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Agreed, though I was under the impression that the reasons birth control still requires a prescription is not entirely based in science.

by eli 10y ago

cperciva 10y ago
If you take the politics and religion out of it (aka. you move outside of the USA) then some oral contraceptives require a prescription and some don't. Preventing pregnancy is quite easy -- screw with pretty much anything hormonal and you'll dramatically decrease the odds -- but doing that without causing unpleasant or dangerous side effects is much harder. Some formulations have had enough testing that we can say that they are generally safe; others should only be prescribed after a physician has ruled out certain risk factors. The dangerous bit in this case is that there are many formulations which fall into the category of "generally safe, but if you experience X, Y, or Z then you should see a doctor" due to rare but dangerous side effects. In such cases there's no need to consult a physician before taking the drugs; but they should not be given to a patient who is "not comfortable visiting a doctor" and would not obtain medical care if such complications arose.
- mynameislegion 10y ago
  There are plenty of patients who are "not comfortable visiting a doctor" to get birth control, but who would certainly obtain medical care if complications arose. Some doctors require a full pelvic and breast exam for birth control prescriptions. Patients who've previously been sexually assaulted can be very uncomfortable being touched naked by anyone other than a chosen and trusted partner, but still accept the need to be treated for complications. Exam-less options are a godsend for anyone who cannot handle their first experience being with a speculum, or who need more time working through trust or intimacy issues.
rayiner 10y ago
Birth control pills double the risk of ischemic stroke,[1] and the risk factors are dependent on individual medical factors. Copper IUDs, which avoid some of the symptoms some women experience with hormonal birth control, can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy when women get pregnant while using it.[2] One can weigh the cost/benefit of making contraceptives more easily available versus the increased safety of medical supervision, but it's not like the prescription requirement is plucked from thin air. [1] http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118178 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118178. [2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/paragard/basics/risks/prc-20013048 http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/paragard/basics/r....
- erroneousfunk 10y ago
  But the risk of ischemic stroke is still tiny, and the risk of stroke (among many, many other things) is still much higher during pregnancy, which birth control, obviously, helps to prevent. In fact, for a sexually active and fertile woman, birth control will help lower the risk of ischemic stroke, overall. There are plenty of other OTC medicines which are far more dangerous than birth control. Tylenol, cough syrup, Bronkaid/sudafed/ephedrine, benadryl... Aspirin alone causes thousands of (some sources say more than 10,000) deaths a year. Birth control carries a relatively small risk of problems (especially for non-smokers and/or women under 35), but has a much larger benefit. And the copper IUD does not, strictly speaking, increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. It's a matter of survivorship bias. They prevent pregnancies from occurring, but are slightly more effective for pregnancies that implant inside the uterus. 2% of all pregnancies (without an IUD) are ectopic. If a woman does get pregnant with an IUD, she is more likely to have the type of pregnancy that the copper IUD is less effective at preventing -- an ectopic pregnancy (According to Wikipedia, 3-4% of all pregnancies that occur with an IUD are ectopic). However, overall, comparing sexually active fertile women with IUDs and without IUDs, the IUD drastically prevents ectopic pregnancies, and, of course, pregnancies in general.
WildUtah 10y ago
Public health bureaucrats are trying to eliminate birth control pills and making them available over the counter won't help that goal. That's science.

Agreed, though I was under the impression that the reasons birth control still requires a prescription is not entirely based in science.

by eli 10y ago

Agreed, though I was under the impression that the reasons birth control still requires a prescription is not entirely based in science.

cperciva 10y ago

If you take the politics and religion out of it (aka. you move outside of the USA) then some oral contraceptives require a prescription and some don't. Preventing pregnancy is quite easy -- screw with pretty much anything hormonal and you'll dramatically decrease the odds -- but doing that without causing unpleasant or dangerous side effects is much harder. Some formulations have had enough testing that we can say that they are generally safe; others should only be prescribed after a physician has ruled out certain risk factors. The dangerous bit in this case is that there are many formulations which fall into the category of "generally safe, but if you experience X, Y, or Z then you should see a doctor" due to rare but dangerous side effects. In such cases there's no need to consult a physician before taking the drugs; but they should not be given to a patient who is "not comfortable visiting a doctor" and would not obtain medical care if such complications arose.

mynameislegion 10y ago
There are plenty of patients who are "not comfortable visiting a doctor" to get birth control, but who would certainly obtain medical care if complications arose. Some doctors require a full pelvic and breast exam for birth control prescriptions. Patients who've previously been sexually assaulted can be very uncomfortable being touched naked by anyone other than a chosen and trusted partner, but still accept the need to be treated for complications. Exam-less options are a godsend for anyone who cannot handle their first experience being with a speculum, or who need more time working through trust or intimacy issues.

rayiner 10y ago

Birth control pills double the risk of ischemic stroke,[1] and the risk factors are dependent on individual medical factors. Copper IUDs, which avoid some of the symptoms some women experience with hormonal birth control, can increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy when women get pregnant while using it.[2] One can weigh the cost/benefit of making contraceptives more easily available versus the increased safety of medical supervision, but it's not like the prescription requirement is plucked from thin air. [1] http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118178 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=118178. [2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/paragard/basics/risks/prc-20013048 http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/paragard/basics/r....

erroneousfunk 10y ago
But the risk of ischemic stroke is still tiny, and the risk of stroke (among many, many other things) is still much higher during pregnancy, which birth control, obviously, helps to prevent. In fact, for a sexually active and fertile woman, birth control will help lower the risk of ischemic stroke, overall. There are plenty of other OTC medicines which are far more dangerous than birth control. Tylenol, cough syrup, Bronkaid/sudafed/ephedrine, benadryl... Aspirin alone causes thousands of (some sources say more than 10,000) deaths a year. Birth control carries a relatively small risk of problems (especially for non-smokers and/or women under 35), but has a much larger benefit. And the copper IUD does not, strictly speaking, increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. It's a matter of survivorship bias. They prevent pregnancies from occurring, but are slightly more effective for pregnancies that implant inside the uterus. 2% of all pregnancies (without an IUD) are ectopic. If a woman does get pregnant with an IUD, she is more likely to have the type of pregnancy that the copper IUD is less effective at preventing -- an ectopic pregnancy (According to Wikipedia, 3-4% of all pregnancies that occur with an IUD are ectopic). However, overall, comparing sexually active fertile women with IUDs and without IUDs, the IUD drastically prevents ectopic pregnancies, and, of course, pregnancies in general.

WildUtah 10y ago

Public health bureaucrats are trying to eliminate birth control pills and making them available over the counter won't help that goal. That's science.