Ibis Reproductive Health, a nonprofit organization working to improve women’s reproductive autonomy, announced last month that it is partnering with HRA Pharma, a European pharmaceutical company, to help make a birth control pill available over-the-counter. Those who were 17 and younger still required a prescription. After more than a decade of work, an over-the-counter birth control pill is a major step closer to becoming a reality in the United States. In 2006, the FDA approved emergency contraception, or the morning-after pill, for over-the-counter access but restricted it to women 18 years or older. Consider your birth control options and choose the one that will work best for you. It allows you to have control over your fertility, to manage your period, and to prevent pregnancy, and its use probably results in fewer abortions. The American Academy of Family Physicians said it supported over-the-counter access to oral contraception without a prescription, however, a statement on its website makes no mention of other methods or age limitations.Īge restriction had been an issue with other over-the-counter contraceptives in the past. The pill is an effective, discreet, and convenient birth control method. benefit: Providing 12 months of birth control pills at once is beneficial, new research says "With young people, having some kind of interaction with the health care system around sex and sexual health is really important," Raissian said.Ĭost vs.
Over the counter birth control free#
With the Obamacare birth control mandate, insured women, who account for 89 of American women, can access free birth control. Making birth control pills OTC means they would no longer be covered by insurance and women would have to pay for them on their own. When people have access to birth control, they will use it, and when they use it, the rate of unplanned pregnancies will go down and so will the rate of abortions,” she said.Ĭurrently, hormonal birth control is available over the counter in more than 100 countries.If there's no age limit for over-the-counter birth control, the need for other education methods becomes even more crucial, Raissian added, especially since hormonal contraceptives don't protect men and women from sexually transmitted diseases. Over-the-counter (OTC) birth control would raise the cost of the drug. As ACOG points out, no drug is risk-free. “We need to do whatever we need to in order to increase access to birth control because that’s our No. Experts agree that over-the-counter birth control pills would generally be safe, with the benefits outweighing the possible risks. “If you want to prioritize risks that face women in this country, the risk of an unplanned pregnancy is much higher than the potential for undiagnosed cervical cancer or an STI,” said Rose, who noted that women will likely seek medical care if they suspect something is wrong. Dozens of companies also now offer women online screenings for birth control prescriptions.
Over the counter birth control plus#
The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association have already expressed support for non-prescription access to oral contraceptives, and laws in nine states plus Washington, D.C., currently allow pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives. The new ACOG guidelines also state that hormonal birth control options are safe, should be made available without age restriction and should be covered by insurance.