New Vaginal Ring May Prevent HIV Infection And Pregnancy
Posted by: Annika Harris
Filed in:
sex
10:15AM, Thursday May 28th 2009
Remembering to take birth control pills every day at the same time can be a hassle. Buying condoms adds another thing to our pages-long to-do list. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were an effective birth control and STD-preventative in one? Dr. Brij Saxena, a reproductive biology and endocrinology professor at the Weill Cornell Medical College, has developed a vaginal ring that may prevent sexually transmitted HIV and unintended pregnancy because it releases several types of non-hormonal agents and microbicides. The device has proven to prevent HIV infection in laboratory trials, Saxena said, and it could give women the power to protect themselves effectively and conveniently from an unintended pregnancy and HIV, if future clinical trials are successful.
Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, co-author of the study and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said a viral epidemic has never been stamped out by treatment, so an HIV vaccine is an ideal prevention method, but isn’t foreseeable in the near future. “The next best thing,” Laurence said, “would be something that would prevent infection and put the power in the susceptible female partner’s control.”
The vaginally-inserted ring contains multiple HIV infection-preventing antiviral drugs that are released over a period of 28 days, along with substances that prevent pregnancy by arresting sperm movement, increasing vaginal mucous, and maintaining the acidity of the vagina, which creates a hostile environment for sperm cells. The compounds in the vaginal ring are natural materials that the Food and Drug Administration has already approved. [The Times of India]
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laura
wrote on May 28 2009 @ 10:30 am: [report]
are there side effects to having a continuous stream of anitvirals released into one’s body?
Lynn
wrote on May 28 2009 @ 01:56 pm: [report]
still, a great idea!
wonder_bread
wrote on May 28 2009 @ 06:24 pm: [report]
this bothers me.as much as i would love to be able to control whether or not i catch or reproduce down there i don’t want to be control or shun becuz i choose not to expose my parts to all those chemicals. I can just hear them making it mandatory for single sexually active women 0.0
as well as i can’t help but wonder who or wat they are testing this on.i don’t even want to imagine wat sad village or animals are getting the fun of havin this tested out on them. no one ever talks about how they got to this point.
Lynn
wrote on May 29 2009 @ 11:00 am: [report]
@condomelite - well, I get that you have a personal stake in this because you have a condom business, if I remember correctly. But the thing is, this is a great invention and just because it doesn’t help you doesn’t make it a “fairtale”! And yes, there is no denying that there could be detrimental side effects that we wouldn’t see until years down the road. But it’s like that with *any* medication. And I, for one, don’t outright reject any new medication just because it hasn’t been around long. Maybe that means I’m taking risks with my health, but if I research something, weigh the risks and benefits and feel confident in it, then I take the plunge and hope for the best.
Plus, it’s pretty likely that the side effects from this medicine aren’t going to be as bad as the side effects from oh, I don’t know, HIV.
@not_sugacoated - why do you think this would be mandatory? I highly doubt that. And…all medicines are tested on people and animals. Whether or not you agree, it’s not like its specific to this one med.