Despite Lack of Efficacy, Birth Control Drugs Remain First Treatment for Endometriosis
For almost 70 years, combined estrogen-progestin birth control pills have been a first line treatment for symptoms associated with endometriosis. Like most pharmaceutical drugs, the widely used treatment is a band aid approach. For women with endometriosis, even more frustration is met by the fact that there is no clinical evidence of efficacy and for […]
First-Trimester mRNA COVID Shot Linked to Late-Term Pregnancy Loss
Women who received their first mRNA COVID-19 shot during early pregnancy, specifically between weeks eight and 13, were significantly more likely to experience pregnancy loss than expected, according to a recent study in Israel. The study, which is the first national-scale analysis to examine gestational timing in relation to receipt of the mRNA COVID biologic […]
Study Finds Lower Conception Rates Among Women Who Got mRNA COVID Shots
A recent large-scale population study conducted in the Czech Republic and published this month in the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine has found that women who received a COVID-19 biologic prior to conception were significantly less likely to achieve a successful pregnancy compared to their unvaccinated peers. According to authors of the […]
CDC Recommends SIX Vaccines During Pregnancy But Fewer Women are Complying
Fewer women in the U.S. are complying with CDC recommendations to get vaccinated during pregnancy according to a report about an Internet panel survey published on Sept. 29, 2023 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). CDC officials analyzed data from the survey assessing the uptake […]
First Postpartum Depression Drug Fast Tracked and Licensed by FDA
On Aug. 4, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) fast tracked licensure of the oral prescription medication Zurzuvae (zuranolone), manufactured by Sage Therapeutics, Inc. as a treatment for postpartum depression. Postpartum affects roughly one in seven women and typically begins after childbirth but, for some women, it can begin during later stages of […]
First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill Approved by FDA
On July 13, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first ever non-prescription birth control pill. The progestin-only oral contraceptive known as Opill (norgestrel) is expected to be available in pharmacies, supermarkets, and convenience stores by early 2024. Opill claims a 93 percent efficacy rate in pregnancy prevention.1 Norgestrel Originally Approved in […]