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MyHealthNewsDaily
Women should be able to buy birth control pills over-the-counter at pharmacies without a prescription, a group of doctors says.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said today that increasing women's access to birth control in this way could reduce the rate of unplanned pregnancies in the United States, which has not changed in the last 20 years. About half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended.
Although selling birth control pills over-the-counter (OTC) comes with risks — like any drug, the pill has potential side effects, and there are concerns it would be used by women who should not take the drug — these are outweighed by the benefits, the ACOG says.
The pill's availability would not change overnight. First, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would require drug companies to conduct studies proving the pill is safe for OTC use, said Claire Brindis, a reproductive health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco. For instance, the companies would need to prove that women who hadn't consulted with a doctor do indeed understand the medication's side effects and the circumstances under which they should not take it, Brindis said.
Emergency contraception (also known as the morning-after pill ), which is taken to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, is already available over-the-counter without a prescription for women over 18.
Risks and benefits
Birth control pills can increase the risk of blood clots in some women. But this side effect is rare, and pregnancy also comes with an increased risk of blood clots, ACOG says.
"If you look at the degree to which unintended pregnancy affects women, and the risks that those unintended pregnancies carry … those risk outweigh the other risks of the medication," said Dr. Jill Rabin, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
Studies also suggest women do not need a doctor's help in determining whether they should not use the pill. (Women should not take the pill if they are pregnant or have certain conditions such as breast cancer or high blood pressure.)
"There are many medications over the counter with side effects," Rabin said. "People have to really read [the label] to see whether or not this medication that is appropriate for them."
Rabin said she agrees with the ACOG statement and hopes that should the drugs become available OTC, women would still have conversations with their doctor about which birth control pills are right for them.
Research from Mexico, where women can obtain birth control pills over-the-counter, suggests that this availability does not stop women from visiting their doctors for screening tests such as Pap smears and breast exams, ACOG says.
Cost concerns
There are concerns that women who buy birth control pills over-the-counter would not be reimbursed by their health insurance. Efforts to improve access to birth control pills "should try to ensure that they won't increase out-of-pocket costs for women," said Dr. Kavita Nanda, who was involved writing the ACOG statement and is a scientist at the family planning nonprofit organization FHI 360.
Birth control pills range in price from $15 to $80 per month, or $180 to $960 per year.
In general, health insurance companies do not cover the cost of over-the-counter medications, said Janet Coffman, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who researches health policy.
Under provisions of the Affordable Care Act that take effect in 2014, insurance companies will cover prescription contraception that is FDA approved, Coffman said. But it's not clear if that coverage would apply to over-the-counter medications, she said.
It's also unclear what the price of birth control would be if it became available over-the-counter, Coffman said. There are a number of generic oral birth control pills, and with competition, prices could come down, Coffman said.
Brindis said that she hopes "health plans recognize that it's far cheaper for them to cover the cost of birth control than it is to pay for the cost of pregnancy."
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As a prescription, the lady is told of the side effects and potential hazards of the pills before taking them.
Maybe if Men would wear Condoms .....oh don't dare ask that ..........
My bottle of Advil and box of Sudafed have warnings and side effects listed, too.
I saw that Rush Limbaugh, when trashing Planned Parenthood on one of his shows, had a caller claim to have seen many women with blood clots from taking the pill. Numerous studies, easily found on the web, show that while new birth control pills have resulted in increases in blood clots, they have also concluded that the risk of blood clots is twice as great for pregnant women and women who have recently had a baby than those who use the pill.
Hey, its a womans fricken body! She should be allowed to get her pills wherever she wants. You people who want a person to go to a doctor are just waging a war on other peoples bodies. Butt out and let a woman get her pills at the corner 7-11 if she wants!
You should need a scrip to get the pill , I know when I was young I went to Family Planning and got my pills every 3 mo. and a check up . and they charge me on a sliding scale. It is a hole lot easier to do that than raise kids or have the gilt of other things, ect.
When I was married our insurance would cover a yearly physical, my wife would get the prescription renewed then.
Birth control should absolutely be prescription only. There are too many risk factor in taking them and there are too many different strengths of hormone in them to leave it up to the public to decide what to take. Also by making BC an over the counter medication, the insurance industry will no longer have to pay for it as a prescribed medication.....BIG ISSUE! All insurance companies that pay for male enhancement drugs/procedures should be mandated to pay for birth control and ALL pregnancy related issues. Having a Dr. monitor your prescription not only helps make sure that a women is on the correct dosage of the pill, but also makes sure that women follow up on pap-smears, STD related tests, physical exams that are vital to the health of women. Also there is the issue of taking it correctly.......This is not a sexist issue, but rather an issue of safety and health for all women and young ladies.
This is paternalistic medicine at best and coercive and unethical at worst. Those screening tests are NOT related in any way to birth control. Can you imagine men going in for a Viagra prescription and being unable to get it unless they submitted to rectal exam and a colonoscopy? It would NEVER happen. The US is the only country with this bizarre preoccupation with keeping women under the control of paternalistic medical monitoring. Birth Control pills are the single most researched medication in the history of medications. They have been proven SAFE for MANY, MANY years.
Aleve nearly killed me. But, this is one of those things that brings out the liberatarian in me. I think we should get most medications over the counter. yep assume some personal responsiblilty. If I have a reoccuring problem and everytime I go see a doctor he prescribes the same thing I pretty sure the pharmacist and I could figure it out.
I think it best to not have this be OTC, because of those side effects involoved. Even if birth control becomes available OTC then women should consult with their doctor first before buying the pills. I know I never had to pay fro birth control since I don't have insurance, but that still doesn't change the fact I consult with my doctor. There are already commericals out now about different birth control options and some women jump on the Yaz bandwagon, since it is more easier to use and may provide immediate results. Lo and behold 6 months later people are suing Yaz for side effects and deaths. I look at it like this if you have th available resources to get birth control use them to your advantage. It is too many women out here having children, and the only excuse they have is "I was taking the pill" or women can ask their doctors about the patch or shot, but both are expensive.
If women don't need prescriptions for birth control, I shouldn't need to see an optemetrist for a prescription for eye glasses or contacts. They have machines that can figure that out now right at the point of sale.
...I worked at the Federal Employee Program at Blue Shield in Seattle for a number of years. We started getting phone calls because Washington State had just passed a law requiring all insurance companies to cover mammograms... and we were not. Had to explain that Federal Employee Program enacted by Congress and so not subject to state laws...
...We tried to show Congress that a couple of Cancer cases caught early could save enough money to pay for a vast number of mammograms... Congress resisted for years...
Of course they resist, it makes sense and saved lives? Bet their mammograms were "covered".
I believe they should be over the counter with warnings just like cigarettes. Maybe the first prescription should be given by a Dr., then the Dr. can give approval for over the counter or an open ended prescription. There is alot of time and medical expense to seeing a Dr. or calling in for a new prescription refill every so many months. We need to try to think smarter and cut costs where feasible. People need to get smarter about their health care.
Many young girls avoid getting bc pills because a pap smear is required for the prescription. A pap smear is a test for cervical cancer and has nothing to do with birth control. This requirement should be done away with. BC pills should be easily available. Every child should be a wanted child!
Oh come on, make them over the counter AND free (nothing is free) that way Sandra Fluke (rhymes with F**K, at her request) would not have to use any of her Georgetown Law graduate $100,000 or so a year salary, going to Wal Mart and paying $9 a month.
Sandra Fluke could afford her bc pills, that's for sure.
No,they should be put on the shelves,with hard cards where you have to take to the pharmacy center in store and purchase them,also should be 13 yrs old or older to purchase. Girls are now days having babies at 13 and that shouldn't be happening.Kids to day are becoming more adults like at 13 and 14. They start their periods earlier and having sex earlier too. Girls today 13 looks like they are 15-16 and they won't tell guys older then them that they are only 13. Girls are more sexually act then boys at 13 and 14.Boys are usually starting to get that way at 15 and 16. So I think they should be able to buy them and show ID and without a parents conscent for most girls don't tell their parents they are having sex or thinking about having sex and that how they get pregnant.If they would tell their parents,they would lock them up and only out to go to school. Myself,I believe in an open relationship with my children,we discuss everything from sex to drugs,more open you are the less chance of getting hit with a surprise that your daughter's pregnant,or on drugs or liquor. My mom told me everything and when I told her I was thinking about sex at the age of 14,she got me on the pill.
Sex at 12 or 13 is not rare but is their body ready for Oral Contraceptives? Are all young girls the same?
I would be glad for my tax money to pay for birth control, if it meant every child would be a wanted child.
Does Viagra or vasectomies require this scrutiny?
Not from the church
Just another liberal agenda to further Damn America.
Liberal agenda?
hhahahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahhahaha
What a fricken ass clown you are......
hey virgle....You want to pay for all those unwanted babies???
hahhahahahhahahaha
of course you don't you idiot....But you want to spend other people's money to pay for them?
How is this article liberal agenda?
My family suffered the death of a cousin because her doctor thought she was safe using the Novia Ring. She had so many blood clots in her liver that it stopped functioning. She died a horrible death. The family has sued the company that makes the product, along with other families that lost a loved one. Granted the Novia ring is not given over the counter, you must see a doctor to learn how to use it. I used "the pill" for a very long time. Now in later life, I have had breast cancer. Was it because of taking the pill? Science as yet is not sure. Messing with our hormones is not something to take lightly. In my cousins case, her doctor thought she would be safe using the ring. Her clots came on fast and by the time she got to the hospital it was too late. I started using "the pill" it was just coming on the market. Now it would be interesting to see just how the women in the rest of the world are doing now after using "the pill" years ago. Are there studies being done and shared throughout the scientific community???
It plays with your natural body hormones. These idiots abouve who don't know the side effects- and they don't affect all- but affect women a lot- well you guys are just STUPID- do your homework- even nurses know that there are side effects!
Give me a break- prescribe the pill but know the risks. Will I take a new RX because my doc says I should- HELL NO! I need answers and results of studies and anyone who doesn't do that better get their head examined. Drug companies push positive results all the time- get over it- AND the FDA is in bed with them- hope they take the pill!
Keep in mind there is no protection from veneral disease, HIV, Clamydia!- WOW isn't sex great?!
An initial prescription should be required. I say this because I'm one of the unfortunate that started taking birth control and two weeks later ended up in the hospital with life threatening bilateral pulmonary blood clots (blood clots in both lungs). It was found that I have a genetic mutation called Leiden's Factor V. Six percent of the European population have Factor V. The mutation increases the chances of clotting. I believe that the initial prescription should include genetic testing for factors that could increase the chances of clotting.
That is absolutely insane! Women on birth control pills NEED to be under a doctor's care. Doctors and women need to determine together whether or not the pill is the correct form of birth control for her. Everyone's body chemistry is different. Not all women can take the pill safely. This is nothing more that an attempt to take the topic of birth control totally out of the insurance companies hands and then off the table when it comes to bias against it by varies churches, and even some pharmacies where employees have personal beliefs against birth control. Shame on any doctor who thinks birth control pills should be an OTC drug; they should have their license to practice medicine taken away from them for even suggesting such an outrageous idea.
I say let us have it w/o needing to see a doctor.
People are far too scared by pharmaceutical side effect warnings. If you have suffered from one of the more serious ones - I am sorry - but you should know that you only make up a VERY small number of people affected by such things...had the rate of incidence been higher that drug you took would've never make it to market.
They're often put under the mis-nomer of "side effects" instead of "POSSIBLE side effects."
Ever go thru your medicine cabinet and read thru all of the POSSIBLE side effects of EVERY medication, OTC or Rx? You'd probably never want to swallow another pill in your life (AND YOU HONESTLY SHOULD NOT BE ANYWAY!)
Swallowing any pill, no matter what it is, does damage to your liver. I bet you'll still take some Tylenol/Advil/Aleve the next time you get a headache tho.
I can't afford to see a doctor - it'd be nice to be able to get some BC w/o having to shell out $ for an office visit and Rx and stuff.
Just to let you know not every medication is metabolized through the liver. Some medications such as Advil and Aleve are metabolized by your kidneys. Tylenol does not "damage" your liver unless you drink alcohol with it. Your liver creates enough enzymes to metabolize it correctly.
Maybe the incidence of severe adverse reactions is low because physicians are educated to recognize patients with medical conditions that are contraindications for these medications and do NOT prescribe them for these patients!
If these "drugs" are made OTC, EXPECT the adverse reaction incidence to sky-rocket as impatient consumers purchase the type they think is best (or maybe just the cheapest?!) for them.
BTW- oral contraceptives do NOT protect against sexually transmitted diseases... this could be the next "expensive" issue if BCP are made OTC!
Of all the things people in this world can get their hands on to hurt themselves, birth control!!??
okay so fine those of you who have tried em and can't take em, DON't buy em! Duh! But s=please let the rest of the world, especially those without insurance and only clinic care ( falls within legal terms of PPACA) have the right to go and buy them and use them properly. Give us some credit for having a brain, will and mind of our own run our own lives without some over-protective idiot with no common sense forcing us into a totalitarian type lifestyle more than we already have!
"They" already took allergy pills and antacids and made them over-the-counter, causing the prices to go through the roof for the consumer. That reason alone is enough for me to say HELL NO on making bcp over-the-counter. Medically, I feel that birth control pills should be given out under the control of a doc. They have far more serious side effects, and it can be very difficult to know when to give up on one that doesn't seem to be working for you & moving along to another. Seems weird that docs would advocate for such a thing considering they would lose a lot of business that way......
And make them inexpensive, women know when they need to take BCp's, they are not addictive.
Addiction is NOT the concern. Contraindications ARE!!!!
Are you informed enough to understand the numerous different types and dosages of these medications?
Most here are intelligent enough to ask a medical professional, but MANY (who often have multiple contraindications and are unable to discern the potential adverse interactions with other drugs) will not.
Give women an inexpensive choice, what are we in the dark ages???!!! The pros for this would be absolutly mind boogling
Blood clots or not, it will help control human population one way or another.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
btw something as widely known as the blood clot issue I am sure is taken into account. Possible? Of course. Likely? No.
As an adult a she can make the choice to use it or not.
I think you should have to see a doctor. Sometimes you have to take several until you get it right. I get a script each year when I go and see the "legs-up" doctor. They always ask about any symptoms, etc. And I use a very low dose. If for some reason, I run out before I get my next appointment - I just call over the phone and they call it in. If you are sexually active, you should be going to the doctor once a year anyway - so what is the big deal? Not everyone can take the pill. There are different kinds - different side effects. You need a doctor.