Curing the Female ‘Curse’
Birth control pill manufacturer Wyeth has whipped up a new product, Lybrel, that will not only prevent pregnancies but will apparently eliminate menstrual periods altogether. Does this development constitute a liberating break from biology for women or a subtle message that their bodies need to be somehow 'fixed'?Birth control pill manufacturer Wyeth has whipped up a new product, Lybrel, that will not only prevent pregnancies but will apparently eliminate menstrual periods altogether. Does this development constitute a liberating break from biology for women or a subtle message that their bodies need to be somehow ‘fixed’?
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And studies have found no extra health risks associated with pills that stop menstruation, although some doctors caution that little research has been conducted on long-term effects.
The topic has, however, inspired an hourlong documentary by Giovanna Chesler, “Period: The End of Menstruation?,” currently screening on college campuses and among feminist groups.
Ms. Chesler, who teaches documentary making at the University of California, San Diego, said she became concerned about efforts to eliminate menstruation when she first heard about the idea several years ago.
“Women are not sick,” she said. “They don’t need to control their periods for 30 or 40 years.”
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