The Globe Op/Ed page offers another entry into the debate over the scientific value of embryonic stem cells versus adult stem cells.

But, the package includes a column by Judy Norsigian of the Our Bodies, Ourselves,  the feminist health group that produces the book of the same name. She argues that the embryo producers (women) are often left out of the debate.  She worries about the potential long-term health consequences of  “ovarian suppression” drugs.

Extracting multiple eggs from a woman typically requires some suppression of her ovarian function. One drug used to do so — leuprolide acetate, which is sold as Lupron — has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this purpose. Even two drugs approved by the FDA for such ovarian suppression — drugs sold as Antagon and Cetrotide — have inadequate long-term safety data.

Lupron, which does have several FDA-approved uses in both women and men, is marketed by TAP Pharmaceutical Inc., a company with a serious track record of fraud and inappropriate marketing of Lupron in violation of FDA rules. Through a group called the Lupron Victims Network, thousands of women have shared their problems with the drug. Many have also written to the FDA. Although the FDA has never systematically investigated the thousands of adverse reports, one FDA epidemiologist did conclude in March 1999 that there were “high prevalence rates’’ for serious side effects that warranted more study.