Sexy thoughts
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By: health
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December 14, 2011
Ever wonder where the claim that “men think about sex every seven seconds” came from? It’s so widely known that Snopes has debunked it —and we can assure you it’s not based on scientific research. A new study from an Ohio State University shows that the real number is more like every 4,275 seconds, or […]
The FDA weighs in on blood clots and birth control
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By: health
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December 14, 2011
We’ve written before about concerns that some brands of the pill (along with the patch ) carry a higher risk of blood clots than others. Last week, the FDA officially concluded that the benefits of the brands in question outweigh the drawbacks, but that their labels should be updated to warn of the higher blood […]
Some good news about birth control and heart health
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By: health
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December 14, 2011
With all the recent press about the pill and blood clots, you may be wondering if you should be worried about heart health while using birth control. Fear not, a new study shows that women using progestin-only methods—like the implant , the mini-pill, and the shot —were no more likely to have a heart attack […]
Know what’s risky? Pregnancy.
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By: health
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December 14, 2011
A new study from the Harbor UCLA Medical Center asked women from all walks of life to rate the risks of pregnancy versus birth control. The 246 women of all ages, education levels, and family sizes knew about some risks, but didn’t know which were more likely to occur. About half of the participants knew […]
Breaking news: Plan B One-Step will stay right where it is
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By: health
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December 7, 2011
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 ! There’s been a lot of talk in recent days about an expected FDA decision to make Plan B One-Step, a popular form of emergency contraception (EC) , available […]
Blame it on the pill (again)
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By: health
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November 23, 2011
Another day, another study attempting to link the world’s ills to the birth control pill. Headlines are blaring news of a study, published in BMJ Open , that alleges that the pill may cause prostate cancer. In fact, as others have noted , what the study really shows is that rates of prostate cancer are […]
Birth control with benefits
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By: health
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November 23, 2011
When we hear “side effect” we tend to think of doom and gloom, but many birth control methods have positive side effects , too. Exhibit A: a new study of reproductive-age women in the U.S. shows that side benefits are part of the reason a lot of women use the pill. And by a lot […]
Pap smear every year? Not so much.
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By: health
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November 23, 2011
A government-backed panel released new recommendations for women of reproductive age to get a pap smear every 3 years rather than annually. The recommendations are still in draft form and accepting public comment, but given that cancer patient advocacy groups like the American Cancer Society have voiced their support for the recommendations, they may not […]
DIY Depo
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By: health
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November 23, 2011
If you love the shot (a.k.a. Depo) as a method but hate going to see your provider every three months, you may be in luck. A new study shows that women can administer their own shot in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Fifty women were trained by a nurse to do their […]
Nexpla-what? The next generation of the implant has arrived!
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By: health
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November 9, 2011
UPDATE: Since this article was published, research has shown the implant to be effective for up to four years. The folks at Merck, who brought us Implanon (a.k.a. the implant ), have officially introduced Nexplanon for use across the United States. Nexplanon is a lot like Implanon—same smaller-than-a-matchstick rod, same 3-year protection, same upper-arm insertion […]