Beware: Mifepristone is ingredient in latest new "pill" to be hawked to women

SocietyGuardian.co.uk Health New pill promises to reduce breast cancer risk

The Guardian reports that there could be a new pill on the way that will take the place of the current progesterone/estrogen pill that is used as a contraceptive for women. The report in part says:

"Scientists are working on a new generation of chemical
contraceptives which could hugely reduce side-effects, including the risk of
breast cancer and blood clots, 50 years after the first trial of the pill.

Laboratory studies suggest that, aside from stopping women getting pregnant,
the new pill could reduce breast cancers, thrombosis, and heart disease
associated with the existing pill. It also stops women having periods altogether
- suggesting it could offer relief for the hundreds of thousands suffering from
PMT.

But it will be controversial because the new group of compounds include
a drug known as mifepristone, which is licensed in the UK for use in chemical
abortions."

It looks as if the people who brought us RU486 are not content with the number of women who have already died as a result of taking the Mifepristone/Misoprostone combination, so now they want to try and convince women that a pill that has Mifepristone as one of the ingredients is going to be the panacea for a whole range of women's problems - including a reduction of cases involving thrombosis, and the best one of all, is that it will stop periods and thus end PMT.

It is difficult for me to comprehend how a woman health reporter can be so naive to think that women who get PMT are going to benefit by taking Mifepristone and seeing their periods stop. Since we still do not have sufficient information on Mifepristone, it is irresponsible for a health writer to suggest that a "pill" with this ingredient is going to be the panacea of all panaceas and that all of the women's problems in one hit.

Premenstrual Syndrome is caused not from having a menstrual bleed, but from the imbalance in a woman's hormones. The problem needs to be solved on a very individual basis, possibly through the use of an endocrinologist who is specialised in the study of the hormones of the body. It will not be solved by taking a chemical that has Mifepristone as an ingredient.

It seems that nothing has been learned from the lack of success as far as effectiveness is concerned with Mifepristone on its own as a drug for use as an abortifacient. In fact it has a lousy success rate. The pill in the normal combination of progesterone/estrogen is by far a safer alternative for women than anything containing Mifepristone. My comments are not about being anti-abortion as far as this matter is concerned, rather I am concerned about the fact that when Mifepristone was offered to a French woman who was no more than 35 years old, she died as a result of taking that drug. This is a red flag issue. It is not one that should be taken lightly.

Women of all creeds and political affiliations need to re-examine this issue and the younger women need to be aware that these new drugs are not the panacea to their problems. Most of the gynaecological problems can be resolved without resort to something that is as dangerous to one's health as Mifepristone.

As a woman who has borne three children, I appreciate the need for some women to want to regulate their fertility. However, using a pill that has Mifepristone as an ingredient is not what I would consider a safe alternative. Where is the proof that it can do any of these suggested things? Is this going to be yet another attempt to get Mifepristone into the marketplace without ensuring that it is safe for women to use it on a regular basis? What, if any research has been done regarding to the known and possible side effects from taking this drug?

All women need to think very carefully about allowing their bodies to be used for these experiements that are taking us into the unknown. Do we really want to go to these places? Do we want to see thousands, if not millions of women dying mysteriously, only to discover that the women were told that a pill containing Mifepristone is safe for consumption? This is how they tried to hawk the "Pill" in the first place. It was being hawked as something that was safe to use, yet it caused some women to die of a stroke after being taken down by thrombosis. It has been linked in some cases to breast cancer, and there are some other ill effects. However, are those now controlable contraindications a good enough reason to introduce Mifepristone as a contraceptive?

I hope that all women will take the time to think long and hard about this situation and that they weill say no to the introduction of this new pill. We do not need it and we do not want it. The time has come to say "No, I am not going to be a human experiment for you".