This is a huge dose that often led to serious side effects, such as breast pain, nausea and vomiting. The first birth-control pill, Enovid, which the FDA approved for use as a contraceptive in 1960, contained 150 micrograms of an artificial oestrogen called mestranol. But each product has its own set of pros and cons, which would-be users need to understand before they secure a prescription. “These methods expand the options for people,” Verma says. Options such as Phexxi, which was launched in September after receiving FDA approval, complement the lifestyles of women who are not in long-term relationships and who need reliable, once-in-a-while contraception.Ĭlinicians say that these new approaches are welcome innovations in a contraceptive market that has stagnated. Estelle has completed phase III clinical trials and is awaiting approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whereas trials of Ovaprene are still under way. Some, such as the Ovaprene vaginal ring, developed by Daré Bioscience in San Diego, and a combined oral contraceptive pill called Estelle, from biotech company Mithra Pharmaceuticals in Liege, Belgium, provide an alternative to hormonal ingredients that can have disruptive side effects. Part of Nature Outlook: Reproductive healthĪ fresh crop of birth-control options, some recently launched and others still in clinical trials, is aimed at addressing common concerns about existing methods. People want a method that is easy to use, never fails and does not affect their quality of life - a combination that is proving elusive. “For a lot of people, they don’t like the idea of something sitting in their body, or they like the control of taking something every day,” says Nisha Verma, a gynaecologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. There are dozens of products already on the market, but many people develop unacceptable side effects or find them cumbersome to use. So when she heard about clinical trials for Phexxi - an acid-based vaginal gel that is being developed at Evofem Biosciences in San Diego - she decided to sign up.įor years, millions of people like Terra have been searching for better forms of birth control. “I wanted something that would put me in control, that was hormone-free and effective.” “I never really felt like any of the available options were a great fit,” says Terra, a clinical psychologist from San Diego, California.
Credit: Mithra Pharmaceuticalsīy the time she was 30, Terra had tried a wide range of options to stop her getting pregnant, but she couldn’t find one that suited her. Mithra Pharmaceuticals says its new oral contraceptive is 98% effective over one year.
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