The immediate news release of January 24 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discounts recent media reports that higher birth control standards are possibly being discussed regarding the effectiveness of newer generation oral contraceptives.

According to the FDA report, "Recent wire service stories about today's meeting of the FDA Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee have created misperceptions about the effectiveness of newer generation hormonal contraceptives

The Food and Drug Administration is looking into stricter standards for the birth control pill after finding that pills approved decades ago are more effective than those being marketed today.

The FDA asked a group of 14 experts to decide whether new standards should be implemented. The group will reconvene on Wednesday

A study found that adults in the U.K., which has some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe, can be just as irresponsible as teenagers when it comes to safe sex.

Glasgow Hospital studied their records showing birth control methods of those women requesting abortions and found that the rates of teen women who did not use contraceptives was about that same as those women ages 20 and older

The latest study by Ohio State University Medical Center has revealed that the contraceptive pill has little to no effect on a woman's libido or sexual desire. After reviewing studies for over more than 25 years, researchers noted their conclusion in an issue of the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.

Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, an obstetrician and gynecologist with the medical center, was prompted to carry out the study after results indicated that many women become bloated, feel breast tenderness or experience nausea after taking the pill

The Philippine population is likely to hit 88.1 million this year with an estimated 1.7 million to be born in 2007, as the Commission on Population calls for concrete action to avert the growing population.

Tomas Osias, PopCom executive director said that while the country's population growth rate is on the decline in the past years, the "absolute number" of Filipinos continues to rise