← All of Himeka's Erotic Trivia
The pill: approved in the US in 1960, Japan's low-dose version in 1999
The US approved the oral contraceptive in 1960. Japan approved the low-dose pill for contraception in June 1999. Higher-dose hormone pills had long been available there as treatment for menstrual disorders.
MaiHimeka-san! I know this one! "The pill" means that little blue one, right!? The stuff old men sneak! Viagra!
Himeka...Sigh. You're mixing everything up. Viagra treats erectile dysfunction in men. The "pill" we're talking about is the oral contraceptive. Women take female hormones every day to stop ovulation.
MaiWhaaat!? Then when was the pill invented!? Japan got it first, right!?
HimekaThe opposite. The US FDA approved the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, for birth control in 1960. Japan approved the low-dose pill for contraception in June 1999. Nearly 40 years later.
MaiNo way!? So Japan had no pill at all!? What did everyone do!?
HimekaIt wasn't that there was none. Medium- and high-dose hormone pills had long been approved as treatment for menstrual disorders and the like. Some people used them for contraception, but officially they were treatment drugs. Higher hormone doses meant bigger worries about side effects.
MaiHuh. So "low-dose" means you snap the tablet in half!? Talk about thrifty!
HimekaWrong!! It means each tablet itself contains less hormone! Not about breaking pills. Drug makers applied around 1990, and approval took about nine years. Worries over side effects like blood clots, and the fear that if the pill spread, condom use would drop and AIDS would rise, dragged the review out.
MaiBut Viagra came out fast, right!? So THAT was more important!? Bleh!
Himeka...Hmph. Ironic, isn't it. Viagra was approved in January 1999, roughly six months after the application. The same year, in June, the low-dose pill was finally ruled "approvable." So people made a fuss at the time that "the men's blue pill came first."
MaiMrrgh...! Fine, I'll remember which came first, the blue one or the pink one! I'll nail it if it shows up in a quiz!
HimekaThat's a sloppy way to remember it. What matters is how different contraceptive choices were by country and era. ...Even if you ace the quiz, I won't praise you.
Himeka's summary
- In 1960 the US FDA approved the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, for birth control (it had been approved for menstrual disorders in 1957). Combined estrogen and progestogen taken daily suppresses ovulation and prevents pregnancy.
- Japan's council ruled the low-dose pill "approvable" on June 2, 1999; clinics got it that September. Applications began around 1990; approval took about nine years. Medium- and high-dose hormone pills were already approved earlier for menstrual disorders.
- Delays were blamed on concerns about side effects such as thrombosis, and on fears that wider pill use would cut condom use and spread AIDS and other STIs. Viagra, approved in January 1999 about six months after filing, was often cited as a contrast.
Sources
General trivia only. For anything that needs a medical call, talk to a doctor. All characters are adults.
Translated from the Japanese original. Sources are unchanged.