Most U.S. Women Under 50 Use Contraception: Report

• Steven Reinberg
• October 20, 2020
• Full Page

Most American women between 15 and 49 years of age use birth control, according to a new U.S. government report.

Between 2017 and 2019, 65% of those women used some form of contraception, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fewer Tiny Newborns in States With More Reproductive Rights: Study

• Robert Preidt
• October 14, 2020
• Full Page

Greater reproductive rights for women -- such as access to sex education and birth control -- are associated with lower rates of low birth weight babies, a new study finds.

Reproductive rights refer to a woman's right to plan motherhood. This includes use of birth c...

A Birth Control Pill You Take Just Once a Month?

• Amy Norton
• December 4, 2019
• Full Page

Scientists have developed a method that might eventually allow women to take birth control pills just once a month.

In lab experiments, the researchers found that their tiny drug-delivery device -- contained within a gelatin-coated capsule -- worked as hoped: In pigs...

Is It Safe to Order Your Birth Control Online?

• Amy Norton
• September 25, 2019
• Full Page

In recent years, a growing number of companies have been offering prescriptions for birth control through web-based services and smartphone apps. Now a "secret shopper" study suggests it's a safe and reliable source for women.

So-called "telecontraception" services h...

Make All Hormonal Birth Control Available Without Prescription, Doctors' Group Says

• Steven Reinberg
• September 25, 2019
• Full Page

A leading group of U.S. doctors has broadened its guidelines on birth control, recommending that all forms of hormonal contraceptives, including vaginal rings and contraceptive patches, be sold over the counter.

In addition, the American College of Obstetricians and ...

First Sexual Experience Was Forced for 1 in 16 U.S. Women

• Serena Gordon
• September 16, 2019
• Full Page

Changes wrought by the #MeToo movement can't come soon enough, say researchers who found that for 1 in 16 U.S. women, their first sexual experience was forced.

"In a nationally representative sample of more than 13,000 women, 6.5% said their first sexual enc...

Some Women Still Getting Pregnant While on Acne Drug Tied to Birth Defects

• Robert Preidt
• July 22, 2019
• Full Page

Hundreds of pregnancies still occur every year among U.S. women taking an acne medication that carries a high risk of birth defects, a new study finds.

"While the number of pregnancies among patients taking isotretinoin is low, even 200 pregnancies is too high," said...

Are Some Birth Control Methods Doomed to Fail?

• Robert Preidt
• March 12, 2019
• Full Page

Women who get pregnant when using certain contraceptives might have their genes to blame, a new study suggests.

A gene variant that breaks down hormones in birth control could be the culprit, researchers reported.

"When a woman says she got pregnant while o...