Contraceptives

If the research into ‘enzyme type’ birth control (see yesterday’s post) replaces the hormonal method currently provided by our low dose birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraception, we may just find memory changes associated with hormonal types of birth control can be wiped off our worry radars.

You may have read in the news recently that the contraceptive pill has an effect on the female memory. Apparently, men and women remember things differently (ah, light bulb moment, as those of you who have ever argued with a man will agree!) If the research into ‘enzyme type’ birth control (see yesterday’s post) replaces the hormonal method currently provided by our low dose birth control pills and other forms of hormonal contraception, we may just find memory changes associated with hormonal types of birth control can be wiped off our worry radars.

You may have read in the news recently that the contraceptive pill has an effect on the female memory. Apparently, men and women remember things differently (ah, light bulb moment, as those of you who have ever argued with a man will agree!) Don’t think you’re going to lose your memory or fall headlong into early dementia if you keep popping your low dose birth control pills. Researchers have found that women who use on today’s low dose birth control methods have memory changes which cause them to recall similarly to the way men do.

The low dose birth control pill changes the TYPE of information women recall

Men use their right brain for memory and to remember the ‘big picture’ rather than the details of a scene/event whereas women usually remember the details surrounding an event by using their left brain. That is- if you are NOT on a type of low dose birth control. If you take a form of low dose birth control, even for a s little as a month or two, it has been found that the synthetic hormones they contain affect a woman’s memory to produce results like a man does- i.e remembering the ‘big picture’.

WHY does this happen?  Research has found a link between a woman’s sex hormones and her ‘left brain’ memory.

Synthetic estrogen and progesterone in forms of low dose birth control suppress sex hormones in a woman’s body which is why some women complain of loss of libido. Studies show that a woman’s natural estrogen and progesterone production are linked to her left brain memory so by suppressing these with the use of synthetic hormones, the function of memory is also affected.

What is the implication of this? – well, I’ll leave you to figure that one out but if you are on low dose birth control ladies and your guy has heard about this, your ‘defense memory’may no longer be the big gun the next time you want to win a point!

Source:UC Irvine research- Shawn Nielsen, Nicole Ertman and Larry Cahill

No More Daily Pill Popping?

The next step in developing better birth control for women looks set to use enzymes instead of synthetic hormones to prevent ovulation. If this is successful, the benefits could mean an end to flooding a woman’s body with chemicals(Yeay!) and the removal of one of the major risks associated with current birth control Pills - cardiovascular disease.

If this new type of birth control becomes a reality, we don’t yet know what form the ‘enzyme’ treatment will take but missed pill dramas and other associated ‘Pill’ annoyances could become ancient tales from history.

Rhesus Macaque monkeys are being studied by Jon Hennebold and a team of researchers at Oregon’s Health & Science University (in the Oregon National Primate Research Center) because their reproductive systems are very similar to those of humans. The research team has discovered which enzymes in these monkeys can be targetted to prevent the release of an egg from an ovary so you can imagine the excitement about the application for us females!

While it is early days yet, it is to be hoped that funding will support ongoing research into any method of birth control that increases effectiveness, reduces side effects and relieves women of the daily burden to pop that pill. Not wishing to burst the balloon before it’s inflated, I can’t help but wonder what the effects of ‘fiddling’ with our endocrine system as opposed to interfering with our hormones will mean for our bodies (AND our emotions!) I just hope that it’s as minimal as possible and that WHEN/IF this research does bring us a new generation of birth control, that our concerns will be safely and satisfactorily alleviated and our mood swings will be left up to us!

I’ll keep you up to date as more information on this new generation of birth control becomes available. Tomorrow I’ll put up a brief comment about the latest ‘findings’ about the low dose birth control pill and your memory…

Have you got your copy of my handy little ‘vagina’ guide yet?  Christmas present for Mum? Excellent value at $11.95 and it never goes out of  ‘fashion’!