Period-Eliminating Birth Control Pill Stirs Controversy

A contraceptive pill that would eliminate menstruation has spurred safety concerns and a discussion about the relationship between self and biology.

The drug, Lybrel, is being reviewed by the FDA, who will decide next month whether to approve it.

“My concern is that the menstrual cycle is an outward sign of something that’s going on hormonally in the body,” said Christine L. Hitchcock, a researcher at the University of British Columbia. Ms. Hitchcock said she worries about “the idea that you can turn your body on and off like a tap.” [...]

[S]tudies have found no extra health risks associated with pills that stop menstruation, although some doctors caution that little research has been conducted on long-term effects.

The topic has, however, inspired an hourlong documentary by Giovanna Chesler, “Period: The End of Menstruation?,” currently screening on college campuses and among feminist groups. [...]

“Women are not sick,” she said. “They don’t need to control their periods for 30 or 40 years.”

In my capacity as a guy, this is something I'm wholly unprepared to comment upon. Ladies?

Pill That Eliminates the Period Gets Mixed Reviews [New York Times]

Update: Previous Wired coverage of menstruation-eliminating pill here.

Image: Clemente Luna