New birth control pill could revolutionise women's lives

Updated on: 30 January,2009 06:32 AM IST |
Khalid A-H Ansari | smdmail@mid-day.com

About 70 per cent of Australian women suffer headaches, pelvic pain and breast soreness as a result of withdrawals during the seven-day break while on the Pill

About 70 per cent of Australian women suffer headaches, pelvic pain and breast soreness as a result of withdrawals during the seven-day break while on the Pill

A pill that revolutionises the lives of women everywhere by ending monthly pain and other debilitating symptoms could be on its way as the result of the trial of a new birth control pill.

Hundreds of women are registering their interest to take part in the trial of the new pill in Sydney.

About 70 per cent of Australian women suffer headaches, pelvic pain and breast soreness as a result of withdrawals during the seven-day break while on the Pill.

The pioneering drug is also being tested in the UK, Poland, France and Switzerland.

The trial has gained national interest in Australia with women from all over the country expressing their keenness to enlist.

Doctors are hoping that the body will not have a chance to experience withdrawals if the hormone-free interval when sugar tablets are taken is shortened.

Other pills now on the market have a reduced time, but are all longer than the one now being tested.

Dr Terri Foran at the Royal Hospital for Women at Randwick said a natural form of oestrogen, called estradiol, would also help reduce the symptoms.

"There is no reason why women have to have a seven-day pill-free interval," he is quoted as saying by the
Daily Telegraph.

"A lot of women suffer these symptoms and believe they are normal or it's premenstrual tension (PMT), but they don't have to (suffer). We believe it will work, but before we put our hand on our heart and declare that, we have to test its effectiveness."

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