University study finds some painkillers could boost birth control

By Tom Campbell via SWNS

A cocktail of contraceptive pills and painkillers could prevent pregnancy, even during peak fertility, according to a new study by Stamford University in Connecticut.

The combination of emergency contraceptive medication and certain anti-inflammatory drugs could disrupt ovulation when the chances of getting pregnant are highest.

The days before ovulation, a period known as the luteal surge is when women reach peak fertility and are most likely to become pregnant.

Emergency contraception medication can help disrupt the ovulation process - when the egg is released from the ovary, for those who are not planning on becoming parents, but only if taken before the surge.

Now scientists have come up with a concoction of pills that could do the trick.

The findings were published in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.

Author Dr. Erica Cahill at Stamford University said: "When we compare ovulation disruption rates in our study with the previous studies on which our protocol is based, the combination of ulipristal acetate and meloxicam disrupted ovulation at each phase of the fertile window more than any other medication previously studied.”

Ten healthy women aged between 18 and 35 who had regular periods were involved in the study.

They were monitored through two menstrual cycles, a normal ovulation and one where they were given medication.

Participants were given 30 mg of ulipristal acetate and 30 mg of meloxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, when they reached peak fertility.

The researchers then performed ultrasounds and measured key hormones to see whether ovulation has occurred or been disrupted.

The drugs disrupted ovulation for six of the nine women who completed the study, the researchers found.

​​Most of these women, 89 percent, met some of the criteria for incomplete ovulation, meaning they would not have fallen pregnant.

Their cycle was around three days longer when they received the treatment.

Dr. Cahill said: "This cycle length disruption is especially important for those who may also be using fertility awareness methods."

Their findings could pave the way for a new form of oral contraception which works even in the days before ovulation.

She added: "This is exploratory research, involving just nine women, so further studies on safety and effectiveness in larger numbers of women are needed.

"But the results are promising because they show the combination of ulipristal acetate plus meloxicam can disrupt ovulation when conception risk is highest, making it a promising candidate for evaluation as a precoital oral contraceptive.”