In search of a second contraceptive revolution

Harper, M. J. K.

doi:10.1016/j.sram.2005.09.005

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Since then, variations have reduced side effects, improved safety, increased method options within some categories, and improved modes of delivery. However, it should be pointed out that these advances have largely usurped efforts to discover new contraceptive approaches [46,47]. The methods that have emerged over the last two decades such as the patch, contraceptive implants, the female condom, copper and hormonal IUDs, and the vaginal ring have taken longer than expected to arrive on the market, in large part because contraceptive development has received less attention and funding than it did during the period of greatest contraceptive innovation in the 60's and 70's.…”

Section: The Oral Contraceptives As a Risk Factor For Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

The link between oral contraceptive use and prevalence in autism spectrum disorder

Strifert

2014

Medical Hypotheses

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that include full syndrome autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other pervasive developmental disorders. The identified prevalence of ASD has increased in a short time period across multiple studies causing some to conclude that it has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. Many possible explanations for the rise in numbers of individuals diagnosed with ASD have been offered and yet, causes and contributing factors for ASD are inadequately understood. Current evidence suggests that both genetics and environment play a part in causing ASD. One possible risk factor for the increase in prevalence has been profoundly overlooked in the existing biomedical and epidemiologic literature. As the prevalence of ASD has risen in the last sixty years, so has the prevalence of the usage of the oral contraceptives and other modern hormonal delivery methods. In 1960 about one million American women were using oral contraceptives, today close to 11 million women in the U.S. use oral contraceptives. Eighty-two percent of sexually active women in the U.S. have used oral contraceptives at some point during their reproductive years. Thus, the growth in use of progesterone/estrogen-based contraceptives in the United State has reached near-ubiquitous levels among women in the child-bearing age range. The suppression of ovulation produced by estrogen-progesterone is an indisputable abnormality. It is logical to consider the outcome of the ovum that would have been normally released from the ovary during ovulation. To date there is no comprehensive research into the potential neurodevelopmental effects of oral contraceptive use on progeny. The issue has been only sparsely considered in the biomedical literature. This article hypothesizes that the compounds, estrogen and progesterone, used in oral contraceptives modify the condition of the oocyte and give rise to a potent risk factor that helps explain the recent increase in the prevalence of ASD's. This hypothesis does not propose to delineate the cause of autism. Rather, it attempts to explain the recent dramatic increase in prevalence and point the way for further study that will lead to causal examination.

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Section: The Oral Contraceptives As a Risk Factor For Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

The link between oral contraceptive use and prevalence in autism spectrum disorder

Strifert

2014

Medical Hypotheses

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“…However, most of the advances have, in fact, been developments of new delivery methods for existing and novel hormonal steroids, mostly acting by inhibition of ovulation. This has, to a large extent, been conflated by the fact that the length of time required to develop new methods has been substantially longer than many investigators and other experts in the field estimated (10,11). Other problems hampering the development of new contraceptive methods include the fact that within the last two years, most large pharmaceutical companies involved in fertility regulation have withdrawn from the contraceptive research and development field.…”

Section: Retrospectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past, developers of contraceptives have tended to be overly optimistic about the development time (10,11), which has led to donor fatigue, since in many instances donors have a much shorter time frame for results than developers. The translational process from target identification and validation to the clinic is long: if all goes well, at least 5 years, but at a small cost compared with that for clinical trials.…”

Section: Research and Development Key Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

As the world grows: contraception in the 21st century

Aitken¹,

Baker²,

Doncel³

et al. 2008

J. Clin. Invest.

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Contraceptives that are readily available and acceptable are required in many poorer countries to reduce population growth and in all countries to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality arising from unintended pregnancies. Most available methods use hormonal steroids or are variations of barrier methods. Reports from several fora over the last 12 years have emphasized the number of unwanted pregnancies and resultant abortions, which indicate an unmet need for safe, acceptable, and inexpensive contraceptive methods. This unmet need can be assuaged, in part, by development of new nonhormonal contraceptive methods. This Review addresses the contribution that the "omic" revolution can make to the identification of novel contraceptive targets, as well as the progress that has been made for different target molecules under development.

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“…1 Several factors make this a good time to reinvigorate the field of contraceptive research and development. These include an increasing understanding among international agencies and policymakers of the economic, social and personal costs of unintended pregnancy, and growing commitment to achieving universal access to family planning; 2 the expansion of consumer markets in developing countries, which represent potentially profitable new markets for contraceptive products; 3 a rising demand for contraceptives, because the number of reproductive age women is increasing in developing countries, and because the desire for smaller families; 4 as well as advances in scientific knowledge and tools, which pave the way for the development of innovative contraceptive methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include an increasing understanding among international agencies and policymakers of the economic, social and personal costs of unintended pregnancy, and growing commitment to achieving universal access to family planning; 2 the expansion of consumer markets in developing countries, which represent potentially profitable new markets for contraceptive products; 3 a rising demand for contraceptives, because the number of reproductive age women is increasing in developing countries, and because the desire for smaller families; 4 as well as advances in scientific knowledge and tools, which pave the way for the development of innovative contraceptive methods. 1,5 There is a vital need to produce new contraceptive methods. What is needed is a broad array of contraceptive methods that require less complex distribution system, safer and less discomforting than current methods; that combine high acceptability with high continuity of use; and that are suited to the diverse requirements imposed by the variety of conditions throughout the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation and comparison of the antifertility potential activity and adverse effects of Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds and combined oral contraceptive pills in female rats

Hilles

Allow

Mahmood

2016

Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol

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Background: Antifertility agents are one of the most common medication used in this modern era. In this research we used herbal plant Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seeds to study the antifertility activity of Fenugreek Seeds allowed aqueous (FSA) extract in female rats compared with marketed combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) by evaluating Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) level and to detect the adverse effects by determining the uterine weight, implantation rate, endometrial thickness, endometrial gland density and observing the histological uterine tissues. Methods: Twenty four female Sprague Dawley strain rats of 8 weeks old were divided into four groups (A, B, C and D). Animals in Group A (positive control group) were not given any treatment and they were allowed to mate to become pregnant. Group B (negative control group) were not given any treatment as only female rats were kept. Group C (treated group) they were administered orally with 0.05 mg/kg body weight of COCPs for 15 days. Group D (treated group) they were administered orally with 750 mg/kg body weight of FSA extract for 15 days. The blood samples were taken after the both treatment on the proestrous phase to evaluate FSH level. In group A, C and D, 3 male rats of Spargue Dawley strain were also kept to do the mating process. Results: Administration of 0.05mg/kg of COCPs led to decrease the serum FSH concentration to 71.56 ng/ml while 750 mg/kg FSA extract led to decrease it to 25.62 ng/ml, which shows that FSA extract is effective almost three times more than COCPs at higher dose. The uterine weight in the FSA extract treated group was normal, while the COCPs treated group was insignificantly high. The implantation rate was zero in all groups except the positive control group. The endometrial thickness in the FSA extract treated group was normal while in the COCPs increased. The endometrial gland density was normal in FSA extract treated group, while it decrease in COCPs treated group which a remarkable sign of endometrial atrophy. Histological endometrial tissues were normal in FSA extract treated group while COCPs treated group showed abnormal deciduiod cells (decidual like cells). Conclusions: Administration of FSA extract decreased FSH concentration to almost three times more than OCCPs which show the high effectiveness of FSA extract more than marketed COCPs, not only that but it also showed no adverse effects in the uterine opposite with COCPs which guide us to alternative natural and safe contraceptive method.

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In search of a second contraceptive revolution

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

The link between oral contraceptive use and prevalence in autism spectrum disorder

The link between oral contraceptive use and prevalence in autism spectrum disorder

As the world grows: contraception in the 21st century

Evaluation and comparison of the antifertility potential activity and adverse effects of Trigonella foenum-graecum seeds and combined oral contraceptive pills in female rats

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