Contraceptives

With a flash of his magic wand your male partner could soon banish the fall out from low dose birth control pills for ever!

Mood swings, irritability, weight gain et al may soon be the archived side effects for women if your male partner is the sensitive, macho type who could handle 15 mins. of scrotum exposure, a teeny weeny invasion of his private parts and a band aid down below. Of course, the issue of ‘trusting men with the responsibility for birth control’ is a whole different ball game (sorry!) and not for today’s post but it’s good to know the latest ‘foreplay’ on this controversial subject.

RISUG (”Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance”) is getting close to being made available to men outside India where it has been trialled for 15 years. The RISUG injection method into a man’s vas deferens (sperm tube) was invented by Prof. Sujoy K. Guha but the Male Contraception Information Project has purchased rights to begin studying RISUG in the U.S. and developing it for the rest of the world. 2015 may see RISUG marketed to US men as a far less invasive option to vasectomy. Issues with the syringe design slowed down the project somewhat but in May 2011 these were resolved. A potential manufacturer has been selected and clinical trials beginning in 2012 will develop the ‘VASALGEL ‘ birth control method for men. Funding for the $5million project however, needs to be kept up - MCIP are encouraging people to sign a petition to encourage large funders to financially back the project through to the end.

VASALGEL/RISUG procedure : imagine making a teeny, weeny hole in a Lilliputian’s bean bag through which is pulled a little loop of ‘spaghetti’. Into that little thread of spaghetti 60mg of polymer gel is injected, the loop is then released whereupon it snaps back inside the weeny bean bag before a little band aid is applied over the almost invisible hole. There you have it -VASALGEL or  from our viewpoint- “low dose birth control side effects begone!”

For additional excellent and fascinating, detailed information on the current stages of play with RISUG development GO HERE. The petition form is also there if you wish to sign it and for the bravehearts amongst you can even watch a video of the procedure.

Effectiveness of Vasalgel The gel doesn’t need to block the sperm tube (vas deferens) fully because the active ingredient it contains kills the merry swimmers as they pass by. A minimum of 7 years of contraception is achieved for guys after only 15 mins. in the hands of a skilled doctor - the procedure is reversible at any time with no discovered ill effects or damage to future sperm. There is only a 10 day ‘condom backup’ period after the procedure as compared with up to 3 months for a vasectomy. With vasectomy some men report prostate issues but to date no similar reports have been logged with RISUG. The fact that the gel does not completely block the sperm tube works in its favour since no ruptures or ‘backup’ of sperm occurs.

WomenCare Global- Once Vasalgel has been proved to be safe and effective, it is hoped that the project will be turned over to a nonprofit organisation called WomenCare Global which specialises in supporting the completion of reproductive health products and then getting them onto the market.　

My last statement on my previous post was “I am not aware of any proven, reliable herbal form of birth control“- this was true for women’s birth control but when it comes to male birth control in Indonesia it is a different bunch of leaves.

Male birth control pill available next year in Indonesia? Not so far away from my desk here in Oz, a 6ft tall leafy shrub called Gandarusa is growing in a forest on the eastern coast of Java. Gandarusa, used by the Indonesians as an herbal remedy for stress, has been found to also reduce fertility in men. Testing Gandarusa specifically for use in male birth control has been carried out at Airlangga University since 1987. With a 100% success rate to date, trials on 350 couples are expected to be completed by the end of this year which means 2012 could be the year that the ‘long laboured’ male birth control pill will be ‘born’, in Indonesia anyway.

How does Gandarusa work?

It changes the chemistry of the enzyme on tip of each sperm making them unable to pierce the outer wall of the egg- if the enzyme is inactive or reduces the activity, the egg cannot be fertilized.Don’t get too excited about Gandalusa being available in the states yet though. The FDA’s strict testing process could take years. The risk will be yours remember if you fancy a quick holiday in Indonesia to shop for Christmas stocking fillers!

Are there any side effects? - as I understand it, the good news for the guys is:

• few side effects, if any, reported
• no diminished libido reported – in fact quite the opposite with one guy!
• no altering of male hormones – wouldn’t ya know it?
• contraceptive effect is not permanent - fertility is reversed within 2 months after stopping the daily pill

The fact that this method is not permanent and possibly will not harm the body, should meet with the approval of the Islamic leaders but the age old question still remains-

Will men use it?  In Indonesia (?) most men think contraception is a woman’s responsibility (currently only condoms and vasectomy are used) fewer than 2% of men participate in birth control. Even if the male birth control was to be available to the world tomorrow, it still begs the question - how do we ‘sell’ a male birth control pill?

I’ll post a free copy of my book ‘Happy Vaginas for the Over 40s’ to the person who sends in the funniest ‘ad script’ for the male birth control pill to this post by Christmas!

While guys and their ‘contraception careers’ are the flavour of the posts this week, I’ll bring you up to date on the current RISUG state of play in my next post.

In recently posting a link to a supplier of vegan condoms I realized that while more and more vegetarian delights are being added to our supermarket shelves, there is a limited choice of birth control options for vegans if using a low dose birth control pill does not sit comfortably with you.

I doubt if non vegans or most women for that matter, hold an image of laboratory animals undergoing tests for synthetic hormones as they pop their daily low dose birth control pill or other meds. The use of lactose (milk sugar) as a filler in many low dose birth control pills and casein in latex condoms takes those off the birth control option list for vegans too.

If you are a vegan, I personally don’t believe that it is being hypocritical to decide for yourself (and discuss with your partner) whether the pros outweigh the cons. when it comes to planning your ‘contraception career’ and making some informed, considered concessions. You go about your daily life in a non vegan world selecting, to the best of your ability, the food, clothing, medications, creams, lotions and potions that support your lifestyle and preferences. When it comes to birth control, each of us has to be practical, comfortable with our choices yet at the same time realistic about the risks associated with each type while working within our own personal limits. Thankfully the web has made it easier to research and find suppliers of vegan products, including contraceptives however, the options are more limited than for non vegans.  Here’s a quick overview of birth control options and a handy link to a relaible online supplier of products:

Birth Control Options to Consider if you are a Vegan

Non Hormonal birth control types

• not having intercourse during your fertile period- assuming you have an understanding partner, be extra vigilant in taking your temperature each day to judge this time in your cycle (research sites for ‘natural birth control’)
• using vegan condoms made with without milk protein (casein) such as Sir Richards and Glyde (when you get to the site click on NATURAL products in the LH sidebar to see all vegan items)
• using a copper IUD such as Paragard (not Mirena which releases hormones)

Birth control types which contain Hormones

• Depo Provera shot - contains only one type of -progestin hormone but it decreases estrogen levels so concerns over long term use affecting bone density should be taken seriously (stop the shots after 2 years). Allow several months after stopping the shots if you want to get pregnant as fertility does not return immediately. Progesterone also stimulates appetite so some women do gain weight with this type of birth control - keep up the exercise!
• NuvaRing does not contain latex which is why some vegans use it BUT it does release 0.015 mg/day of ethinyl estradiol over a three-week period of use and also contains a synthetic progestin, making it a combination hormonal type of low dose birth control and I wonder if it is also one that has been developed as result of these hormones being tested on animals at some stage

WARNINGS

• Ortho Evra contraceptive patch is free from animal based ingredients but I do not recommend this as it NOT a low dose birth control method due to its high estrogen dosage
• ‘Yes’ water based lube is vegan but not the oil based variety which contains a touch of beeswax
• be very wary of the ‘pull out and pray’ method of birth control - withdrawal by your partner just prior to ejaculation is very risky
• use herbal birth control at your own risk - there are sites devoted to this topic but please do your research thoroughly as I am not aware of any proven, reliable herbal form of birth control

Several brands of low dose birth control pills are reviewed on this site, including Yaz and Yasmin, which along with Beyaz/Safyral are currently in the news because of a fear that a particular hormone they contain, drospirenone, increases the risk of blood clots. I am waiting for the outcome of the latest study by the FDA on 800,000 women as to the effects of drospirenone on blood clotting and will adjust or remove the Yaz information accordingly. The results of the study are due later this Summer, in the meantime I encourage those of you who are ‘happy’ with this low dose birth control pill to watch out for possible symptoms of blood clots such as chest pain or leg pain or talk to your doctor about using an alternative form of low dose birth control.

Estrogen in low dose birth control pills is the ingredient that is thought to make blood more likely to clot. As drospirenone is a type of progestin, not a type of estrogen, and in Yaz 3mg of it are combined with 30mcg of ethinyl estradiol (estrogen), it will be interesting to see what the study reveals about this cocktail- I’ll leave you to make the leap I did.

Yaz has its followers due its success in reducing the common side effects of other low dose birth control pills and in reducing acne. However, the manufacturer Bayer, is reputed to be facing several thousands of lawsuits. Lawsiuts are brought for a wide range of reasons (some marketing, some medical) so don’t jump to wild conclusions here, get as much information about the details as you can.

What increases the risk of blood clots forming? It is the estrogen in low dose birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraception containing estrogen (also HRT) that is thought to make blood more likely to clot, this is called hypercoagulability. Estrogen itself doesn’t form a blood clot.

Progesterone/Progestin only forms of birth control such as the ‘mini pill’, Depo Provera shot, Implanon and Mirena are ’safer’ to use from this aspect and would certainly be a better choice for women over 35, who smoke, who are overweight or who are breast feeding. Reminders for the mini pill -

• progestin only pills MUST be taken at the same time every day to give maximum protection
• for the first month of usage, a condom must also be used, as with other BC pills
• even being 3 hrs late in taking your mini pill means you should use a condom for the rest of that cycle (not 48hrs only )
• while you may take 2 mini -pills in one day, you can’t take 2 mini - pills the next day to make up for the missed one as you can with a combined birth contol pill

Combined low dose birth control pills prevent most women from ovulating whereas progestin only birth control types act mainly to thicken cervical mucus and change the uterus lining to prevent pregnancy- about 50% of women also stop ovulating on progestin only contraception.

To highlight vegan condoms again I recommend this site below as they seem to keep abreast of the latest products, offer value bonuses and have a good selection of other items.

Undercover Condoms Deal of the Month: Buy 1 12 Pack of Sir Richard’s Condoms, Get 1 FREE.

If you are not planning to welcome a new little soul into your arms anytime soon, you may wish to join the growing number of women who are forsaking their low dose birth contol pill in favor of a long acting, reversible contraceptive (LARC ) such as an IUD or an implant. A recent bulletin by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists show that today’s much improved IUDs and implants are the most effective forms of reversible contraception.

IUDs are now considered suitable for the majority of women, including adolescents, women who have had a miscarriage or an abortion, women who have had ectopic pregnancies and also women who have never had any children. HERE is an earlier post with details and a video of a copper IUD insertion.

My earlier post is HERE if you want details of implants but today’s post is just to bring you up to date with the latest increase in popularity of these two low maintenance LARCs.

“IUDs and implants should be considered first-line contraceptives for a majority of women,” says Eve Espey, MD, MPH, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Espey also says that available evidence suggests that IUDs do not cause PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which prevented many doctors recommending them to women who had not had children.

“The majority of unintended pregnancies among contraceptive users occur because of inconsistent or incorrect contraceptive use, and this is where implants and IUDs stand out from the pack. They are maintenance-free, which means there is virtually no margin of error,” she says.

Implanted, contraceptive ’rods’ were approved in 2006. You do need to go to a doctor to have the implant inserted just underneath the skin on the inside of one arm and protection against pregnancy usually lasts for 3 yrs. Yes, you can feel it if you press on the insertion site as seen here http://youtu.be/4TNEtyu1WUU but the idea is to forget about it once it’s in so don’t worry that it’s going to catch on your clothes! These two videos show insertion and removal if you’re interested in the procedure.

INSERTION

REMOVAL- don’t worry about the foreigh language on this video, the procedure is clearly shown.

An IUD can provide 5-10 yrs of protection depending on the type. Paragard is a copper IUD and will protect you for up to10 yrs, while Mirena is a hormonal IUD releasing progestin and will protect you for up to 5 yrs. IUDs also need to be inserted by a doctor.Warning: Neither of these contraceptives will protect you from STIs so condoms come into their own as rescue special ops! Your doctor may or may not offer these two options. Implants and IUDs should not be used if you have been diagnosed with any form of PID, reproductive cancer or Wilson’s disease (too much copper in your body).   If you are a vegetarian did you know that you can buy Vegan/Organic Condoms on this site (search for Sir Richards brand) Undercover Condoms Sales - Click here to view this month’s sale items including Condoms, Lubricants, and more!!Downsides in brief:

• irregular menstrual bleeding, possible acne and weight gain in a few women (no different to other forms of hormonal birth control) and sometimes temporary cramping following an IUD insertion which usually diminishes after a while
• very rarely (1 in 1,000) an IUD pushes through the wall of the uterus and has to be removed
• the contraceptive skin implant may cause a mild insulin resistance in some women 
• initial high cost of several hundred dollars for each type but when averaged out over several years, the monthly cost compares favorably to the cost of a low dose birth control pill