Birth Control

It is often said that women hit their sexual prime after age 30. If so, it's probably because they have finally become "at home" in their bodies -- attuned to their monthly rhythms and at ease with their sexuality.So it's ironic that Mother Nature should pick that time to reshuffle the deck: As women begin to move toward menopause, their bodies start changing again. And as their bodies change, they may need to reconsider their contraceptive options.While the average age of menopause is 52, some women see monthly changes, such as irregular periods, as early as their late 30s.Still, according to the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth, 26 percent of women aged 40 to 44 are fertile.

Shirley E. Handelsman, a long-time Planned Parenthood advocate and consumer affairs activist, died of respiratory failure June 18 at Roland Park Place. She was 91. Shirley Esther Silverberg, the daughter of a movie theater owner, was born in Greenville, Pa., near Pittsburgh, where she spent her early years. When she was a teenager, her family moved to Baltimore after her father took over ownership of the Park Theate in the 1100 block of N. Broadway. Growing up, Mrs. Handelsman and her sister and brother spent a lot of time watching movies.

The birth control pill was no longer an option for Jim Segermark's wife, and undergoing a vasectomy himself seemed nothing short of barbaric. So, a few years ago, the 42-year-old father of two from Minnesota devised a new male contraceptive device: a tiny implantable clip that blocks the flow of sperm - without cutting or cauterizing a man's plumbing. "We don't have to cut you," said Segermark, a medical supply company owner who was also the first patient to have the Vasclips attached to his vas deferens tubes.

Baltimore recorded its lowest teen birth rate in at least four decades, city health officials announced yesterday, an improvement they attributed to more effective contraceptives, fear of AIDS and increased education efforts. In 2001, the latest year for which statistics are available, 8.3 percent of Baltimore females ages 15 to 19 had babies -- two-tenths of a percentage point lower than the rate in 2000. Ten years ago, 11.4 percent of that group gave birth. The decrease, which mirrors a national trend, means that Baltimore has the 16th-highest teen birth rate among large American cities -- down from eighth in 1991.

YOU'VE PROBABLY heard about the racist sterilization program that bribes addled drug addicts -- primarily black women -- to submit to birth control in exchange for a free fix.Well, not quite. Yet one might infer this from a story by the Associated Press that recently appeared in newspapers across the country.The story told of a privately funded California program "making its way across the country" (like the plague?) that "pays $200 to drug-addicted women to get their tubes tied," drawing "the wrath of critics who call it shortsighted, racist and a source of drug money for users."

The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed a federal lawsuit against the city Monday, saying a first-in-the-nation ordinance regulating pregnancy counseling centers violates the rights of church members to freedom of speech and religion. Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien said the law, which took effect in January, "is hurting the good people volunteering and giving so much of their resources to come to the help of pregnant women." It requires the centers, some of which are supported by the Catholic Church, to post signs stating that they do not refer women for abortion or birth control.

Both sides of the abortion debate will be focusing on Baltimore today, when the City Council is expected to approve a first-in-the-nation law imposing new regulations on faith-based organizations that try to steer women away from the procedure. The measure, introduced by council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake at the behest of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, would require that crisis pregnancy centers that do not provide abortions or birth control post signs saying so. Proponents frame the effort as a matter of public health.

The Pill turns 50 this month, and I swear I am feeling every one of those years. For me, that little disc of pink and white birth control pills has morphed into one of those day-of-the-week pill storage containers that's filled with all sorts of medicines, none of which holds the promise of a wild night of sex. The Pill is now "the pills," and they hold out hope of less joint pain and less risk of clogged arteries and dying of a sudden heart...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Across the mahogany-paneled lobby, up the elevator to the 15th floor, the door opens into the world of Carl Djerassi, the renowned inventor of the birth control pill, who is now trying to make his mark as a novelist.As the owner of both the sumptuous apartments on the floor, Djerassi has taken command of the entryway and created a stunner: Walls and ceiling are cobalt blue, studded with symbols that pay tribute to his life and loves. Painted like a constellation is the chemical structure of the oral contraceptive.

When Norplant, a surgical birth-control implant, was introduced, its relative high cost -- $500 -- was a drawback. But now Maryland's largest health-care providers are covering this birth-control option. The state will pick up the $500 tab for Medicaid patients. Blue Cross and Blue Shield and two health maintenance organizations are covering the device, too. "Everything points to this being a real advance in controlling unwanted pregnancies," said Dr. Arthur Keefe of Blue Cross. Uninsured women may also get help: Planned Parenthood is exploring ways to defray the cost for them.