Do You Think the Pill Should Be Available OTC?

The debate over whether or not emergency contraception should be sold over-the-counter is raging. But what about your everyday B.C.? Sixty-two percent of women support over-the-counter access to birth control pills, according to a new nationally representative survey.

To examine the demand for hormonal contraception without a prescription, researchers surveyed 2,046 women across the country who were considered at risk of unintended pregnancy—meaning they had had sex with a man in the past year, weren’t pregnant or trying to become pregnant, hadn’t delivered a baby in the last two months, weren’t sterilized, and didn’t have a partner who was sterilized. Not only did 62.2 percent say they’re in favor of OTC birth control, but about 30 percent of the respondents who weren’t currently using birth control or were on a less effective method (such as condoms alone) said they would likely start using birth control pills if they were offered OTC.

A big benefit that would result from birth control pills being sold OTC: easier, more convenient access—which could potentially mean a decrease in the unintended pregnancy rate. No more jumping through hoops or missing half-days of work to get your Rx re-written.

On the other hand, concerns about OTC BC include fears that women who shouldn’t be on birth control pills for health reasons would take them—like women who smoke or have a history of migraines. Another concern is that women wouldn’t visit the gynecologist for pap smears or STI testing if they weren’t also visiting for a pill scrip.

That being said, in a committee opinion released last November, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) threw their support behind the push for OTC oral contraceptives, writing, “Weighing the risks versus the benefits based on currently available data, OCs should be available over-the-counter.”

And now, from this nationally representative survey, we know that the majority of women support birth control pills hitting store shelves, too. But if you’re part of that majority, don’t expect rollouts in the near future: “There’s a lot that needs to happen in order for birth control pills to go over the counter,” says Eve Espey, MD, MPH, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico and chair of ACOG’s Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. A pharmaceutical company would have to sign on, pills would have to be studied in an OTC setting, and the FDA would have to approve the move, says Espey.

TELL US: Are you for or against over-the-counter birth control pills? Would you get refills for—or get started on—the pill that way if it were an option? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
7 Awesome Benefits of Birth Control
Caution: Birth Control and Migraines Don’t Mix
Side Effects of Birth Control

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