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Pill promises an end to the pain of periods Dec. 14, 2006 A contraceptive pill that promises to end the misery of menstruation for millions of women has been proved safe and effective for the first time. The medicine, called Lybrel, was taken every day for a year and halted periods in more than half of the 2,000 women who used it. It is the first pill specifically designed to eliminate the fertility cycle which many regard as central to womanhood. Ordinary oral contraceptives are taken for 21 days a month, with a break of seven days during which the woman has her period, preserving the biological rhythm. But some gynaecologists argue that there is no reason why women should continue to suffer the pain, discomfort and emotional disturbance associated with menstruation. They say it is easily eliminated and no different from treating the menopause with hormone replacement therapy or impotence with Viagra. Lybrel is not yet licensed but its maker, the American company Wyeth, has applied to regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. It is expected to be launched in the US and UK next year. David Archer, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, who led the study published in the journal Contraception, said: "There is a rising tide of awareness and discussion on this issue [of ending periods]. But it will always be predicated on what women want and what they are prepared to tolerate. What we have done is taken an oral contraceptive and tweaked it to give women another choice." He said that when the contraceptive pill was introduced in the 1960s, it could have been designed to eliminate the fertility cycle. But no simple pregnancy test was available and scientists believed women would want the reassurance of a monthly period as proof they were not pregnant. In 1977, the first trial of "extended use" oral contraceptives was conducted, in which women took the pill for months at a time. "The results showed the consumers liked it but the doctors didn't," Professor Archer said. Read More: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2073049.ece |