Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

Endnotesin Gynecology and Obstetrics at John Hopkins University, 1951;the CIBA Lecturer at the University of London, UK, 1952;and an Honorary Professor at Bahia University, Brazil, 1958.He was awarded the De Snoovan’t Foundation Prize in 1964for research in reproductive physiology (American Men and Womenin Science, 1976).3The question is never asked what actually happens to RU 486once it has taken the place of progesterone.4Initially the half-life of RU 486 was believed to be only around10 hours (Bertagna et al., 1984:27).5Earlier, in a 1988 publication, Baulieu simply stated that ‘In awoman’s body, the half-life of RU 486 is approx. 20 h’—thusmaking the reader believe that this figure was based on conclusiveresearch (p. 125).6One of the few RU 486 studies which investigate its effect onthe hypothalamus is a report from Sheffield, UK (Li et al., 1988)which reports 23 per cent mood changes, irritability, depressionand marked thirst sensation in women who had received RU486 in the luteal phase for menstrual induction.7See Schreiber et al. (1983); Deraedt et al. (1985) and Heikinheimoet al. (1986) for studies on the pharmakinetics of RU 486 in rats,men and women. Many of their results are contradictory andinconclusive, and the papers end with the demand for furtherresearch. Furthermore, similar studies investigating the mutualactions of RU 486 and prostaglandins upon one another havenot been undertaken.8Progestagen-only pills also cause menstrual disturbances, areduction of tubal motility, ‘persistent and/or heavy bleeding’,amenorrhea due to anovulation, mastalgia (sore breasts) andheadaches that are said to be ‘not uncommon’ (Kleinman,1990:64).9In his article about the prevention of cardiovascular risk in womenMichael Kafrissen specifically mentions the proges tinlevonorgestrel as severely implicated in cardiovascular risk forwomen because of its strong androgenicity (1990:18).127