WEDNESDAY, June 13 (Healthday News) -- Sweeping new research comparing various forms of hormonal contraception -- including Birth Control pills, vaginal rings and skin patches -- suggests that the risk for heart attacks and strokes is twice as high among users of combined estrogen-progestin versions. read more..
The English Guardian may face something of a dilemma when covering the WHO's failure to give clear advice to African women who have been persuaded to use Depo Provera and similar injectable Hormonal Contraceptives, which appear to be associated with a doubling of HIV transmission from females to males and from males to females; Birth Control is close to the heart of he who would control Population, Bill Gates, whose Foundation sponsors the paper's Global Development section. Not that the article appears in the Gates sponsored section; perhaps there is no such dilemma.
But Sarah Boseley sticks pretty close to the WHO's press release and says that women who use injectables such as Depo Provera should also use Condoms. As with the 'advice' from WHO, Boseley notes the use of 'dual protection' against pregnancy, on the one hand, and infection with sexually transmitted infections on the other. For Boseley and WHO, this means using condoms along with Depo Provera. But what neither seem willing to point out is that condoms on their own provide such dual protection.
So why would anyone want to use these expensive and possibly dangerous hormonal injections if condoms on their own give dual protection? Well, according to WHO and other 'experts' in reproductive health (often just a useful term for 'birth control'), condoms are not 'female controlled'; many people don't use condoms if they can help it. So rather than recommending that people who wish to avoid both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections should use condoms, they recommend that people use Depo Provera, despite knowing that many people who opt for injectable hormonal contraceptives (and various other methods) cease to use condoms?
The oral versions of Depo Provera and similar contraceptives are said to be unsuitable because women need to take them daily and they may forget, or their husbands may object, etc. Injectable versions are said to be women controlled and only need to be taken every three months. In reality, they are to a large extent controlled by those who supply them, often NGOs and other institutions who believe strongly in the population control paradigm of development. Whatever synonyms are used, the concept of control is always detectable.
Boseley claims that women 'choose' Depo Provera and similar products but these pharmaceuticals are aggressively marketed by some of the biggest NGOs working in population control. Use of injectables has increased considerably over recent years but it's difficult to work out whether that's a matter of availability or genuine choice. Given the political and financial clout that NGOs and institutions such as the Gates Foundation have over the lives of people in developing countries, it seems unlikely that birth control is as high on the agenda of people in African countries as it is for the various non-African parties on the bandwaggon. One might even wonder if anyone gives a damn what Africans think about such matters.
It's astonishing just how uncritical Boseley is, in fact. She parrots bits about the WHO's 'expert group', but it was not concluded that hormonal contraception is safe ("Current evidence is not strong enough to prove or disprove an increased risk of HIV from hormonal contraception"). Rather, it has clearly been decided that it is safe enough for Africans and other poor people; it is not much used by white, middle-class Westerners. These products have not been shown to be safe, far from it. But the most important consideration for the WHO is that their goal of population control is not compromised by worries about safety issues, which they have been aware of for decades.
The logical conclusion to be drawn from the WHO's findings is that, if people want to avoid unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, they should use condoms. The WHO statement is not based on a logical conclusion; it is a political declaration designed to protect the interests of Big Pharma read more..
 |
| Texas Governor Perry stands next to his wife Anita as he announces he is dropping his run for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination during a news conference in Charleston, South Carolina |
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The federal government will withdraw funding for a Texas program providing more than 100,000 poor women with birth control and other health services because Planned Parenthood clinics are not allowed to participate, a Health and Human Services spokeswoman said on Friday. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the decision in Houston on Friday, prompting a furious response from Texas Governor Rick Perry, who called it an "egregious federal overreach. ... read more..
(Reuters) - Health insurers said on Friday they feared President Barack Obama had set a new precedent by making them responsible for providing Free Birth Control to employees of religious groups as he sought to defuse an election-year landmine. Obama on Friday announced the policy shift in an effort to accommodate religious organizations, such as Catholic hospitals and universities, whose leaders are outraged by a new rule that would have required them to offer free contraceptive coverage to employees. ... read more..
(Reuters) - The Obama administration maintains that its plan to have health insurers pay for Birth Control offered to employees of religious groups won't end up costing the industry. But insurers aren't so confident. Last Friday, President Barack Obama sought to placate outraged leaders of the Catholic church, which opposes contraception, by making insurers responsible for providing the Free Birth Control. Obama's 2010 healthcare law mandates free contraception. ... read more..
 |
| Republican presidential candidate Santorum is greeted by supporters at a rally in Shelby Township |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Rick Santorum's main financial backer apologized on Friday for a comment about how women should use contraception, the latest spark in a debate over birth control in the presidential campaign. Foster Friess, who has given over $380,000 to the pro-Santorum Super PACs, said on television this week that people were focused too much on sex instead of other political issues such as jobs and terrorism. "This contraceptive thing - my gosh it's so ... inexpensive. Back in my days they used Bayer aspirin for contraception. ... read more..
 |
| US Rep. Blunt (R-MO) and House Minority Leader Boehner (R-OH) speak to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic-led Senate is expected to reject as early as Thursday a largely symbolic Republican challenge to a White House rule guaranteeing free birth control for women who work for religiously affiliated employers. Even Senate defeat of the legislation would allow Republican lawmakers to take a stand in a rancorous election year debate over a policy that is vehemently opposed by social conservatives and Roman Catholic bishops. ... read more..
THURSDAY, Jan. 19 (Healthday News) -- Slightly more than half of U.S. teenaged girls who had a child between 2004 and 2008 did not use Birth Control, and a third didn't think they could get pregnant at the time, a new government study finds. read more..
 |
| Pfizer recalls 1 million packets of US birth control pills |
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Tuesday recalled one million packets of birth control pills over a packaging error that could put women at risk of unintended pregnancy. read more..
Pfizer Inc. is recalling 1 million packets of Birth Control pills due to a packaging error that could raise the risk of an accidental pregnancy by leaving women with an inadequate dose. read more..
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (Healthday News) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that all boys between the ages of 11 and 12 receive the three-dose vaccine for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). read more..
 |
| FILE - In this April 12, 2005 file photo, the world headquarters of Pfizer Inc. is seen in New York. Pfizer Inc. is recalling 1 million packets of birth control pills due to a packaging error that could raise the risk of an accidental pregnancy by leaving women with an inadequate dose, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) |
Birth control pills are known to be nearly 100 percent effective when taken properly, but a recall of the drugs could send a shudder through women of childbearing age. read more..
 |
| House Speaker John Boehner speaks during the GOP news conference on the Keystone XL pipeline decision in Washington |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Republican in the Congress on Wednesday denounced President Barack Obama's new rule on contraceptives as an assault on "religious freedom" and vowed to overturn it, as the White House sought to prevent the issue from becoming an election-year liability. Fanning a political firestorm, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner joined an outcry from religious leaders and social conservatives over a requirement that health insurance plans, including those at Catholic hospitals, charities and universities, offer birth control to women. ... read more..
President Barack Obama will announce a plan to accommodate religious employers outraged by a rule that would require them to cover Birth Control for women free of charge, according to a person familiar with the decision. read more..
 |
| Under a compromise, religious organization will not have to offer free contraception on employee health plans |
US President Barack Obama Friday announced a compromise to defuse a row over access to birth control which prompted election-year Republican critics to claim he was waging a war on religion. read more..
FRIDAY, Feb. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Facing a firestorm of criticism from Catholic leaders, the Obama administration on Friday said it will adjust its health care guideline mandating that religious employers provide women with access to Birth Control. read more..
 |
| Handout photo shows packaging and samples of Lo/Ovral-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) birth control tablets |
BOSTON (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc is reaching out directly to women consumers to warn them about its U.S. recall of one million packets of birth control pills as concerns mounted that a manufacturing error could raise the risk of unplanned pregnancies. The world's largest drugmaker recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 and 14 lots of the generic counterpart Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol late on Tuesday, prompting panicked exchanges on social media like Twitter. Litigators began soliciting new clients who may have suffered health problems or unplanned pregnancy as a result. ... read more..
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Tuesday defended a new federal rule requiring religiously affiliated nonprofit groups to provide free Birth Control coverage to women, as opponents ratcheted up pressure to alter the provision. The decision, announced on January 20 by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, has spurred angry opposition from social conservatives. Roman Catholic officials are mulling a possible legal or legislative challenge. ... read more..
The American Heart Association has released its first scientifically based statement with recommendations for sexual activity for people with heart conditions or cardiovascular disease. The good news for many with heart problems is that sex is safe. read more..
 |
| A box of Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control medication for women is seen in a pharmacy in Toronto |
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young women on birth control pills tend to have less painful menstrual periods than those not on the contraceptives, a new study finds. Swedish researchers found that of 2,100 women followed from age 19 to 24, those on the combined birth control pill (estrogen and progestin) had less-severe menstrual pain over time. It's already common practice for doctors to recommend the Pill to women with dysmenorrhea -- menstrual cramps, back pain and other symptoms that are severe enough to disrupt a woman's life. ... read more..
ADELPHI, Maryland (Reuters) - Health advisers recommended a revision of labels for the widely used new Generation of Birth Control pills, based on data showing they may put women at a higher risk of Dangerous Blood Clots. Outside experts advising the Food And Drug Administration on Thursday voted 21-5 that current labels inadequate reflected the risks and benefits of a newer generation of pills that contain the compound drospirenone, including Bayer AG's popular Yaz and Yasmin. ... read more..
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Friday ruled that religiously affiliated nonprofit organizations, including hospitals and universities, will have to offer birth-control coverage to women employees but gave the organizations an extra year to comply. In a decision expected to draw opposition from religious conservatives, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a final rule requiring affiliated groups to provide a broad range of services, from implanted contraceptive devices to the morning-after pill. Many do not at present. ... read more..
Greek yogurt is a nutritional powerhouse, but the flavored varieties can pack more sugar than soda! More 2011 food scams:The Biggest Health Food Scams of 2011 | Fitbiefitbie.msn.comYou might think you’re doing a good thing for your body when you buy the following 15 trendy foods. But do any actually live up to the hype? read more..
