| `Coil´ As Good As The Pill But Without The Side Effects Says Oulu Doctor |
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| By Edward Dutton | ||||||
| Wednesday, 01 November 2006 | ||||||
 Women who want to use hormonal contraceptives but are concerned about the side effects or the long-term health implications now have a better alternative, according to recently presented research from Oulu University. Dr. Anneli Pouta, a consultant gynaecologist in Oulu, studied 2814 women, all of whom were thirty-one years old. Some were taking the combined pill, some were taking no hormonal contraceptive and some were using an inter-uterine device (IUD) that releases small amounts of progesterone into the womb. Pouta concluded that women on the combined pill had higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol and higher insulin levels than those who were not taking hormonal contraception. However, the women who were using IUDs, which are almost one hundred percent effective in preventing pregnancy and almost as effective as the Pill, did not experience these side effects. According to Dr. Pouta, this was because the hormones were released ‘locally’ (to a specific part of the body) rather than simply into the entire body as happens with the pill. However, IUDs do have various other side-effects, according to Dr. David Delvin of NetDoctor.co.uk. They can make a woman’s period last longer, be heavier and be more painful. Many IUDs also tend to be made using copper which some women can react badly to. Dr. Delvin explains, however, that the coil is easy to use. ‘It’s very small – not much longer than a matchstick,’ he explains. ‘All IUDs have either one or two little threads, which hang down a short distance (from the vagina) . . . These are useful when you are checking to see that the device is still in place. Also, most importantly, the threads are used when it’s time to remove the IUD; the nurse or doctor just grasps the thread with a surgical ‘clip’ – and pulls the device out.’ They are inserted, according to Dr. Delvin, through something similar to a ‘drinking straw.’ IUDs are generally not as popular as the Pill because the rate of stopping pregnancy is understood to be lower. In Britain only five percent of sexually active women use IUDs but in Scandinavia they are far more popular with a fifth of sexually active women using them. IUDs are colloquially known as coils because early examples from the 1960s were coil shaped. Dr. Pouta’s findings were presented at the conference of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in New Orleans last week. The presenters argued that the IUD would be particularly helpful to women with high blood pressure and middle-aged women for whom it is dangerous to take the Pill. The New Scientist, The Tribune of India, www.netdoctor.co.uk .
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