Once-a-Month Birth Control Pill for Women is Currently Under Development

(Photo : MIT News)
The pill will stay in the stomach for four weeks, while slowly releasing the contraceptives inside. Then, it will break down before exiting through digestive tract.

A contraceptive pill that can only be taken once a month is now seeking approval for human testing, scientists revealed.

According to a news released from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the star-shaped capsule aims to save users from the hassle. The star-shaped capsule is coated with gelatin and will slowly release hormones upon consumption.

Despite being taken only once a month, the tests conducted on pigs have proven that its effectiveness is just the same as the pills taken on a daily basis.

Robert Langer, the co-author of the study, said that his team was hopeful that this project will provide a different option for women who are trying to evade unwanted pregnancies.

Kimberly Scarsi, who is not a part of the study, said that this project would provide a "discreet, noninvasive" birth control option to women and could also "significantly improve" a woman's control over her body and family planning decisions.

The professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Nebraska also added that this will improve the accessibility of contraceptives.

The project was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The development

The main problem of their project is the materials to be used. Researchers want something that could survive a highly acidic fluid that will coat the capsule.

Upon researching, they found out that there are two types of polyurethane, an environment-friendly plastic, that can withstand the gastric acid. Moreover, they also developed the capsule to expand and lodge in place once it has reached the stomach. Over time, the contraceptives will be gradually released on the stomach.

The capsule is meant to be digested after four weeks before it will exit the body through the digestive tract.

This is not the first time this team developed a medicine that will deliver through the same method. They previously developed medications for malaria and HIV infection.

Although the prototypes worked on the pigs, Langer said that it is still incomplete and more research and experimentation must be done for human tests. But he hoped that it will happen within three to five years.

Contraceptives might cause depression

According to the survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the oral contraceptive is the second most popular birth control option for women aged 19 to 49 in the United States.

Its effectivity is also proven to be great. The nonprofit group Planned Parenthood claimed that less than one in every hundred female users has become pregnant after using the medication. 

However, although it is safe, recent studies have revealed that using contraceptives on a young age might increase the risk of suffering from depression upon entering adulthood.

After surveying 1,010 girls and women from the Netherlands over a period of nine years, the researchers found out that 16-year old users have experienced more crying, sleeping, and even eating problems. But after stopping it in adulthood, the symptoms disappeared.

Despite this finding, the authors clarified that they are still unsure whether or not the pills caused the symptoms. The pills could either have contributed, or the girls were already suffering from depression before they began to take it.

Since only Dutch women have participated, the authors believe that a diverse group might give a different result.

Lastly, the study also highlighted the benefits, such as easing menstrual symptoms. And they warned that the depressive symptoms might tempt the girls to skip taking pills and risk unwanted pregnancies.

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