Contraception Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Contraception, including details on birth control, the pill, condoms, emergency contraception.

The implications of objectification theory for women's health: menstrual suppression and "maternal request" cesarean delivery.

Andrist LC

Professor and Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. landrist@mghihp.edu

Menstrual suppression with oral contraceptives and cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) are relatively new options for women and increasingly are available, particularly in developed countries, around the world. In this article, I explore these issues using objectification theory as a framework for deconstruction. I offer a provocative hypothesis: Women who objectify their bodies are not only interested in menstrual suppression, but also in surgicalized childbirth at their request. I argue that because patriarchal societies have aligned women's reproductive functions with nature, disinterest in menstruation and vaginal childbirth has become another way for women to separate themselves from their "earthly" nature and transform or maintain their bodies as idealized cultural symbols.

Published 25 April 2008 in Health Care Women Int, 29(5): 551-65.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Contraception published 25 April 2008:

Jordanian women's experiences with the use of traditional family planning.   Health Care Women Int, 29(5): 527-38.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Ministry of Health (MOH) have identified the importance of strengthening national capacity through the integration of reproductive health (RH) services into the primary health care system. It is reported that a high percentage of Jordanian women use traditional family planning (TFP) methods, frequently using them incorrectly. Our purpose in this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the issues and challenges ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Contraception published 12 February 2008:

Availability of emergency contraception after its deregulation from prescription-only status: a survey of Ontario pharmacies.   CMAJ, 178(4): 423-4.

In 2005 the emergency contraception formulation of levonorgestrel (Plan B) became available in Ontario pharmacies without a prescription. We surveyed 239 pharmacies 1 month before the regulatory change and 14-17 months after the change to determine whether availability of the drug increased. The response rates were 79% and 70% before and after the change in status. The proportion of pharmacies that had an in-stock supply of Plan B increased from 78% to 92% (p < 0.001). After the regulatory ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Contraception published 6 February 2008:

Provider selection of evidence-based contraception guidelines in service provision: a study in India, Peru, and Rwanda.   Eval Health Prof, 31(1): 3-21.

Providers underutilize evidence-based practice guidelines as they prescribe contraceptives. To discern biases in guideline utilization by 172 providers of three countries, this study used observations from simulated clients trained to choose oral contraceptives. Providers implemented less than one third of the guideline set, but they addressed, more frequently than other guidelines, items categorized as essential by expert opinion (p < .01). Indian providers emphasized instructions on method ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Contraception published 24 January 2008:

Challenges of contraceptive use and pregnancy prevention among women in the U.S. Navy.   Qual Health Res, 18(2): 244-53.

In this article we present the results of a study to illuminate the explanatory factors related to unplanned pregnancies in the United States Navy, particularly with regard to female contraceptive training and practices, and occupational culture. The data set consists of 52 semistructured interviews with key informants, sailors, and enlisted personnel who were recruited via a quota sample stratified by gender, occupation, and location. The research team carried out semistructured interviews at ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Contraception published 14 January 2008:

Infertility surgery is dead: only the obituary remains?   Fertil Steril, 89(1): 232-6.

Despite the multiple advantages of assisted reproductive technology compared with surgery, there remain several diagnoses for which surgery is still widely performed: distal tubal occlusion, regret of permanent sterilization, and endometriosis. Assisted reproductive technology is superior to surgery and should be offered as first-line treatment. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Immunocontraceptive properties of recombinant sperm protein DE: implications for the development of novel contraceptives.   Fertil Steril, 89(1): 199-205.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the immunocontraceptive properties of recombinant DE, a sperm epididymal protein involved in fertilization, via an experimental study in rats as a critical step toward the development of a human immunocontraceptive. DESIGN: In vivo study in rats. SETTING: Animal care facility of an academic research center. ANIMAL(S): Seventy-four 90-day-old Wistar male and female rats distributed into three groups. INTERVENTION(S): Animals received five injections (intramuscular and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Contraception published 31 December 2007:

Emergency contraception: a reasonable personal choice or a destructive societal influence?   Clin Pharmacol Ther, 83(1): 17-9.

A 2003 petition to the US Food and Drug Administration by the manufacturer to move levonorgestrel emergency contraception from prescription status to over-the-counter sale embroiled the Agency in politics and remains controversial in some circles. This essay addresses the current remaining main points of contoversy about the medication and the Agency's decision. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Emergency contraception update: a Canadian perspective.   Clin Pharmacol Ther, 83(1): 177-80.

Barriers to hormonal emergency contraceptive (EC) access in Canada and the United States led professional and lay groups to lobby for levonorgestrel (LNG) (PLAN B, Barr Pharmaceuticals, Pomona, New York) to be made available over-the-counter. In December 2000, British Columbia, Canada, granted EC prescriptive authority to pharmacists, followed by Quebec in December 2001 and Saskatchewan in September 2003. In April 2005, Health Canada placed LNG on non-prescription, behind-the-pharmacy-counter ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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