New Birth Control Pill Offers No Menstrual Periods

By Nivedita Saini

A birth control pill by the name of Lybrel has finally won the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. Taken incessantly, this new birth control pill is intended to do away with menstrual periods for as long as a woman takes it.

Unlike conventional birth control packets, Lybrel contains 28 active pills and no placebo (inactive) pills- thus eliminating a woman’s monthly period. It is the first and only oral contraceptive planned to be taken 365days a year, allowing women to put their period on hold. Lybrel provides no breaks for hormone free intervals

This contraceptive continuously administers slightly lower doses of the same hormonesdefine as in many standard birth control pills to suppress menstruation. The pill contains low doses of a synthetic progesterone (levonorgestrel) and estrogen (ethinylestradiol).

This pill is an attractive choice for women who experience severe menstrual associated problems such as migraines, PMS, cramping, bloating, mood swings or cravings. Lybrel thus not only prevents pregnancy, but also helps women to do away with their monthly threat called periods.

Every woman is different. And so are her birth control needs. Therefore, for every woman the most favorable contraceptive methods are those that correspond to a woman’s lifestyle and suit her requirements. Lybrel seems to provide an answer to these needs.

There has been a continuous trend towards birth control over the years with an aim to reduce bleeding. For instance, when women take birth control pill formulations called Seasonale and Seasonique, it reduces their periods to four times a year. It could also be put as once a season.

Though approved by the FDA, there is no certainty that Lybrel will not have any side effects and long term risks coupled with its use. While in some cases Lybrel was able to achieve amenorrhea – absence of menstrual periods, a section of women complained of higher occurrence of unpredicted vaginal bleeding.

Lybrel is going to be manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and is expected to hit the market by July this year however, no value has been set for it as yet.

Lybrel is not recommended for women who are smokers or above the age of 35 because it steps up the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Lybrel does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases also.

Some women are very apprehensive and the very idea of taking this drug makes them anxious. They feel that it is better to let nature run its course and that it is unnatural to impede with the ways of life. These women associate periods to be a reassuring sign that they are not pregnant. For them it is disconcerting not to have their periods.

Remainders on the other hand feel that it would make life so convenient once the monthly nuisance was done away with.

In spite of both the schools of thought that go for and against the use of Lybrel it still seems to ignite a revolution leading to freedom from menstruation.