6
University Daily Kansan / Thursday, February 6, 1992
A woman's choice
Most birth control methods leave the burden on the woman. Here are some of the most common contraceptive devices:
The pill
Measured doses of progesterone and estrogen that inhibit the release of eggs from the ovaries.
Condom
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval is pending for a female condom. The vaginal pouch would guard against sexually transmitted diseases and prevent conception.
Implants
Tiny tids implanted in the upper arm that release progesterone to inhibit ovulation and implantation.
Contraceptive sponge
Polyurethane
spermicide-releasing
sponge placed over
the cervix to prevent
sperm: from entering
the uterus.
Diaphragm
Rubber dome that covers the cervix, used with a spermicide. The diaphragm is similar to the sponge but fits more smugly over the cervix.
IUD
Changes the uterus lining, somehow preventing eggs from implanting. Some pain, other, others emit progesterone.
Source: Science Digest, September 1986
Vaccine could make women immune to sperm
By Kris Belden
Kansan staff writer
Putting a piece of rubber or some kind of gel on the genitals can be an embarrassing and inconvenient interruption during a passionate sexual encounter.
And remembering to take a pill each day is not always as easy as it sounds.
But all of these common birth control hassles will become avoidable if a contraceptive vaccine that causes women to become immune to sperm is successful.
John Herr, associate professor of anatomy and biology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, created the vaccine and is directing its testing. Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp., Raritan, N.J., is financing the research.
Herr said the vaccine caused the voman's immune system to develop antibodies to a protein molecule, SP-10, that appears on the head of a sperm at the peak of its sexual maturity.
"It is a new approach to contraception," said Clare Castaldo, Ortho representative.
Antibodies bind with the sperm, destroying the sperm's ability to fertilize a female egg cell.
Because vaccines are widely accepted in world cultures, the vaccine could help control overpopulation. Herr said. The vaccine was engineered inexpensively, and Herr said that though the marketing was up to Ortho, the vaccine could be cost efficient.
Research has shown the vaccine to be universally effective since all human sperm could have the protein, Herr said.
The vaccine may last for a period of two to five years. Studies indicate that the vaccine would not cause adverse immune reactions in women, Herr said.
The next phase of the project is to test the vaccine to make sure the effects of the vaccine can be reversed and then to eventually test it on humans, said Marguerite Beck of the University of Virginia news office.
Since it works before fertilization, the vaccine is not an abortive drug and is not controversial like other post-fertilization drugs, she said.
One of the aims of the vaccine is to be inexpensive and thus easily available, Beck said. It would prove valuable in controlling overpopulation worldwide, she said.
Contraceptive vaccines have never been marketed anywhere in the
world, said Elizabeth Robinson of Family Health, International, a nonprofit contraceptive research organization in Durham, NC.
Researchers channel more effort into developing forms of birth control for women, but more effort needs to be placed on researching and developing contraceptives for men, said Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare.
"Regulating women's ovulating behavior is easier than regulating sperm production and movement," he said.
The last advance in birth control was Norplant, which became available in the United States early last year. Norplant is implanted beneath the skin of a woman's upper arm and slowly releases progesterone to inhibit ovulation. The device, consisting of two slender silicon rubber rods, can be removed by a physician at any time and is inconspicuous.
Before Norplant, the last significant advance in contraceptives was when the sponge was approved by the FDA in April of 1983, Robinson of Family Health. International said.
Ortho does not expect the vaccine to be approved by the FDA for at least five years, Castaldo said.
From crocodile dung to beaver testicles, birth control methods have a creative, bizarre history
By Katherine Manweiler Kansan staff writer
Birth control methods have been around almost as long as sex.
But some of the methods are noted more for their creativity than their effectiveness.
The earliest known birth control device, crocodile dung inserted in the vagina, originated around 1500 B.C. said Janine Demo, coordinator for health education at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
She said people once thought that the dung acted as a barrier to sperm
"Obviously, men thought that method up," Demo said.
Intrauterine devices (IUDs) were used as a birth control method for camels in early centuries. People
would place pebbles in the worms of camels during desert crossings as a barrier to egg fertilization.
By the early 1900s, IUDs were a popular form of birth control for women. The method no longer is recommended because it can lead to sterilization.
Candyde Waitley, health educator at Watkins, said chastity belts often were used in the Middle Ages to control the sexual activity of women.
A chastity belt is a metal belt with a piece of metal that fits between the woman's legs. There were holes in the metal for waste elimination.
"Men locked these belts on their wives and kept the keys," Waitley said.
in the mid-1600s, King Charles II asked a doctor to invent a device that
would protect him from syphilis and fathering more children. The condom was born.
The vulcanized rubber sheath first was displayed in the United States at the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876.
Other early substances thought to act as barriers to sperm included honey on cotton balls, sea sponges and lemon peels.
Bizarre methods did not disappear with ancient times. In the early 20th century, birth control method was to mix boiled beaver testicles with liquor. Women would drink the potion in the hope that their testosterone production would increase keeping them from ovulating normally, Waitley said.
A man's limited options
The man has fewer choices for contraception. There are only two methods available in the United States; the condom and sterilization.
Condom
A thin rubber sheath that keeps ejaculated sperm contained. Also is an effective barrier against sexually transmitted diseases.
Gossypol
Derivative of cottonseed taken in pill form. Checks sperm synthesis but does not disrupt hormone production. Available in China. Has side effects of possible impotence
Sterilization
The spermatic ducts are permanently cut or caterized so that sperm cannot pass through. Does not affect libido.
Almee Brainard, Doily Kansan
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