"The pill changes women's taste in men?" Okay. "The pill caused your divorce?" That's too much.

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 month 3 days (www.sciam.com)

I had to read this brief article twice to be sure. The basic premise of the article itself is that going on or off the contraceptive pill during a relationship may cause relationship problems.

1. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that women who go on the pill shift their preferences toward men sharing similar MHC traits.

2. A separate study shows that women in relationships with men with similar MHC's are less sexually satisfied.

There is not, however, any study directly showing that the pill can cause relationship problems

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Sniffing for Mr. Right

jerry submitted, created time 4 months 3 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Weight gain and moodiness top the list of the unpleasant side effects of birth control pills. But could the pill also desensitize a woman's sniffer? New research suggests that oral contraceptives can reduce a woman's ability to smell the best mate. Although birth control can't be blamed for every bad relationship, the findings could help explain how people find their ideal love.

Most guys splash on a little cologne before a first date, but past research shows that their natural scent may be the better attractant

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The birth control pill linked to reduced ovarian cancer risk

Cervical cancer risk seen higher when on pill

crazy submitted, created time 1 year 1 month (www.reuters.com)

Women who take oral contraceptives run a higher risk of developing cervical cancer, but this risk is transient and reverts to normal about 10 years after they stop, British researchers said on Thursday.

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For the disciplined, three-pronged rhythm method can be as effective as the pill

Hecate submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.sciam.com)

Unlike most endorsements of periodic abstinence, also called "rhythm," this article is from Scientific American, which I think we can say is an unbiased source. According to this, perfect use of the sympto-thermal method (STM), which involves not only tracking days on a calendar but also daily temperature and cervical mucus checks, can have a failure rate of as little as .06 percent, comparable to perfect use of the birth control pill. However, it requires an abstinence period of at least two weeks per cycle

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New malaria pill cost less than before !

saury submitted, created time 1 year 10 months (www.iht.com)

In Africa, malaria kills 3,000 infants and children a day, The medicine, called ASAQ, is a pill combining artemisinin, invented in China using sweet wormwood and hailed as a miracle malaria drug, with amodiaquine, an older drug that still works in many malarial areas.This new treatment will cost less than $1 for adults and less than 50 cents for children. Adults with malaria will take only two pills a day for three days, and the pill will come in three smaller once-a- day sizes for babies, toddlers and children.

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HUZZAH!! Turns out that the birth control pill does not cause weight gain!

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 11 months (www.nytimes.com)

~~~~ A study shows that today's standard birth control pills do NOT cause net weight gain. Even if a person retains water for a short while, it balances out after the body adjusts to the dosage.

Now fewer women will be reluctant to be prepared. ...now I just hope that that thing about clearing up acne isn't a myth too.

The site is being tricky again, so here's the link.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/30/health/30real.html?ref=health)

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