(C) Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural This story was originally published by Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Experts: Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill May Benefit Millions of Rural Americans [1] ['Kristi Eaton', 'The Daily Yonder', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar'] Date: 2024-06-13 As more rural hospitals and rural pharmacies close their doors, forcing patients to drive farther to get necessary medical attention, there’s one bright spot on the horizon, according to experts: an over-the-counter birth control pill. In July 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made Opill the first non-prescription oral birth control pill available in the U.S. Opill contains the hormone norgestrel. The pill belongs to the class of medications known as progestins. Opill does not contain estrogen. Itl hit shelves in March 2024. “We know that in rural areas, we are much more reliant on primary care providers for gynecological services,” Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy officer at the National Rural Health Association, said in a Zoom interview. “As we see continued shortages of workforce and primary care providers in rural communities, any way that we can increase access to services and care is an important kind of consideration for us to be exploring.” Cochran-McClain said there are about 18 million women in rural America who are of reproductive age. “That’s a lot of people who may benefit from access to these services,” she said. The number of hospitals providing obstetric services in rural areas has declined since 2014, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. As of 2018, more than half of rural counties didn’t have a hospital that provided such services. That is particularly prevalent in low-income areas and is associated with problems such as premature births. Rural, independent pharmacies are also closing at alarming rates. Between 2003 and 2021, the number of retail pharmacies declined in noncore rural areas by 9.8%, and in rural micropolitan areas by 4.4%, while the number in metropolitan areas increased by 15.1% during the same period, according to a Rural Policy Brief. Evelyn Furia, senior director of market activation for Opill at Perrigo, said 19 million women live in what is called a “contraceptive desert,” which means they don’t have regular, consistent access to birth control options. “We want to make sure that Opill is as accessible to everyone as it can be,” she said in a Zoom interview with the Daily Yonder. Opill is available at all major retailers and pharmacies nationwide and online, including via Amazon. It comes in one-month or three-month packs. Furia said the pill is 98% effective when used as directed, which means taking at the same time every day and no breaks between packs. She added that because it is a progestin-only pill and does not contain estrogen, it is safe for people who are breastfeeding or people who are smokers over the age of 35, among other things. “It can really be used by a wide variety and many different types of people,” she said, adding that people who have had or have breast cancer should not take the pill. The FDA also notes side effects of the medication, including headaches and nausea. Amy E. Paris, director of family planning at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dartmouth Health, said Opill could help all Americans access birth control by removing the requirement to see a medical provider to obtain a prescription. “Advantages are that pills are effective at preventing pregnancy when taken every day, and they are easy to start and stop,” she said in an email interview. “But for some people, remembering to take a pill every day can be very difficult, and there may be better, easier options out there if that’s the case. People should also consider whether this option will be affordable for them. For people with health insurance, prescription birth control may be more affordable.” Paris said people should consider whether oral contraception is the right method for them, too. Still, she said Opill may be a beneficial alternative for rural Americans. “Given that Americans living in rural areas generally have to travel farther than their urban counterparts to access care, rural Americans may benefit even more from this improved access,” she said. Related Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailyyonder.com/experts-over-the-counter-birth-control-pill-may-benefit-millions-of-rural-americans/2024/06/13/ Published and (C) by Daily Yonder - Keep it Rural Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailyyonder/