Women who used birth control pills in the 1960s would be amazed at the range of options open to women today. There are patches, shots, and even pills that shorten the menstrual cycle.

Recently, the FDA has started taking a closer look at the newer versions of "the pill." While the high-estrogen birth control pills of yesterday allowed only one pregnancy out of a hundred when taken for a year, the newer pills appear to allow two pregnancies. Whether this difference is cause for concern or not is the topic of discussion among a panel of experts at the FDA this week. A decision needs to be made on whether the contraceptive pill industry needs to create higher standards of effectiveness or whether the benefits of lower-estrogen pills outweigh the risks.

Because of their high levels of estrogen, the old fashioned pills carried a higher risk of blood clots and heart damage. The lower estrogen counterparts are thought to be safer, but because of the way testing is completed, it's hard to compare. Modern clinical trials are completed with non-smoking women at a healthy weight, so its difficult to predict how the drug will interact with the general population.

New and innovative contraception products hit pharmacy shelves on a regular basis, so I think a review by the FDA is probably a good thing. What do you think?