Well, the FDA approved it back in July 2023, and it's here. Why have to consult a pesky doctor for birth control when now it's available as an over-the-counter pill?
The first over-the-counter birth control pill was approved by the FDA and is already widely available all across New Jersey.
It's important to note that the package says that it's still important to see a doctor or a provider or a reproductive specialist because... well, I guess, to cover their butts? Also, make sure you know that this is a progesterone-only pill. It may be different from some of the pills that you are used to having subscribed to you by your gynecologist.
The important thing about this one is you just take it at the same time every day.
If you miss your dose by more than three hours, you still take the pill but must use backup contraception for two days. Missed doses are not as forgiving with progesterone only as opposed to the combined OCs.
The entire internet is exploding with the exciting news, and a listener of ours even commented on our Instagram to say she had seen it right there next to the Chapstick in her local Costco for $49.99 for a three-month supply.
Your Sam's Club and your local CVS will probably have it, too. Target has it readily available at most locations in New Jersey, and if you're too lazy to hop in the car to go pick up your birth control pills, you can have them delivered to you via Instacart or even Uber Eats.
I'm not gonna lie: It's a little jarring to see it sitting out in the open, right next to the candy bars where any little kid can buy it. (Yes, a 12-year-old can buy it with no problem.)
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians have all supported the removal of age restrictions for OTC birth control. Because of this, some people are calling this the beginning of the end of the world. Others are saying this is an amazing step forward and a revolution in birth control.
Since it doesn't affect me, I don't care. But I do feel bad for parents who have to deal with these complicated issues with their daughters. This may have made it just a little more complicated.