According to the survey conducted by OpinionWay for the Bayer laboratory in nine countries including France, 40% of users of the pill forget to take it at least once. In addition, 20% of the 4,500 women aged 21 to 29 surveyed do not think to swallow the kosher once a week. Omissions which, as we know, lead to unwanted pregnancies and abortions. To avoid this, researchers at MIT are currently developing a pill intended to release hormones against fertility for a month and supposed to resist stomach acid.
Tested only on pigs, the new pill is star-shaped and the size of a fish oil capsule. Once it reaches the stomach, this six-pointed star unfolds like a flower and gradually releases, over a month, its doses of levonorgestrel, a synthetic progestogen with a contraceptive effect by blocking ovulation.
So if the first tests carried out on sows are conclusive - because they show that the dose released each day for four weeks is equivalent to that given by a daily tablet - the researchers warn:the first tests of this new drug on humans will not be possible only within… three to five years.
But now is the time for optimism! “This type of monthly contraceptive pill could have a significant impact on the health of women and their families, especially in developing countries say these scientists whose research is funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.
"A monthly oral contraceptive would provide a discreet and non-invasive contraceptive option explains Kimberly Scarsi, professor of pharmacology at the University of Nebraska. This type of pill could indeed “dramatically improve medication adherence to give women more control over their health and family planning decisions she concludes.
