Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning PubHealthInfo

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PubHealth.info® (a subsidiary of PakMed) presents scientific information mainly based on abstracts of articles published on a variety of public health issues/topics, particularly encompassing population planning, disease prevention, maternal and child health, and communicable and non-communicable diseases (like HIV AIDS, malaria, etc) that are affecting a significant portion of population in developing and developed countries. Here you can find abstracts of articles published on a variety of public health topics under category "Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning". Contraception (birth control) is a regimen of one or more actions, devices, or medications followed in order to deliberately prevent or reduce the likelihood of a woman becoming pregnant or giving birth. Therefore contraception is the utilization of various and sundry surgical procedures, devices, practices, agents, or drugs with the intention of preventing conception or impregnation (pregnancy). Methods and intentions typically termed birth control may be considered a pivotal ingredient to family planning. Birth control is a controversial political and ethical issue in many cultures and religions, and although it is generally less controversial than abortion specifically.

YEAR: 1983

CATEGORY: Contraception (Birth Control) and Family Planning

TITLE

New techniques in contraception: gossypol, vaccines and GnRH analogues.

AUTHORS

Aitken RJ

SOURCE

Proceedings of the Annual Symposium of the Eugenics Society. 1983;19:1-18.

ABSTRACT

Discussion focuses on 3 of the most promising lines of current contraceptive research -- gossypol, vaccines, and

GnRH analogues, considering both the scientific principles behind their development and the ethical implications of

their future application. 1) Chinese scientists confirmed the antispermatogenic effects of cotton seed oil in animal

experiments; in 1971 the active agent was identifed as gossypol. The 1st clinical trials were initiated in 1972 and

thus far more than 8000 volunteers have been treated with a variety of gossypol preparations including native

gossypol, gossypol acetic acid, and gossypol formic acid. The conventional contraceptive regime involves a loading

dose of 20mg/day for 60-75 days followed by a maintenance dose of 50 mg/week. An undisclosed number of

pregnancies have occurred. Reversibility seems to be a major problem since around 10% of men remain infertile

after the cessation of gossypol intake. Other hazards of gossypol ingestion include fatigue, gastrointestinal

disorders, decreased libido, dizziness, and in 0.75% of cases hypokalaemic paralysis. The question arises as to

whether it is right that 8000 Chinese men have been administered gossypol while ignorance concerning the toxicity

and effectiveness of this compound prohibits its approval by any other government west of the Himalayas. 2) The

development of a contraceptive vaccine would be appropriate to the needs of the Third World, the population of

which will have doubled in 34 years to 6.6 billion. The advantages of vaccines are that they can be administered by

paramedical personnel, they should provide a long-lasting protection against pregnancy, and they can take advantage

of the service infrastructure existing in most developing countries for the administration of vaccines against disease.

The zona pellucida and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are not the only candidates for an antifertility vaccine

but they are the most promising. A 3rd but less attractive possibility is to immunize against sperm antigens.

Possibly the most feasible sperm antigen for contraceptive development is a specific lactate dehydrogenase,

isozyme, LDH-X. Both gossypol and vaccines will most likely find their ultimate application in developing countries

where factors such as cost, ease of administration, and duration of action are paramount. 3) Progress has also

recently been made with an alternative method more oriented toward the Western market. This approach involves the

chronic administration of powerful analogues of the hypothalamic releasing hormone, GnRH, modified to contain a

D-aminoacid in position 6 and, in some formulations, an ethylamide group in position 10 to prolong the half-life of the

agonist "in vivo." Recent clinical trials have noted some variability in the responsiveness of individuals to chronic

treatment with GnRH analogues, administered in the form of a nasal spray. The optimum protocol for administering

GnRH has yet to be determined. (PubHealth.info Document ID: CONT5T 2035-06)

PubHealth.info NOTE: The author(s) of this article titled, "New techniques in contraception: gossypol, vaccines and

GnRH analogues.", is(are) Aitken RJ. The source of this article is "Proceedings of the Annual Symposium of the

Eugenics Society. 1983;19:1-18.". This article was published in 1983 in English language(s). (PubHealth.info®

Document ID: CONT5T 2035-06. All rights reserved with PubHealth.info) PIN: 22035

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