Birth control pill that stops periods wins FDA approval
Forget the pseudo-controversy over whether it's safe, reasonable, acceptable, etc., to stop women's periods; I don't really have much to say on the subject. My interest in changing menstruation schedules is that it is probably one of the best examples of marketing success ever. It's always been possible to skip a cycle or two using regular pills; you just take six (or nine) weeks of active pills in a row without taking the sugar pills in week 4 (or 8). But what the makers of Seasonale did was make a blister pack with 9 weeks' worth of pills in one package, market the hell out of it, and voila! A new FDA-approved drug capable of being sold at brand-name prices and saving the company from generic competition. It makes me both mad at the drug companies and completely envious of their marketing ingenuity at the same time.
Too much to carry?
In this week's Washington Post Magazine feature, we follow women who have to face a tough situation and undergo "selective reduction," or the reduction of a triplet or quad pregnancy down to a twin or single pregnancy to ensure the safety of the pregnancy and remaining fetuses. A great look into a little-talked-about aspect of modern fertility medicine. It reminds me of a conversation I had last year with a reproductive endocrinologist, who told me that while the public and politicians debate stem cell research, designer babies, and all sorts of other reproductive issues, the reality is that most of these things are happening in doctors' offices all over the country; it's just that unless you're involved with it directly, as a provider or patient, you aren't really aware of it.
Today's blog comes to you from the Brewing Grounds coffee shop in Leonardtown, MD. Good coffee, a good selection of lunch options, and free wireless internet. If I can just resist the urge to browse the used book store and consignment shop across the street, I'll be sitting here all day, and all tomorrow, and all day Friday...
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2 comments:
pill commentary
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it. This is why science/health reporting in the media drives me insane a lot of the time (remember my soapbox about the HPV vaccine being the first cancer vaccine? It's the first 100% effective cancer vaccine, but Hep B was the first cancer vaccine; and Hep B is also only spread by intimate contact... but we won't revisit THAT one again right now). Every semi-informed woman in her 20s on the pill knows how to manipulate her period, contrary to what the newspaper articles seem to imply. I used to really get worked up about better science reporting at The Diamondback. The only story about this new pill should appear in the Business section, and it should be a case-study on the success of marketing "New! Improved!" products to people too stupid to know the difference.
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