A NEW contraceptive pill that lets women go four months without a period will go on sale this week. |
A NEW contraceptive pill that lets women go four months without a period will go on sale this week. Yaz Flex comes in packs of 120 pills and women who use it continuously will have three periods a year. The pill comes with a palm-sized dispenser that records usage, notices when a tablet has been missed and provides an alert that alternative contraception must be used. The Clyk digital tablet dispenser can be programmed to sound a daily alarm to remind women to take the pill. More than 80 per cent of women admit to forgetting to take their contraceptive pill at some stage and 31 per cent forget it once a month, according to a survey funded by Bayer, the drug company that makes Yaz. Alex Trevor, who has used the new pill for a week, loves the new digital dispenser which "keeps me on track". "There have been times when I've forgotten to take the pill in the past," she said. Yaz Flex is a new version of the existing monthly contraceptive pill Yaz and both contain a combination of hormones that over time help reduce acne. Australia is the launch market for the pill, which is made in Germany. Associate professor and gynaecologist Dr Rod Baber said many medical studies had found skipping periods was safe and it could be useful for women who have heavy periods, their periods are painful or they get migraine associated with menstruation. Ms Trevor, whose mother Dr Christine Read works for Bayer, said she had skipped periods on her old pill but Yaz Flex with its digital dispenser made it easier to keep track of where she was in her cycle. Common side effects of Yaz Flex include nausea, depression, headache, breast pain and unscheduled bleeding. Women using it also face twice the risk of a blood clot as women using older versions of oral contraceptives, but Dr Baber said the risk was still low - 2.7 in 100,000 women. In pregnancy the risk of a blood clot is six in 100,000. (Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
一種可以讓女性四個月只來一次月經(jīng)的新型避孕藥將于本周上市發(fā)售。 這種名為Yaz Flex的藥品每盒有120片,長期服用的女性一年只會來三次月經(jīng)。 盛裝藥片的盒子僅有手掌大小,可以記錄使用量,如果有漏服則會馬上發(fā)出警報,通知使用者必須利用其它避孕方式。 這種名為Clyk的藥劑數(shù)字分發(fā)盒可以根據(jù)使用者的設置,每天自動報警提醒服藥。 根據(jù)生產(chǎn)這種新型避孕藥的拜爾藥物公司資助的調查,超過80%的女性承認曾經(jīng)漏服避孕藥,31%的女性一個月就會漏服一次。 亞歷克斯-特雷弗已經(jīng)服用這種新藥一周了,她很喜歡使用新型的數(shù)字藥劑分發(fā)盒,這種分發(fā)盒可以使她的服藥更有規(guī)律。她說:“我以前經(jīng)常忘記服藥。” Yaz Flex的前身是每月服用的避孕藥Yaz,兩種藥物都含有一種復合激素,長期服用時可以幫助治療青春痘。Yaz Flex由德國制造,但在澳大利亞首先發(fā)售。 副教授兼婦科學家羅德-巴伯爾說,諸多藥物研究發(fā)現(xiàn),減少月經(jīng)次數(shù)很安全,對月經(jīng)量大的女性來說尤其有用,她們經(jīng)常痛經(jīng),或者患上經(jīng)期偏頭痛。 特雷弗說,她服用之前的避孕藥也可以減少月經(jīng)次數(shù),但Yaz Flex配有藥劑數(shù)字分發(fā)盒,這讓她能很清楚自己的周期。她的母親克里斯汀-里德就在拜爾公司工作。 Yaz Flex的常見副作用包括惡心、抑郁、頭痛、胸痛、以及不定期出血。 而且與其他服用舊式避孕藥的女性相比,服用Yaz Flex的女性患上血栓的風險是其兩倍。但巴伯爾博士說,這種風險(10萬分之2.7)仍然很低。孕婦患上血栓的風險是10萬分之六。 相關閱讀 (中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Julie 編輯:Helen) |
Vocabulary: acne: 痤瘡,也叫粉刺,青春痘 migraine: 偏頭痛 menstruation: 月經(jīng),月經(jīng)期間 |