OCR Text |
Show DAILY A2 HERAL Saturday, May 19, 2007 D FDA set to OK first birth control pill to end periods Established in 1873 A Lee Newspaper Customer Service Newsroom Tofl 375-510- Linda A. Johnson who runs a Web site focused on suppressing periods. "Lybrel says, 'You Women don't need a period.' " TRENTON, N. J. While that can be done easlooking for a simple way to avoid their menstrual period sometimes more cheanly ily could soon have access the by skipping the sugar pills first birth control pill designed or replacing birth-contro let women suppress monthly patches or vaginal rings sooner, doctors say the trend is fubleeding indefinitely. The U.S. Food and Drug eled mainly by advertising for Administration is expected to the new options. They expect announce approval Tuesday plenty for Lybrel's July launch, forLybrelra drug from Wyet-h- dthough Madison, N.J.4ased which would be the first pill to Wyeth says it will market to be taken continuously. doctors first. Lybrel a name meant to Analysts have estimated Lybrel sales could reach $40 milevoke "liberty," would be the lion this year and $235 million fourth new oral contraceptive that doesn't follow the by 2010. U.S. sales of Seasostandard schedule of 21 daily nique, launched last August, hit active pills, followed by seven $6.1 million in the first quarter of 2007. Predecessor Seasosugar pills a design meant to mimic a woman's monthly nale, which got cheaper generic competition in September, cycle. Among the others, Yaz and Loestrin 24 shorten month- peaked at about $100 million. ly periods to three days or less Yaz, launched last August, had and Seasonique, an updated first quarter sales of $35.6 milversion of Seasonale, reduces lion; Loestrin 24, launched in them to four times a year. April 2006, hit $34.4 million in the first quarter. Gynecologists say they've been seeing a slow but steady Still, some women raise coninef&tse in women asking how cerns about whether blocking to limit and even stop monthly periods is safe or natural. Baltibl ieding. Surveys have found more health psychologist Paula S. Derry wrote in an opinion it to half of women would prefer not to have any periods, piece in the British Medical most would prefer them less Journal two weeks ago that often and a majority of doctors "menstrual suppression itself is have prescribed contraception unnatural," and that there's not to prevent periods. enough data to determine if it "I think it's the beginning of is safe long-terit being very common," said Sheldon J. Segal, a scienDr. Leslie Miller, a University tist at the nonprofit research of Washington-Seattl- e obstetri- - group Population Council, THE' ASSOCIATED PRESS 3 801-344-25- free FAX www.heraldextra.com Street address: 1555 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo, UT Send mail to: P.O. Box 717, Provo, UT 846034717 At other times, NEWS TIPS: On nights and weekends, call 344-255ontactan editor above. CORRECTIONS. The Hefald corrects errors-o- f fact appearing in its news and opinion columns. If you have a correction, call 344-258- . HOME DELIVERY 375-510- ADVERTISING 3 Delivery by 6 a.m. Mon-Fr- i 7 a.m. Sat-SuFor missing papers, call by 9:30 a.m. SUBSCRIPTIONS New subscriptions, restarts, delivery or 3 billing information, call days from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. week- SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAMS Daily & Sunday Thur. Fn. Sal, Sun & Holidays Thursday Only Mon Sat Sunday Only Thur. Sun & Holidays CLASSIFIED 373-645- RETAIL 344-294- 6 ADVERTISING FAX 356-301- 2 The Daily Herald (ISSN 0891-2777- , USPS 143-060- ) is published mornings, Sunday through Saturday, by Lee Publications, a division of Lee Enterprises, Inc., 1555 N. Freedom Blvd., Provo, Utah 84604. Periodicals postage paid at Provo, Utah. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Herald, P.O. Box 717, Provo, Utah 84603-0717- . MEMBER, AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS 'Holiday delivery includes delivery the weeks of Easter, Memorial Day. Independence Day, Pioneer Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. All contents Copyright 2007, Dally Herald. Any reproduction or other use is strictly prohibited without written permission. Correction t A story in Friday's Daily Herald about the Japanese beetle in west central Orem misidentified the western border of the treatment area. It is 1050 West, according to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. wrote back that a British study found no harm in taking pills with much higher hormone levels than today's products for up to 10 years. "Nothing has come up to indicate any unexpec ed side effects," said Segal, who the book "Is Menstruation Obsolete?" Most doctors say there's no medical reason women need monthly bleeding and that it triggers health problems from anemia to epilepsy in many women. They note women have been tinkering with nature since the advent of birth control pills and now endure as many as 450 periods, compared with 50 or so in the days when women spent most of their fertile years pregnant or breast-feedin- Dr. Mindy obstetrician-gynecologi- an in Wiser-Esti- st Little Silver, N.J., has long advocated menstrual suppression. She has seen a big increase in the last year in patients asking about it, but has one concern that leads her to encourage younger women to take a break every 12 weeks. About 1 percent of oral contraceptive users become pregnant each year, and young women taking continuous pills who have never been pregnant may not recognize the symptoms, she said. "They may not know it in time to do something about it," Wiser-Estisaid. Barr Pharmaceuticals of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., whose n subsidiary Duramed already is n developing a version of Seasonique, said its research with consumers and health care providers indicates they feel four periods a year is optimal said spokeswoman Amy Niemann. Wyeth obviously thinks otherwise. "It allows women to put their menstrual cycle on hold" and reduces 17 related symp-tomfrom irritability to bloating, based on one small study, said Dr. Amy Marren, director of clinical affairs for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Marren said Lybrel contains the lowest dose of two hormones widely used in pills, ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel. That might cause too much breakthrough bleeding, already a problem with some newer pills with low hormone doses, said Dr. Lee Shulman, a lower-estroge- s, birth-contr- Chicago obstetrician-gynecologi- st who chairs the board of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. In testing of Lybrel, 59 percent of women ended up with no bleeding after six months, but 18 percent of women dropped out of studies because of spotting and breakthrough bleeding, according to Wyeth. "You're now basically trading scheduled bleeding for unscheduled bleeding, and I don't know whether American women will buy into that," Shulman said. -- Conference: What if Abraham Lincoln had survived? The Daily Herald wants its news reports to be fair and accurate. We do our best to identify and correct all errors. If you find an error, please report it to us by calling the appropriate editor listed on this page. doctor and a historian said Friday at an annual University of Maryland School of Medicine BALTIMORE conference on the deaths of Abraham Lincoln might have survived historic figures. While the conference has being shot if today's medical the technology had existed in 1865. traditionally Given that scenario, the deaths of historic figures to determine if the diagnosis of the question is whether Lincoln time was correct, this year's would have recovered well event asks if Lincoln could enough to return to office, a have been saved and what impact that would have had. Dr. Thomas Scalea, the physician in chief at the University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center, said brain injuries are unpredictable but Lincoln V would have stood a good chance of surviving. Alex Dominguez www.cougarblue.com 'r ASSOCIATED THE V PRESS aarraraffl Iff "I don't believe that the president had a uniformly fatal injury," said Scalea, who explained how Lincoln would have been treated at his center, the world's first dedicated trauma center. JThe trauma center can X-ra- IMlral f con- duct CT scans, and a host of other tests within minutes of arrival. Physical therapy, nutrition and other rehabilitative treatment also can make for dramatic improvements, though recovery varies from patient to patient, Scalea said. "He probably would have been left with substantial disability, but you never really know," the surgeon told the ' conference. Lincoln died within 10 hours of being shot in the head at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. If modern methods could have saved the 16th president, he may have also retained his cognitive abilities because the fatal shot did not damage the frontal lobes of Lincoln's brain, which are responsible for language, emotion and problem solving, Scalea said. However, Lincoln would have faced months of recovery before he could have returned to office, and whether he would have been able to communicate is unclear, the surgeon said. " TIME! ujorldiiiuiiii hlRST the Let SAVE Irrigation Experts Serve You MONEY SAVE TIME SAVE WATER YOUR BEST DEAL IS Main St. American Fork 260 M0 E. 756-361KAWASAKJ CARES: 'VPtssirire: Mnvl WMI " DUFFS! ALWAYS AT 3 .VM" v.fx, ' T,:Til"u;:v,' r,ii- r ,i,ir tat' ' air Ct AM flVSCMoExpo I aVMTat LjBataft & Swap Meet aatdfe. CniuMliajlMl fl PM at '. at Brfor Brotbanl fix lull 3l!u) Snap Meat k Car Corral Srlj daadtli frtfaj MJ 1814 Q - 0 PM aid SAurtaj Jtag Ma checks iejjba at! Mil in Cruse begttt at OU PK andcuacludatatUVSC. Malic lad Bbarbiu Mm UVSC Mo Tndaa oonporai Car ,nterlaiaiMitXlfackttiid liVB 0 Show-C- baglv UiMk btf Ptafl ' AMardaaiadioB aft par paraa. oofiutihjpiakkstBauadarfrea SpactatorPartligniU ' "aaard owr abow laa abaft aWad lor aVSC atiriaat occtf, MJll z1' v jinMcaBlsoiJaa-rjM- crvaiJtariaatialUat U - .v jjjk B003N. L Maij 19th TPhanksgivng Point Thanksgiving Watj. LehlUtah BBiaa tTTrr-- i ' mm ipj Sprinkler Syste WE HAVE THE LARCEST SELECTION OF IRRIGATION PRODUCTS IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST Sprinklers and Irrigation Equipment Bark and Landscape Water Features and Ponds Systems Drainage Products Weed and Erosion Control Fabrics Outdoor Lighting 'anl?mlt sr. ' Fo You When you purchase a complete sprinkler system i- - -cw- .oe jto c 1 I'DTUTI SSk. -- 5 t n t a a l SaaaaTaW - sn - xTVT eLm 1 I tvwS I - llJones , n Trailer US) mm c: V Virtual rain Irritrol Holiday Lights, Trees and Decor SPRINGVILLE 940 S. 2000 W. 794-640- PREMIER Minifcr Drip Participating Sponsors ggB iu.a ""TaTaTam FREE PIPE m r r 4 9 PM artmlararitpa .4DMwaiftchaokgy tf" cananaj at Sir raore talaraalloai Procood ;A1nmcWi abort AlIproGaadr. and wglalrntlnB Ail aty Uti naoAutosm Car Shoft adnattlcat IEsS " Is Car Sbort Snap neat ' J Mlk"PJM(lBU) Spectator Info SKapMMtadmuUMM&M. ; ar at 1 Aa) MAY SPECIAL! 0 SANDY 8451 S. Sandy Pkwy. 562-457- 5 OREM LEHI 152 W. Center St. 500 E. State St. 225-662- 2 766-528- 9 Visit Us Online spriBiHlsr.ccsim |