Washington, DC (September 21, 2010) — The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) presented the Capitol Hill briefing, 50 years of the Pill: Revolutionizing Health and Dispelling Myths on Tuesday, September 21 to a thoughtful and engaged audience of health care providers, Hill staff, and health and patient organizations. Detailing the past, present, and future of contraception, the briefing celebrated the Pill’s 50th anniversary and featured a robust question and answer session following the presentations.
The distinguished panel of contraception experts and physicians featured Anne Burke, M.D., Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Director of Family Planning, at Johns Hopkins and her presentation, The Pill: History, Evolution, and How It Works. To demonstrate how much contraception has evolved, Burke highlighted various early birth control methods including gun powder, lemons, and mercury.
Luckily, “In 1960 all of this changed as the Pill was finally on the market after many experiments on rabbits in the 1930s, to laboratory production of oral reproductive hormones in the early 1950s, and finally clinical studies done with women in Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Mexico City in the mid-1950s,” said Burke.
Speaking on the present popularity of the Pill, William Mosher, Ph.D., Reproductive Statistics Branch, Division of Vital Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, presented his lecture, Oral Contraceptive Use in the United States with some surprising statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).
“The Pill is the leading method of contraception for women under 30, women with no children, never married women, and college graduates,” said Mosher. “The Pill is not the leading method among black and Hispanic women, married couples, those with two or more children, and those with a high school diploma or less.”
Rounding out the panel with his presentation, The Future of Contraception, Matthew F. Reeves, M.D., MPH, Vice President, Medical Affairs, WomanCare Global discussed the effectiveness of contraceptive methods, the future of the Pill, and alternative methods for improving contraception.
Injectable, transdermal, transvaginal (ring), intrauterine (IUD), and subdermal (implant) are new types of hormonal contraception on the market today. Reeves presented data in which rings and IUDs had some of the most satisfied customers followed by injectables, the Pill, and patches.
In regards to contraception, “Women want ease of use, safety, effectiveness, and minimal side effects,” said Reeves. “But the more options, the more satisfied users there will be. Ultimately, the most effective contraception is the one that gets used.”
From the use of Lysol and sponges, to the Pill revolution of the 1960s, and the increased usage of rings and IUDs today, contraception in the United States has undergone substantial transformations over the last 50 years. Today the Pill is the most effective birth control option on the market, second only to female sterilization, and up to 80% of US women born after 1945 have used the Pill at some point in their lives.
SWHR was pleased to have this opportunity to present important and timely information on the history of the birth control pill, the use of contraceptives in the United States, and future research in the area of hormonal contraception.
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For more information on the Society for Women’s Health Research please contact Rachel Griffith at 202-496-5001 or Rachel@swhr.org.
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., is widely recognized as the thought leader in women’s health research, particularly how sex differences impact health. SWHR’s mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy, education and research. Visit SWHR’s website at swhr.org for more information.
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