“McCain’s highly uncomfortable refusal to discuss whether insurers who cover Viagra should also cover birth control pills has actually started to break through the media filter, but unfortunately it’s becoming known as “the Viagra question,”…”

Read the story here==> www.jedreport.com/2008/07/birth-control-p.html

Be sure to check out the video of one of his compatriots.

–Mike

“More than 100 House members are urging congressional leaders to include language in a war spending bill to reverse the rising costs of birth control drugs and devices at health centers serving low-income women, including college students.”

Colleges have been handling this in their own way for a while but now it seems thy will get a break in the [hopefully] near future.

The story is at: www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002893723

–Mike

Alesse–What’s in a name?

Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol, known as Alesse, is an effective birth control method. It’s a combination (has both estrogen and progeterone) oral contraceptive. The hormone levels in Alesse prevent ovulation and change the uterus so that eggs have extreme difficulty implanting. The drug is also sold as: Aviane, Levlite, Levlen, Levota, Tri-leven, Triphasil, Trivora and Triphasil-28.

This brand or other brands

Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol are the synthetic hormones used in Alesse and some other brands. Levonorgestrel is the estrogen and Ethinyl Estradiol is the progestin. Even though other brands have the same hormones, they can affect the body differently. The difference is the dosages vary form brand to brand and if the birth control pill is triphasic, biphasic or monophasic. If you are to switch between brands thinking they are the same, you might be surprised with side effects you’ve never had before or new benefits. Your doctor’s consultation is recommended.

Triphasic, biphasic or monophasic

Combination birth control pills contain both estrogen and progestin and they are multiphasic or monophasic. A monophasic pill, like Alesse, will have the same dosage for the first 21 pills. The other 7 pills (of 28) have no hormones and are there to maintain the habit of taking them regularly. In multiphasic pills the dosage of progestin varies during the 21 days. Estrogen levels in multiphasic (this includes bi and tri-phasic) pills remain fixed. In biphasic pills there are two different levels of progestin and in triphasic there are 3. Oral Contraceptives that vary the progestin hormone levels usually manage side effects better than monophasic pills.

Usage Precautions

Women who are pregnant should not take any hormonal birth control pills as well as women who have just given birth. Anyone with heart problems, blood clots or circulatory problems related to diabetes, uterine or breast cancer (cancers related to hormones), high blood pressure, abnormal menstrual bleeding and liver problems is also advised to avoid Alesse. Also, smokers especially if they are over the age of 35 should avoid hormonal contraceptives.

During the first month with Alesse, it’s a good idea to use another form of birth control such as condoms or a spermicidal cream as a backup. Your doctor can give specific information as to how long to use a back up plan before relying on the contraceptive pill alone.

Follow link to for more Information or to buy Alesse

Lawyers Are Marching Forward.

A few times a week I’m on the net looking for birth control related news. I’ve seen a lot of Google ads from lawyers looking to represent women who’ve had problems with the patch. Check out the ad on this screen grab from the bottom of my site:

I’m always skeptical when I see lawyers advertising. I feel like they’re in a feeding frenzy and wonder if the threat is real or only perceived as real.

Johnson & Johnson must be getting tired of the law suits and all the bad press. J&J settled a lawsuit over the death of a 14 year old girl using the patch. As an experiment I put birth control patch in Google and all I saw were a negative stories and a few information articles on how they work. Anyone who looks into it surely isn’t going to rush to buy it.

What’s Up With the FDA?

In 2006 the FDA issued a statement that the patch needed more studies but didn’t take it off the market. Just recently they modified the label stating the high risks of using it. That implies to me it’s still being sold. How much does it take to pull the plug on a product that’s dangerous especially since it’s come to light that J&J hid the true results of the study?

J&J Fights Back

What is Johnson & Johnson doing now? They’ve decided to fight back. Yup fight back. This story goes into how J&J is trying to make it illegal for people to sue them over the patch related incidents. Basically they say if the FDA approved it then you can’t sue.

When I first looked at the patch I decided it wasn’t the way to go for my daughter and any women. That opinion still stands.

–Mike

Want another reason to quit smoking? An online study cunducted in November 0f 2007 sheds new light on women who smoke whilke on birth control pills.

“Smoking while on birth control containing hormones like The Pill, Patch or Ring may increase the risk of serious health problems, such as blood clots, stroke and heart attack. A recent survey reveals that eight out of ten women smokers continued to do so even though they were aware of the risks associated with this behavior.”

Go here to get more info and videos

mnr.onthescene.com/paragard/survey.html#

Mike

There are millions of women around the world who are using birth control pills as an effective way of avoiding becoming pregnant. Also some women and young girls who take the birth control pill do so as a way to help with irregular periods or deal with other health problems they may have such as acne. But it is important that every woman understand the high blood pressure birth control pills connection to ensure they manage the potential dangers of hypertension.

First lets cover a little bit about birth control pills and how they work. The most commonly used birth control pills are made from a synthetic mixture of two hormones (estrogen and progesterone). However there is one particular type of birth control pill, which contains just the synthetic hormone progesterone and this is more commonly known as the mini pill.

The pill works by fooling the body into thinking it is pregnant and so suppressing the hormones that trigger ovulation. They also reduce the development of the uterus lining and increase the amount of mucous in the cervix, making it harder to sperm to navigate its way to its target.

The hormones in the contraceptive pill that do a great job at fooling the body, are also synthetic replicas of our own hormones, and are the ingredients that increase the risk of a women having high blood pressure.

The studies that have been carried out in the past have shown that contraceptive pills can elevate blood pressure levels, but since many of those studies the levels of hormones used in contraceptive pills have been reduced.

However, there is still a greater risk of hypertension in those that take contraceptive pills compared to their peers who don’t, and so this is why a doctor will take certain precautions when prescribing them.

The level of increase in blood pressure of someone who takes the contraceptive pill can range from nothing/ mild, to severe with only a few factors that have been identified as potentially increasing the risk; these include:

- Having a family history of high blood pressure especially on the female side

- Having a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy

- Having a heart or blood vessel condition

Also, the risk of elevated blood pressure seems to increase with age, length of usage and body mass.

Continue reading to discover natural methods to relieve high blood pressure and sign up for our Free Newsletter.

When a women first decides to start taking a contraceptive pill she will usually have a baseline blood pressure reading taken. This is so if there are marked changes to the blood pressure levels they can be identified when future readings are taken. To be sure there are no adverse effects the doctor is likely to request a new user to revisit every few weeks to initially monitor any potential impacts on blood pressure.

When requesting a repeat prescription a doctor or nurse will again take blood pressure measurements to ensure there is no abnormality in blood pressure readings.

If blood pressure levels have risen then there are a few options available to the doctor, including;

- Allowing continuation with the contraceptive pill alongside close monitoring

- Discontinue the use of the contraceptive pill and try another contraceptive option

- Switch to another contraceptive pill and monitor the reaction.

Although there is a recognized High Blood Pressure Birth Control Pills link, there have been few recent studies that allow for an understanding of the complete risk. All that is known is that each person may react differently to taking contraceptive pills and close monitoring of blood pressure is required initially, followed by regular blood pressure checks throughout the course duration.

Sign up for the free Relieve Blood Pressure Newsletter and discover new and natural methods to manage high blood pressure and mitigate complications like the www.natural-blood-pressure-reduction.com/?source=ez High Blood Pressure Birth Control Pills link. You can also find more alternative medicine high blood pressure resources here.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_J_Johnson

The only reason I’m doing this is for you to see how it done.

 Ok, I could be wrong with my first impression…You be the judge.

laughingsage.blogspot.com/2008/02/hormonal-manipulation-and-you.html