Fashion

Scientists have created a contraceptive pill that you only take once per month



Anyone who has ever taken the contraceptive pill will know that, inevitably, there are days when you forget to take it. Maybe you’ve run out, maybe you’ve left it at home, or maybe the task simply skips your mind. And yet, the pill is still the most popular form of contraception in the UK, with 9 in ten women who are prescribed contraception taking it. But with every missed pill comes an increased risk that it will be less effective at protecting against pregnancy, as well as potential side effects such as spotting bleeding and irregular periods.

This week, however, researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have released their preliminary findings on a new type of contraceptive pill, published in the journal Science of Translational Medicine. The main difference? It only needs to be taken once per month.

The research, funded by the Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation, used a star-shaped drug delivery system, which unfolds arm by arm to release a steady flow of contraceptive hormones throughout the month. Because the pill is so large, it is unable to pass through the stomach like normal food, and so remains there for three weeks until it has releases all of the hormones, after which point the body then breaks it down and excretes the remains.

While it’s still early days (the trail was performed on pigs, so there’s still a way to go before it’s approved for human use), it marks a monumental shift in contraceptive options, providing women with more choice than ever before.





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