PIP: On March 2, 1998, Japan's Ministry of Health announced postponement of its licensing of the low-dose oral contraceptive (OC) until further studies can determine whether OC use is linked to the spread of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the environment (secreted in the urine and feces of users). The Ministry also called for research into the relationship of the OC and cervical cancer and into possible health problems faced by children of mothers who used the OC during pregnancy. Since 1965, women in Japan have been able to obtain prescriptions for high- and medium-dose versions of the OC as treatment for gynecological problems. These formulations are more likely to cause side effects and are, in reality, widely used for contraception. Advocates for the low-dose OC note that issues of safety and effectiveness have been addressed and that the refusal to license the formulation is an attempt to impede the ability of women to control their sexuality and fertility. Some critics point to the irony of the new concern about endocrine disrupters in Japan where dioxins have routinely been released into the atmosphere and waterways as a result of local government waste-control practices. These critics charge that environmentalists have played into the hands of the anti-OC forces by carelessly labeling the OC an endocrine disrupter without scientific proof. While the Japanese government promotes global family planning and population programs, contraceptive options for women in Japan are currently limited to unmedicated IUDs, spermicides, withdrawal, or condoms.