Birth Control Options

It’s back on the road again for 31 year old Jill Pearson. Jill, a technology trainer, travels extensively for work, but, monthly painful periods which included crushing migraines, were making her business trips unbearable. She decided to try Seasonale, one of the newer oral contraceptives, allowing her to get a period just four times a year. “I have total control of when I get my period, you know I get to decide, do I want it this week, do I want it next week, do I want to wait another month until I have it, and it just makes me in total control,” says Jill Pearson.

Seasonale and Seasonique are two innovative contraceptive regimens offering fewer periods over the course of a year. “Women are looking for options that will allow them to have better controlled menstrual cycles so that they can have less of the PMS, be more active and not really be tied down based on what time of the month it is, says gynecologist, Dr. Nancy Roberson Jasper of Columbia University.”

Oral contraceptives have evolved dramatically since their introduction in the 1960’s. The traditional dosing regimen, which includes 21 days of active pills and seven days of placebo, was an attempt to simulate the natural menstrual cycle. The seven day placebo interval helped to counteract higher estrogen-dose oral contraceptives.

“Right now, we know that there are some new medications they are undergoing testing they have not been FDA approved but they are looking at limiting the number of cycles that women have and some of them are looking to eliminate having periods all together. Some of them are oral contraceptives, some are injection and some are certainly implants down the road,” says Dr. Jasper.

In addition to today’s extended regimen options, other drugs like Yaz offer women lower estrogen doses and shorter pill-free intervals. “Yaz offers all of the contraception options that a traditional pill would it just extends the number of days that are on the hormone during the month and hopefully with a shorter pill free time period your cycles are shorter and your symptoms are shorter,” explains Dr. Jasper.

Seasonique will become commercially available this fall. And, a drug called Implanon is currently in trial. It’s a sub-dermal single rod implant that prevents pregnancy for up to three years. FDA approval is expected later this year.

There’s also Lybrel, a continuous, low-dose, combination oral contraceptive. An active pill is taken every day without a placebo interval. FDA approval is expected later this year.