Oral contraceptive

Oral contraceptives are chemicals taken by mouth to inhibit normal fertility. All act on the hormonal system. Female oral contraceptives have been on the market since the early 1960s, and enjoy great popularity. They are used by millions of women around the world, though the acceptance varies by region: approximately one-third of sexually active women in the United Kingdom, but much less in countries such as Japan. Male oral contraceptives remain a subject of research and development, and are not widely available to the public.

History

The invention

The Pill was developed in the 1950s by Gregory Pincus with the encouragement and financial backing of birth control activists Margaret Sanger and Katharine McCormick. Carl Djerassi (1923-) invented norethindrone in the 1950s. This creation provided a large enough supply of synthetic hormone to produce "the pill" for mass markets.

Related Topics:
1950s - Gregory Pincus - Margaret Sanger - Katharine McCormick - Carl Djerassi - 1923 - Norethindrone

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The FDA approved it for clinical use on May 9, 1960. It took various high-profile court cases, such as Poe v. Ullman and Griswold v. Connecticut, to make it available to all women of reproductive age.

Related Topics:
FDA - May 9 - 1960 - Poe v. Ullman - Griswold v. Connecticut

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France

The Pill was rendered legal in 1967 after the introduction of the Neuwirth Law.

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Japan

In Japan, continual debates over safety and sexually-transmitted infection risks (raised over concerns that oral contraceptive use will diminish condom use) have led to the Pill being banned for nearly 40 years, and its recent introduction has seen very few women take it up{{ref|5}}.

Related Topics:
Japan - Sexually-transmitted infection

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