The Pill Has Company: The Patch, The Ring, The Shot
On the horizon. By the end of this year, women may have the option of getting their birth control from a simple skin patch--if the FDA approves it. Ortho Evra, from Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical in Raritan, N.J., packs a week's worth of estrogen and progestin. Designed to resist moisture, the patch caused minor skin irritation in some women during trials, says Colleen Brady of Ortho-McNeil. Also under review is NuvaRing, a flexible vaginal ring made by Organon of West Orange, N.J., that a woman inserts after her period and removes three weeks later, just before her next period. It fits near the cervix and secretes estrogen and progestin.
Organon will soon submit yet another device for review: a rod-shaped implant called Implanon that is inserted under the skin in the arm. Implanon is reminiscent of Norplant, a six-rod implant that hit the market 10 years ago. Norplant users complained of problems including scarring at the insertion site, and some doctors found the rods hard to remove. Implanon's single rod should make it easier to insert and remove, its developers say.
While all these contraceptives were over 99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy during clinical trials, none will protect women from sexually transmitted diseases, a concern that Grimes calls "the coffeepot conundrum." At a meeting last fall, he asked, "If my coffeepot makes a great cup of coffee, but it can't receive faxes, should I consider this a defect?" It got a hearty laugh, but it also made a point. Contraception never promised to do more than prevent pregnancy. Those at risk of contracting STDs need to take additional precautions.
New contraceptives
Hormonal birth control doesn't come only in a pill.
Ortho Evra. The hormone patch, still awaiting FDA approval, stands up to bathing and stays in place for a week.
Lunelle. One shot is the equivalent of a monthly pack of birth control pills.
Mirena. The hormonal IUD is smaller and more flexible than past copper IUDs.
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