the case for birth control pills. I really don't believe that there is ever any clinical indication to use them.
As always, your best bet is to avoid birth control pills like the plague and seek out safer solutions that can be just as effective.
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