Morning-after pill is more effective when taken with anti-inflammatory

A widely used morning-after pill is far more effective when taken alongside an anti-inflammatory drug, a clinical trial has found.

Levonorgestrel is one of the cheapest and most widely used emergency contraceptives in the world. But the drug only works before an egg is released from one of the ovaries. One study found that the drug is only 58 per cent effective at preventing pregnancies when taken 49 to 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Anti-inflammatory drugs generally work by inhibiting prostaglandins, chemicals with hormone-like effects that also play a role in many processes in reproduction such as ovulation and fertilisation. Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden suspected that these drugs could further reduce the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy.

To test this, Gemzell-Danielsson and her colleagues conducted a randomised trial involving 860 women who requested emergency contraception within 72 hours of unprotected sex at a family planning clinic in Hong Kong between August 2018 and 2022. The participants didn’t include any transgender or non-binary people.

Half the women were given levonorgestrel and piroxicam, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis, while the other half received levonorgestrel and a placebo pill. Neither the participants nor the healthcare professionals knew which participants received which treatment.

Just one woman became pregnant in the anti-inflammatory drug group, whereas seven women became pregnant in the placebo group. There were no differences in side effects between the two groups.

Based on a model of expected pregnancy after unprotected sex, 95 per cent of expected pregnancies were prevented in the anti-inflammatory drug group compared with just 63 per cent in the placebo group.

The trial only included women who weren’t on any hormonal contraceptives as the researchers wanted to study the impact of the treatments on those who were most at risk of an unwanted pregnancy.

Gemzell-Danielsson says it is unclear exactly how the anti-inflammatory drug helps to stop unwanted pregnancies. “We know that prostaglandin is important for [reproductive] processes, but we need to do more mechanistic studies to know for sure what’s happening,” she says.

She hopes that the findings have a quick impact on how healthcare professionals worldwide prescribe emergency contraceptives. Piroxicam is cheap and widely available, she says, and would be straightforward to prescribe alongside levonorgestrel.

Combining piroxicam with the other widely used emergency contraceptive, ulipristal, is also likely to be effective as that contraceptive works in a similar way to levonorgestrel, says Gemzell-Danielsson, but this hasn’t yet been tested.

Judith Stephenson at University College London says the findings could lead to major changes in clinical practice, but she hopes other studies will confirm the result. “Though well designed, it is only one trial, so it would be reassuring to have the findings confirmed in another study,” she says.

She also says it would be useful to find out if the drug combination works in people who have missed one of their daily contraceptive pills.

Topics:

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos