Episode 9.6 New Birth Control Products and Other Updates

Antonia Roberts and Howard Herrell review several new articles:

• Epifoam for postpartum pain lacks evidence of effectiveness compared to simple ice packs while costing nearly $100 per unit
• AMH levels above 5.39 are associated with PCOS diagnosis, providing a specific threshold for clinical use
• External aortic compression demonstrated as a life-saving technique during severe obstetric hemorrhage
• Vaginal estrogen in breast cancer survivors shows no increased risk of cancer recurrence or mortality
• Delayed cord clamping in preterm twins reduces mortality by 30% and significantly decreases transfusion needs

Then they discuss new birth control options while questioning the value of expensive pharmaceutical products compared to established, less costly alternatives.

• New birth control options like Balcoltra ($280/month), FemLyv ($215/month), and Nextstellis ($250/month) offer minimal innovation over generic alternatives costing $10-15/month
• Marketing terms like "bioidentical" and "plant-based" are often misleading as all hormonal contraceptives are synthesized from plant precursors
• Progestin-only pills like Slynd provide only marginal DVT risk reduction (5 vs 4 per 100,000 person-years) compared to low-dose combined pills

Check our Instagram for more information and join us again in two weeks for our next episode.

00:00:00 Introduction and Epifoam Discussion

00:06:27 Financial Impact of Unnecessary Treatments

00:11:09 AMH Levels for PCOS Diagnosis

00:15:11 External Aortic Compression for Hemorrhage

00:20:22 Vaginal Estrogen and Delayed Cord Clamping

00:21:51 New Birth Control Products Overview

00:31:05 Analyzing Dissolvable Birth Control Pills

00:34:22 Slynd: Drosperinone-Only Pill Evaluation

00:42:09 Nextstellis and "Bioidentical" Estrogen Claims

00:56:37 History of Birth Control Development