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Some Experts Remain Skeptical Of Withdrawal Method, Despite Recent Study On Effectiveness
Reproductive health experts were "taken aback" by a recent study that found that the withdrawal method is nearly as effective as male condoms in preventing pregnancy, the New York Times reports. The paper -- published in the June issue of the journal Contraception -- found that 4% of couples will become pregnant over a one-year period if they consistently use the withdrawal method, compared with about 2% of couples that consistently use condoms. According to the study"s authors, a more significant finding was that the rate of "typical use" for withdrawal leads to pregnancy 18% of the time, compared with 17% of the time for typical use of condoms. They wrote in the study that "it is unfortunate that some couples do not realize they are substantially reducing their risk of pregnancy when using withdrawal, as these misperceptions may cause unnecessary levels of anxiety. More speculatively, if more people realized that correct and consistent use of withdrawal substantially reduced the risk of pregnancy, they might use it more effectively." Although the authors said the goal of the paper was to encourage discussion, some experts are concerned that spreading a message that withdrawal is effective could lead young people to have unprotected sex, potentially exposing themselves to sexually transmitted infections that can be prevented through condom use, the Times reports. Melissa Gilliam, chief of family planning and contraceptive research at the University of Chicago"s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a board member of the Guttmacher Institute, said the study"s data "don"t necessarily translate to youth today." She added, "In terms of a reliable method used over and over again, the risk of failure is quite high."Rachel Jones, the lead author of the study and a senior research associate at Guttmacher, said that dismissing the withdrawal method as a "legitimate" form of contraception is "counterproductive for the prevention of pregnancy and also discourages academic inquiry into this frequently used and reasonably effective method." She also said that health educators and providers "should discuss withdrawal as a legitimate, if slightly less effective, contraceptive method in the same way they do condoms and diaphragms." She noted that "most women have used withdrawal at some point in their lives."The study"s authors decided to examine the issue after noticing that many researchers and providers "just kind of dismiss withdrawal and don"t seem to realize that it can prevent pregnancy," according to Jones. She added, "Most people seem to be under the impression that you might as well do nothing." Martha Kempner, vice president for information and communications at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, said the results of the study have "made some classroom teachers nervous to give out the truth in this instance, but we do have to tell the truth." She added, "People, kids in particular, they"re using it. It is better than nothing, and it is always available" (Belluck, New York Times, 7/21).
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Purdue Researchers Create Prostate Cancer 'Homing Device' For Drug Delivery
A new prostate cancer "homing device" could improve detection and allow for the first targeted treatment of the disease.
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Baseline Dopamine Levels And Our Motivation To Eat Influenced By Fat Hormone
As we all know from experience, people eat not only because they are hungry, but also because the food just simply tastes too good to pass up. Now, a new study in the August 6th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, helps to explain how leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue, influences that motivation to eat.
Mental Health

For Many Young Adults, No Health Insurance, No Regular Doctor, USA

Approximately 5 million adults age 19 to 23 in the United States had no health insurance in 2006 for the entire year and 30 percent of them said they didn"t think it was worth the cost, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The analysis by the federal agency found that 46 percent (2.2 million) of uninsured young adults worked full time and 26 percent (1.3 million) worked part time. Some 81 percent of the 5 million young adults who were uninsured through all of 2006 were not full-time students. The report by AHRQ also shows that in 2006: - Young adults who were uninsured for the entire year were only about half as likely as those who had insurance part of the year to have a usual of care, such as a family doctor (36 percent vs. 70 percent). - More than two-thirds of young adults without insurance for the entire year did not see a doctor. - Young men were more likely than young women to be uninsured all year (30 percent vs. 18 percent). AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, improves the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a detailed of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid. For more information, go to Characteristics of Uninsured Young Adults: Estimates for the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population 19-23 years of age, 2006. AHRQ


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