News
New hope for pill without side-effects
A world-first contraceptive pill which uses natural rather than synthetic hormones and is said to have fewer side-effects will be tested on Perth women.
Early studies have shown the new pill is just as effective as the traditional pill but without the lower sex drive and mood swings associated with some varieties.
King Edward Memorial Hospital is one of 100 centres around the world that will test the pill with 2000 women over the next 12 months, under the auspices of the University of Adelaide and the Adelaide Hormone and Menopause Centre.
The pill is the first to use natural oestrogen instead of the synthetic alternative — ethinylestradiol — in existing combined oral contraceptives. It also uses a new form of another hormone, progestogen.
Principal investigator Rob Norman, director of Adelaide University’s research centre for reproductive health, said the new pill was an exciting development in oral contraceptives because it metabolised more naturally in the body and provided possible health benefits.
“This includes influence on mood and sexuality and how they affect symptoms related to the menstrual cycle,” Professor Norman said.