SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter birth control pill for the first time. What makes Opill different, and what impact could it have in the post-Dobbs world?
Dr. Mai Fleming, who wrote an opinion piece advocating for making Opill affordable and accessible to all, joined KCBS Radio’s Alice Wertz on “As Prescribed” to explain.
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“The approval of the Opill for over-the-counter dispensing is really an incredible step in the right direction,” said Fleming, an assistant clinical professor in family and community medicine at UCSF School of Medicine.
According the Guttmacher Institute, “many states have abortion restrictions or bans in place that make it difficult, if not impossible, for people to get care,” in the aftermath of Dobbs. In the most recent development regarding reproductive rights, an appeals court ruled Wednesday that mifepristone, a medication that facilitates abortion by blocking hormones that allow pregnancies to develop, should remain legal in the U.S. with significant restrictions on patient access.
Fleming explained that the over-the-counter birth control pill works differently from both prescription birth control and medication abortion. It contains a single hormone, which is a progestin called Norgestrel.
“Progesterone only pills like Opill work by thickening the mucus inside of the cervix, and essentially create a wall that blocks the sperm from entering the uterus or fallopian tube to fertilize an egg,” Fleming sad. “This is a bit different from combining birth control pills, which contain both a progestin and an estrogen, which act together to stop the ovaries from releasing eggs.”
She said studies have shown that pills with Norgestrel are highly effective – much more than barrier birth control methods such as condoms.
“They’re also really, really safe with less health risks and contraindications than combined birth control pills,” Fleming added. “In fact, we currently often prescribe progesterone only pills like the Opill for people with underlying health conditions.”
Studies also show that people are excited about being able to access over-the-counter birth control pills. According to a brief published last November by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 77% of reproductive age females favor making birth control pills available over the counter without a prescription, as long as the pills are safe to use.
“They’re very willing and eager to be able to access birth control pills over-the-counter without a prescription,” Fleming said. “This is something that people really want and really need.”
According to Perrigo, the manufacturer of Opill, the daily oral contraceptive tablets will be available in the first quarter of 2024. Packages include 28 tablets with 0.075 milligrams of Norgestrel.
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