Posts Categorized: Birth Control

Boston University Researchers Develop Self-Lubricating Condoms

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Condoms offer an inexpensive and readily-available form of contraception that is highly effective when used correctly. Unfortunately, however, many people don’t like to use them because they find that they can make sex uncomfortable. That’s why the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched a program in 2015 that calls on scientists and engineers to find… Read more »

FDA Approves Its First Birth Control App

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Smartphone applications that track women’s menstrual cycles to help prevent pregnancies have been on the market for several years now, but they’ve been meet with their fair share of skepticism from health professionals. Critics have argued that these apps are effectively high-tech versions of the rhythm method—a notoriously unreliable method of birth control that has… Read more »

Birth Control Delivery App Nurx Expands Its Reach

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There are more birth control options on the market than ever before, but many women still lack access to contraceptives due to regional socioeconomic and political pressures. According to a recent study conducted by The Campaign to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy, more than 19 million American women live in “contraceptive deserts” that do not offer reasonable… Read more »

Researchers Make New Strides Toward Male Birth Control Pill

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In 2016, the ongoing search for an effective male birth control option hit a disappointing roadblock when human trails of an injectable hormonal contraceptive were halted due to concerns about the drug’s side effects. It’s worth noting that some of these side effects, which included weight gain and depression, are the same side effects that… Read more »

Study Finds Some Teens are Denied Access to Emergency Contraception

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When over-the-counter emergency contraceptives like Plan B were first introduced in 2006, the FDA cleared them for use in people age 18 and over. In 2013, the FDA eliminated that age requirement, extending emergency contraceptive access to people of all ages. But despite the fact that emergency contraceptives have been available to people under the… Read more »

FDA Approves First Flushable Pregnancy Test

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Home pregnancy tests have come a long way since they were first introduced in the late 1970s. Early home pregnancy tests looked more like amateur chemistry sets than over-the-counter pharmaceutical products. Today’s pregnancy tests are cheaper, faster and smaller than ever. Soon, you’ll even be able to find flushable pregnancy tests thanks to two former… Read more »

Federal Judge Blocks Rollback of Contraception Mandate

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The Republican-controlled US Congress may have failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act earlier this year, but the Trump Administration is still attempting to dismantle some of its core features. In October, for example, the White House announced that it would end the bill’s birth control mandate which requires businesses to provide free contraceptive coverage… Read more »

Trump Administration Expected to End Birth Control Mandate

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Republican senators may have failed in their recent attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but at least one component of the sweeping Obama-era healthcare bill is still in jeopardy. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, the Trump Administration is finalizing plans to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s… Read more »

In Colorado, Pharmacists Can Now Prescribe Birth Control

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With the future of a federal mandate requiring free birth control coverage in jeopardy, a number of states are stepping in to take matters into their own hands. Here in New York, for example, Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced that the state government would take “aggressive action” to protect women’s access to no-cost birth control… Read more »

Plant-Based Chemicals Could Become New Contraceptive Option

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Last week, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley announced their discovery of two wild plant compounds that could serve as “molecular condoms,” blocking fertilization in what could become the next generation of male contraception. The compounds themselves are derived from chemicals found in dandelion roots, as well as the plant Tripterygium wilfordii, better known… Read more »