Spray-on female contraceptive to start trial

[Monique]

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994431

The world's first trial of a female contraceptive spray will begin in Australia early in 2004. The approach involves a new technique for transferring hormones across the skin and a novel low-dose contraceptive hormone.

amazing :)

 

[Another God]

It sounds cool, but looking at it, there is nothing particularly special. Sure, it's sort of cool, you can spray it on your skin rather than taking a tablet each day, but that is the only real difference.

The reason for the spray on; because the drug would be broken down by the stomach does have one practical advantage though

Nestorone itself could have other advantages over current contraceptives. Breast-feeding women could use it knowing that any hormone that was secreted into milk would be broken down in their baby's gut.

I am more interested in Male contraceptives. Female contraceptives seem to have too many problems with too many females. So many react to them in so many ways, while with all male version thus tested etc, no one ever seems to complain about side effects, mood swings, pimples, getting fat etc.

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by Another God
I am more interested in Male contraceptives. Female contraceptives seem to have too many problems with too many females. So many react to them in so many ways, while with all male version thus tested etc, no one ever seems to complain about side effects, mood swings, pimples, getting fat etc.

You are saying females are winers? The main problems with the contraceptive pill is that it is easy to forget to take it and also that it can cause the formation of blood cloths. So yeah, let the males do their part (I am not sure if I'd trust them though).

 

[rockind78]

Originally posted by Monique
The main problems with the contraceptive pill is that it is easy to forget to take it and also that it can cause the formation of blood cloths.

Take it with some daily vitamin women usually don't get enough of, and an aspirin (for the clots), and voila! Harder to forget. I find that all my HABITS are almost impossible to forget.

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by rockind78
Take it with some daily vitamin women usually don't get enough of, and an aspirin (for the clots), and voila! Harder to forget. I find that all my HABITS are almost impossible to forget.

The daily vitamins women don't get enough of?

Taking aspirin on a daily basis is not good, what do you think will happen during menstruation? And there will be an increased risk for internal bleedings and stroke.

 

[rockind78]

I thought I remembered reading that because of menstruation, there were specific vitamins that women need more of, though I can't remember what they are. I want to say iron? The daily aspirin thing, though I might see your point on the menstruation issue, I don't follow on the stroke. A stroke is caused by a blood clot in the brain correct? Isn't it true that aspirin is taken to help prevent blood clots? I thought that was the logic behind taking it if someone was having a heart attack.

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by rockind78
I thought I remembered reading that because of menstruation, there were specific vitamins that women need more of, though I can't remember what they are. I want to say iron? The daily aspirin thing, though I might see your point on the menstruation issue, I don't follow on the stroke. A stroke is caused by a blood clot in the brain correct? Isn't it true that aspirin is taken to help prevent blood clots? I thought that was the logic behind taking it if someone was having a heart attack.

The thing aspirin does, is inactivate platelets in the blood. These platelets get inactivated perminantly, new ones have to made to gain function.

What platelets do is bind to the wall of a bloodvessel when it is damage.d This damage occurs quite frequenly, by the force of all the erythrocytes that are being pumped around or simply be an endothelial cell that has had its lifespan and dies.

The platelets accumulate, fibrin fibers are formed, after which the inner cells of the bloodvessel wall regenerate.

Since aspirin inactivates platelets, no interactions of platelets can take place and thus the accumulation of platelets unto each other is prevented, thus a bloodclot cannot grow, only be broken down (a good thing in case of a heart attack).

The problem with taking aspirin daily is that the hemostatis of your bloodsystem gets disturbed: you are unable to respond to damages of the bloodvessel. During menstruation this will lead to increased bleeding, in general it would lead to more bleadings in the skin (not sure what the name is in english) but also bleedings in the brain (brain vessel walls are quite vulnerable, they lack external elastic lamina). Stroke can be caused by blockage of a bloodvessel of the brain, but also the bleeding into the brain.

 

[rockind78]

Touche'... Apparently, I have lost quite a bit since my mammalian physiology course.

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by rockind78
I thought I remembered reading that because of menstruation, there were specific vitamins that women need more of, though I can't remember what they are. I want to say iron?

Iron, yes, really heavy bleedings can lead to anemia. The things that come to my mind are Magnesium (bananas are a good source) and Vitamin K (in green vegetables, it also plays a role in hemostatis: it is a cofactor for correct bloodclotting).

But with a normal, correct: healthy, diet there shouldn't be any deficiencies in these compounds.

There is this really good example of a 21 year female student who went to the doctor, complaining that since the last three months she experienced very heavy menstrual bleeding and hematomas on her skin (the underskin bleedings). What turned out to be the cause? Vit K deficiency. Why? She recently started living on her own and hadn't been eating enough vegetables. Solution: eat a balanced diet :)

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by Monique
Iron, yes, really heavy bleedings can lead to anemia. The things that come to my mind are Magnesium (bananas are a good source) and Vitamin K (in green vegetables, it also plays a role in hemostatis: it is a cofactor for correct bloodclotting).

To clarify: Mg is not involved in hemostatis, but it prevents (or lessens) cramps.

A single thing I know for a fact that needs to be supplemented to a female's diet is folic acid, since dietary intake is minimal. But that is only when she wants to become, and is, pregnant.

 

[adrenaline]

Actually, since over 90 percent of all strokes are ischemic rather than hemmoragic (from bleeding) the asprin will prevent more strokes than cause strokes. Uncontrolled blood pressures combined with blood thinners of any type make one more susceptible to bleeding strokes, so those with uncontrolled blood pressures should not be taking asprin willy nilly.

The women who are the most prone to strokes while taking any contraceptives are the ones who smoke and they may actually benefit from taking an asprin a day. (if they don't mind heavier periods and are not actively planning on having a baby...but then smoking is probably worse on the fetus!) Usually, the asprin is recommended for the older 40 + smokers who are done with birthing and are at much higher risk for heart disease anyway.

In addition, a small, so not the greatest study, but still promising one showed that an asprin in moderate use in women over 40 decreases the risk of ovarian cancer. (The risk of ovarian cancer is decreased by 60-80% (depending on what study) when taking birth control pills over 5 years so the two together is even more beneficial! http://www.drdonnica.com/display.asp?article=2762