| " BIRTH CONTROL | Medicine designed to eliminate menstruation wins FDA approval -- but some question why it's needed " "The first birth-control pill that stops monthly bleeding indefinitely has won federal approval, the manufacturer said Tuesday." "Lybrel is the first such pill to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for continuous use. When taken daily, the pill can halt women's menstrual periods indefinitely and prevent pregnancies. " "Lybrel, a new birth control pill that eliminates periods completely for most women, gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Tuesday. " "It is the latest of many contraceptives -- such as Seasonale and Yaz -- which reduce the number of periods to three or four a year and break away from the monthly, weeklong periods seen through use of traditional birth control. " "Traditional oral contraceptives are the 21-days-on, seven-days-off regimen that had been standard since birth-control pill sales began in the 1960s." " It's the latest approved oral contraceptive to depart from the 21-days-on, seven-days-off regimen that had been standard since birth-control pill sales began in the 1960s. The Wyeth pill is the first designed to put off periods altogether when taken without a break. " ""The more choices the better," said Darryn Dunbar, associate medical director for Planned Parenthood in the Chicago area. "Lybrel is another great option for women to figure out what works best for them." " "Wyeth plans to start Lybrel sales in July. The Madison, N.J., company said it hasn't yet determined a price. The pill contains a low dose of two hormones already widely used in birth-control pills, ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel. " "There is no evidence to show that the low dosage of hormones makes this pill safer than others, but "lowest dosage [of anything] is always good," said Dr. Lee Shulman, head of reproductive genetics at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. " "With Lybrel, in tests, 59 percent of women who took the medication had no bleeding after six months. " "The pill isn't for everyone, an FDA official said. About half the women enrolled in studies of Lybrel dropped out, said Dr. Daniel Shames, a deputy director in the FDA's drugs office. Many did so because of the irregular and unscheduled bleeding and spotting that can replace scheduled menstruation. " "Dunbar said bleeding is typical with some oral contraception and usually stops by the fourth month. " "The elimination of a period
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