FDA set to OK period suppression pill (Lybrel)

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | May 18, 2007 | Linda A. Johnson

[HAL9000]

TRENTON, N.J. - Women looking for a simple way to avoid their menstrual period could soon have access the first birth control pill designed to let women suppress monthly bleeding indefinitely.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expect to announce approval Tuesday for Lybrel, a drug from Wyeth which would be the first pill to be taken continuously.

Lybrel, a name meant to evoke "liberty," would be the fourth new oral contraceptive that doesn't follow the standard schedule of 21 daily active pills, followed by seven sugar pills — a design meant to mimic a woman's monthly cycle. Among the others, Yaz and Loestrin 24 shorten monthly periods to three days or less and Seasonique, an updated version of Seasonale, reduces them to four times a year.

Gynecologists say they've been seeing a slow but steady increase in women asking how to limit and even stop monthly bleeding. Surveys have found up to half of women would prefer not to have any periods, most would prefer them less often and a majority of doctors have prescribed contraception to prevent periods.

"I think it's the beginning of it being very common," said Dr. Leslie Miller, a University of Washington-Seattle obstetrician-gynecologist who runs a Web site focused on suppressing periods. "Lybrel says, 'You don't need a period.'"

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"Lybrel" - Interesting name. Is it like 24x7 PMS?

I can hear it now - "Oh darn, I can't remember if I took my Liberal pill today."

Run for your lives.

[balch3]

http://www.noroomforcontraception.com/

[af_vet_rr]

it won approval.

Women not getting periods. There are so many jokes to make, but I won't go there.

[Texaggie79]

There are so many jokes to make

Here's one I made. It's doing quite well actually. http://nomoreperiod.ytmnd.com/

[Texaggie79]

http://nomoreperiod.ytmnd.com/