Contraception is a significant concern for Canadian women of child-bearing age, their partners and their health care providers. In this narrative review we provide information on current trends and recent changes in Canadians' choices of contraceptive methods. We review the characteristics of contraceptive methods available in Canada, with an emphasis on hormonal methods and newer options such ...

It has been shown that women's preference for masculinity in male faces changes across the menstrual cycle. Preference for masculinity is stronger when conception probability is high than when it is low. These findings have been linked to cyclic fluctuations of hormone levels. The purpose of the present study is to further investigate the link between gonadal steroids (i.e. testosterone, estrad...

BACKGROUND Studies have reported current hormonal contraceptive use is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including high blood pressure. The aim of this study was to determine the association between past hormonal contraception use and high blood pressure in Australian postmenopausal women. METHODS Women were recruited from the 45 and Up Study, an observational cross-sectional s...

INTRODUCTION The efficacy and safety of contraceptives have been questioned for decades; however, whether a relationship exists between hormonal contraceptives and gestational diabetes (GDM) is undetermined. The aim of this study was to investigate whether maternal risk for GDM was influenced by type of contraceptive method used before pregnancy. METHODS Data collected in 2007 and 2008 by the...

The purpose of this study was to test whether men perceive changes in their female partner's attractiveness as a function of her fertility status. We further tested how both male and female self-perception varies in relation to female fertility status. This study benefits from the use of transvaginal ultrasonography to detect fertility during the regular cycle and the use of a within-subjects d...

Hormonal contraceptive pills containing 750 microgram levonorgestrel are the most commonly used postcoital contraceptive method because of their high efficacy and fewer side effects. Emergency contraceptive pills containing levonorgestrel present their effects by several mechanisms, including delayed tubal transport of the ovum. A delay of tubal transportation of an ovum is also one of the poss...

SYNOPSIS Cyclical variations in monoamine oxidase activity during the human menstrual cycle, specific to the endometrium and modified in women undergoing contraceptive steroid treatment, may reflect changes in hormonal environment. Treatment of rats with individual constituents of the contraceptive pill causes analogous changes: oestrogens inhibit and progestogens potentiate uterine monoamine o...

Using a unique microsimulation tool, Teen FamilyScape, the present study explores how changes in the mix of contraceptive methods used by teens contributed to the decline in the U.S. teen pregnancy rate between 2002 and 2010. Results indicate that changes in contraceptive use contributed to approximately half of the decline in the teen pregnancy rate during this time period (48%) and that a lit...

The aim of this study was to examine the pattern of attendance of patients requesting Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) at an accident and emergency department before and after a government driven change in legislation, which allowed EHC to be sold over-the-counter by trained pharmacists, to women aged 16 years and above. We employed retrospective comparative study using computer records o...

The association between contraceptive use and breast-feeding duration was investigated in 2380 women in rural Bangladesh where women usually stop breast-feeding once pregnant. Life table analysis showed that women receiving regular injections of depo medroxy progesterone acetate (DMPA) and those using non-hormonal contraception breast-fed significantly longer than women using no contraception. ...