EC from a vending machine?
Shippensburg University, a small-ish school in Pennsylvania, made the news last week for offering emergency contraception (EC) through a vending machine in their student health center. The machine has been there for about 2 years, but the FDA only recently started asking questions about it, possibly as an after-effect of December’s controversy about over-the-counter access […]
DIY IUD Removal: Yesss or yeeeck?
According to new research from the University of California, San Francisco, some women like the idea of being able to remove their own IUD—so much so that it might make them more willing to try one in the first place. Women who liked the idea of removing their own IUD said it was because they […]
The ring’s got perks
Heavy periods affect lots of women, with consequences ranging from annoyance to missed days at work or school. We know from previous research that the pill and the hormonal IUD can help reduce heavy menstrual bleeding and increase women’s sense of well-being. But new research from Egypt shows that the ring is another good option […]
IUD use is up—but not when it comes to emergency contraception
The good news: U.S. women with health insurance are increasingly opting for low-cost IUDs . New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a sixfold increase in IUD use by insured women from 2002 to 2008. The increase was less dramatic among women under 25, even though the IUD has now […]
The HPV vaccine won’t make you wildly promiscuous
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new study about women across the U.S. who used the HPV vaccine, a.k.a. Gardasil, between 2006 and 2008, which found that participants’ sexual behavior was about the same regardless of whether or not they’d had the vaccine. The study did find a few differences in […]
The Obama Administration makes it official!
We shared this via tumblr last week, but for those who somehow missed the big news, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided to include almost all employers in the new health reform ruling that requires them to cover birth control in their health insurance plans without co-pays or deductibles. If you’re […]
It ain’t easy getting emergency contraception
UPDATE: Plan B One-Step emergency contraception is now available over the counter without a prescription or age restrictions. Here’s what we know about it so far ! We’ve talked about the ability, or lack thereof, of guys and younger teens to access emergency contraception (EC) , but what about women 17 and over? As we […]
Science gets behind using the pill for pain
Ever stayed home during your period with cramps so bad you wished you didn’t have uterus? As many as one in seven young women have. A new study from Sweden shows that women who use the pill have significantly less painful periods than those who don’t. Women in the study answered questions about birth control […]
One big step closer to preventing HIV
The journal Science chose an international HIV prevention trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (part of the National Institutes of Health) as the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year. The study, which included 1,763 heterosexual couples from a number of different countries, treated the HIV positive member of each couple […]
Sex and drugs get safer
The good news: According to the CDC , Americans took fewer risks when it came to HIV between 2006-2010 than they did in 2002. The less good news: Among 20-24 year olds, 12% of women and 15% of men reported an HIV risk behavior in the last year, meaning that both women and men in […]
