Birth Control Pills

The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it would allow 17-year-olds to buy the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B without a prescription, signaling a major shift in the agency's approach to what has been a polarizing debate on reproductive rights.

New birth control pills that are less effective than the original contraceptives of the 1960s in preventing pregnancy could win federal approval if they promise other benefits, under a recommendation by health advisors. Food and Drug Administration advisors refused last week to recommend a set standard on how often next-generation pills would have to fail for them to be denied federal approval. "We don't want an arbitrary number to be ascribed," said Dr.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the first birth control pill designed to eliminate a woman's monthly period. The new pill, called Lybrel, uses a combination of low-dose synthetic hormones used in other oral contraceptives now on the market. But all of the 28 pills that come in a monthly pack will contain active ingredients, forgoing the placebo tablets that normally allow menstruation to begin.

The House, seeking to reverse a linchpin of Bush administration policy, voted Thursday to give aid to overseas groups that provide contraceptive devices such as condoms and birth control pills. An effort by Republican Reps. Christopher Smith of New Jersey and Bart Stupak of Michigan to kill the measure was defeated on a largely party-line vote. The provision was attached to the $34.2-billion foreign aid appropriations bill for 2008, which the House approved, 241 to 178.

Women who take the birth control pill for 10 years have nearly double the normal risk of developing cervical cancer, but the risk begins falling as soon as they stop and returns to near normal within 10 years, according to a study released Thursday. The study confirms previous research linking the pill with an increased risk of cervical cancer and reveals for the first time that the risk falls after pill use stops, said Dr.

Officials of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced in Bentonville that the company would reverse its earlier policy and stock emergency contraception pills in all of its pharmacies effective March 20. They said Wal-Mart could not justify being the country's only major pharmacy chain not to carry the morning-after pill. The announcement comes after Massachusetts last month ordered the world's largest retailer to stock the so-called Plan B pill.

State lawmakers approved and sent to the governor a measure that would allow women to go straight to a pharmacist to get the morning-after pill. Currently in the state, Plan B, as the emergency contraceptive is called, requires a doctor's prescription. Under the bill approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, a pharmacist could dispense it without a prescription. Republican Gov. Bill Owens said he had not decided whether to sign or veto the bill.

This is turning out to be a pivotal year in birth control. In the last six months, the Food and Drug Administration has approved an oral contraceptive that eliminates a monthly menstrual period, and can prevent mood swings and other side effects. It also has approved two others that feature shorter periods. And soon it's expected to sign off on a yearlong oral contraceptive and a simpler version of a contraceptive implant.

The Food and Drug Administration, in a surprise move that angered religious conservatives, offered a proposal Monday to allow the "morning-after" birth control pill to be sold without a prescription to women age 18 and older. It marked a potentially significant step toward breaking the stalemate between people who worry that unrestricted access to the pill could encourage promiscuity, and people -- including the FDA's medical staff -- who say scientific evidence shows the drug is safe.

Two years ago, the Food and Drug Administration indicated that only those 16 and older could safely use the morning-after birth control pill without first getting a doctor's prescription. Last year, the agency drew the line at 17. This week, the FDA proposed another change: women 18 and older. Those shifting age requirements prompted questions Tuesday for acting FDA Commissioner Andrew C.