New pill can eliminate menstrual cycles

A birth control pill which gives women a new way to indefinitely stop the monthly menstrual cycle could soon be available.

The pill, called Lybrel, is the first that can eliminate menstrual cycles forever.

Approved by the FDA in the US today, it's the latest approved oral contraceptive to depart from the 21-days-on, seven-days-off regimen that's been standard since birth-control pill sales began in the 1960s.

The pill, manufactured by Wyeth, is the first designed to put off periods altogether when taken without break.

All birth control pills work by stopping ovulation and suppressing menstruation, and traditionally there's a week off for a period.

Before now, women could, on their own, take pills consistently right through the break.

Lybrel is the first one that's taken year round.

Dr Anne Davis led a clinical trial on the drug.

"What women need to know about Lybrel that makes it different from other pills is that you take it every day," Dr Davis said.

"There's no week off as there is with traditional birth control pills."

However, 41 percent of women trialling the pill still had some bleeding or spotting. That sort of unanticipated and irregular bleeding can be a problem with low-dose pills.

Despite this, Australian family planning expert Dr Edith Weisberg said Lybrel was likely to have appeal here.

"It makes it a bit easier for women and it may be cheaper because you don't have to buy so many packets," Dr Weisberg said.

"As for taking it continuously, it does not make a difference whether a woman has a bleed or not — having an artificial bleed every 28 days is of no consequence whatsoever."

Doctors say Lybrel will particularly help women with severe PMS. The nausea, the cramps and the headaches that often accompany monthly periods will no longer be an issue.

Wyeth plans to start Lybrel sales in the US this July. It is still deciding whether it will introduce the drug here.

Source : http://news.ninemsn.com.au