澳州新药可让女性1年只有3次月经_时事

澳州新药可让女性1年只有3次月经

A NEW contraceptive pill that lets women go four months without a period will go on sale this week.

Yaz Flex comes in packs of 120 pills and women who use it continuously will have three periods a year.

The pill comes with a palm-sized dispenser that records usage, notices when a tablet has been missed and provides an alert that alternative contraception must be used.

The Clyk digital tablet dispenser can be programmed to sound a daily alarm to remind women to take the pill.

More than 80 per cent of women admit to forgetting to take their contraceptive pill at some stage and 31 per cent forget it once a month, according to a survey funded by Bayer, the drug company that makes Yaz.

Alex Trevor, who has used the new pill for a week, loves the new digital dispenser which "keeps me on track". "There have been times when I've forgotten to take the pill in the past," she said.

Yaz Flex is a new version of the existing monthly contraceptive pill Yaz and both contain a combination of hormones that over time help reduce acne. Australia is the launch market for the pill, which is made in Germany.

Associate professor and gynaecologist Dr Rod Baber said many medical studies had found skipping periods was safe and it could be useful for women who have heavy periods, their periods are painful or they get migraine associated with menstruation.