Possible treatment of infertility from ovulation failure

Researchers identify key proteins needed for ovulation – study reveals essential step in female reproductive process. – Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have identified in mice two proteins essential for ovulation to take place.

Plan B as OTC for 17 year old women

17 year old young women will soon be allowed to buy morning-after contraceptive pills Plan B without a doctor’s prescription as OTC. – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will not appeal a U.S. District Court order that 17 year old girls should have unrestricted, over-the-counter access to Plan B or so-called “emergency contraception.”

Excess hair growth in women may indicate PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of hirsutism in young women, and 70-80% of women with hirsutism suffer from PCOS. – Hirsutism involves the growth of coarse hair in females in a male-like pattern. It is a distressing condition that affects 5-15% of women. It can be particularly upsetting for young women undergoing the emotional and psychosocial upheaval of adulthood.

Child marriage in India fuels fertility risks

High prevalence of child marriage in India fuels fertility risks. – Despite India’s economic and educational reform efforts in the last decade, the prevalence of child marriage remains high, fueling the risks of multiple unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy terminations and female sterilizations.

Abortion rate rising in young girls, UK

The number of girls under the age of 14 having an abortion jumped by over 20 percent in 2007, new figures from the Department of Health of UK show. – Abortion rates are rising in young girls in UK and some of them are vey young, a report released by the Department of Health, UK.

Ortho Evra contraceptive transdermal birth control patch label update

Ortho Women?s Health & Urology, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has updated the prescribing information for ORTHO EVRA (norelgestromin/ethinyl estradiol transdermal system) to include further epidemiologic data. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved additional changes to the Ortho Evra Contraceptive Transdermal (Skin) Patch label to include the results of a new epidemiology study that found that users of the birth control patch were at higher risk of developing serious blood clots, also known as venous thromboembolism (VTE), than women using birth control pills. VTE can lead to pulmonary embolism.

U.S. abortion rate continues long-term decline

A new report finds that the number of abortions in the US dropped to 1.2 million in 2005. That’s the lowest level since 1974. – In 2005, the U.S. abortion rate declined to 19.4 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15?44, continuing the downward trend that started after the abortion rate peaked at 29.3 in 1981, according to a new Guttmacher Institute census of U.S. abortion providers.

New warning for nonoxynol 9 OTC contraceptives in US

Nonoxynol 9 or N9 in the widely available stand-alone contraceptive products do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule that requires that manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) stand-alone vaginal contraceptive and spermicidal products containing the chemical ingredient nonoxynol 9 (N9) include a warning that the chemical N9 does not provide protection against infection from HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Health Newstrack