The Whitlam government’s removal of the sales tax may seem small, but it increased access to the pill for many women and in doing so, changed their lives.
New modelling shows skipping the need for a doctors’ prescription and going straight to a pharmacist for the pill could save the health system A$96 million a year and improve women’s health outcomes.
On the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, an encyclical released by Pope Paul VI calling for prohibition on contraceptive use, a scholar describes the struggles of Catholic women, as well as their activism.
Men currently only have two contraceptive options: condoms or a vasectomy.
Javier Canales
Male contraceptives have been under development for at least the past 50 years, because of the success of the female pill and pessimism about men taking a pill.
The pill is the most popular form of contraception for women under 30.
Tyler Nix
Before the pill, contraceptive options were extremely limited and generally required the cooperation of the male partner. Almost 60 years later, the pill remains the mainstay of contraception.
Studies have suggested that women using a particular kind of injectable contraceptive are more susceptible to HIV infection. Research in mice offers new insights.
Birth control has become a flash point at the Supreme Court.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
Providing women with a range of reproductive health options – from abortions to IUDs – is not only essential for their financial security but good for the economy as well.
Long-acting reversible contraception such as intrauterine devices don’t require women who use them to do anything else to prevent pregnancy.
Sarah Mirk/Flickr
Few Australian women use long-acting reversible contraception, despite its advantages over other methods. These contraceptives offer women long-term, cost-effective, “fit-and-forget” contraception.
For contraception, choice and access are critical.
Doctor and patient via www.shutterstock.com.
In May, the White House clarified the guidelines for contraceptive coverage, ending cost containment practices that made it hard for some women to access the method of their choice.
The risk of a woman dying from a road accident is approximately 25 times that of death from a pill-related clot.
epSos .de/Flickr
Newer contraceptive pills pose a higher risk of serious blood clots, says a study published in the BMJ today. The finding isn’t new, but it may be cause for a different kind of concern.
Curbing teen pregnancy rates will take more than just access to contraception.
Image of pregnant women via Coffeemill/www.shutterstock.com
Teen pregnancy is a public health problem in the United States. According to 2010 estimates, girls aged 15-19 years accounted for 614,000 pregnancies in the US. An additional 11,000 pregnancies were recorded…