Given that menstruation and wanting to prevent pregnancy are not diseases and since the birth control pill is not a dangerous medicine, do women really need to obtain a prescription to purchase the pill? When you think about it, there is no real risk of drug abuse... if you take too many pills, you're more likely to being throwing-up -- not getting high.
Is the FDA taking the best stance on this issue, or is prescription-status of the pill making it more difficult for women to use and pay for it? Research seems to indicate that more women will use the pill and more pregnancies will be prevented if it could be obtained over-the-counter (OTC). Besides, it has been argued that no other drug has been as extensively researched and studied than the pill -- and the consensus has been reached that the pill is a relatively safe and super effective medication to use.
Several countries, such as Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, Spain, and Brazil allow women to buy birth control pills OTC; but here in the Unites States, women must receive a prescription to obtain the pill. Some argue that women need a medical screening in order to be evaluated for medical conditions or risks that could make pill use more dangerous.
Yet, research has shown that women are very good at self-screening for conditions that would be considered to be contraindications to using the pill. Typically, only about 6.7% of women incorrectly thought they did not have any contraindications/risks when, in fact, they did. Yet, even with medical screening, approximately 6% of pill users in the US show contraindications for pill use. Would it not be safe then, to assume, that given the percentage of women incorrectly misdiagnosing themselves as not having any pill contraindications (6.7%) is similar to the proportion of actual pill users in the US who are contraindicated for use (6%), the over-the-counter sale of birth control pills would likely be safe?
- Can I Buy Birth Control Pills Over the Counter?
- Please Share: Does Your Doctor Require a Pap Smear and Pelvic Exam for Your Pill Prescription?
The pill can provide the convenience of managing one's period (or just skipping it), the control to prevent pregnancy, help in the management of acne, painful periods and PMDD, lower your risk for ovarian cancer, and its use probably results in fewer abortions -- plus research shows that women can self-screen for pill risks. Given this, do you think the pill should be available for sale in the US over-the-counter?
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The Pill Photo © 2011 Dawn Stacey
As an Ob/Gyn, I believe that while the pill is overwhelmingly a safe option for contraception, maintaining its prescription status is important to prevent serious side effects. I agree that self-sceening is somewhat effective, but I am concerned that the rare patient who has a history of blood clots or pulmonary embolism could suffer a life-threatening adverse event that could be avoided by requiring a physician to screen her prior to offering a prescription. The down side, of course, is barriers to access, and were it not for the serious nature of the potential side effects, I would otherwise agree that they should be available OTC.
Yes i think it should be available otc.
YES they should be available w/o prescription. I’ve lived in Chile and Venezuela, getting these OTC and was able to find the brand that worked for me- something my doctor couldn’t do. Doctors are constantly prescribing harmful medicine to people (celebrex, anyone? just to name one) and shoving whatever new pill down someones throat because of all the bonuses they get from the med companies…how is this any worse than the small percentage of women who wouldn’t properly screen themselves?
Absolutely YES.
This is a RIGHT.
By the way:
Doctors in Canada are witholding the pill (not renewing prescriptions, even if you’ve been on it for years w/o probs) UNTIL you agree to a Cancer Screening Test (aka Pap Smear) each year (they only give you a years’ worth of pills, sometimes maybe 2 yrs if you can convince them!
This practise is unethica and illegal (Human Rights Charter Violation) and yet continues.
It is not ‘for your own good’ as they would have you believe. A pap is not a required medical test to determine any contraindications for hormonal contraception.
This “no pap = no pill” practise is a profit-generating situation which would not exist if the pill was avail w/o a prescription.
Think of this: a physician’s practise comprised of 50% females, each getting a YEARLY pap — to get their pill ‘script! Alot of $ made for each females’ reproductive lifespan!
EACH WOMAN has the right *and intelligence!* to decide for herself whether she wants a cancer test, an HIV test, eyesight test, or I.Q. test thank you very much!
MAKE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER, NOW. NOW. NOW.
yes it should be available otc. in Scandinavian countries the same problem exist!and they only accept the prescription from Scandinavian countries!
Yes, the Pill should be available over the counter. I’m personally sick to death of the paternalism that requires me to submit to an invasive exam to get my prescription renewed every year. I’m also sick to death of insurance companies telling me that I can only have one month of the pill at a time. The amazing thing is that the vast majority of American women today seem to believe that they NEED a doctor to monitor them when they are on the pill.
I think doctors have abused their prescriptive powers by using the Pill to coerce women into harmful excess. Routine pelvic and breast exams are not clinical requirements for the Pill, they’re not recommended at all in asymptomatic women in many countries. The pap test like colonoscopies, prostate screening, mammograms are elective cancer screening tests that legally and ethically require informed consent, they can never be requirements for anything.
It would be like saying men must have prostate checks before a flu shot or using Viagra…that would never happen
I think medical coercion is a serious matter as it negates all consent.
This is partly the reason why I’ve never used the Pill…I refused to be basically assaulted every year simply because I wanted the Pill.
It has shaken my trust and respect for the medical profession which seems to think it’s acceptable to treat women so badly…it’s beyond paternalistic, it’s harmful and abusive.
American women have more than twice the number of hysterectomies than other countries and more than twice the number of healthy ovaries are also removed….Dr Carolyn Westhoff partly blames the routine pelvic exam for this shocking statistic. To call this healthcare is a cruel joke. Many women have been getting the Pill while overseas or in Mexico or over the Internet to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy and medical abuse. An unplanned pregnancy, abortion or miscarriage carries risk…barriers to contraception should be broken down.