slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
I was pleasantly surprised to hear about a new recommendation from the medical society that represents gynecologists supporting over-the-counter sale of oral contraceptives. After all, many women -- myself included -- see their gynecologist every year in order to get their pill prescription renewed, and they may stop if the can buy their pills off the shelf.
And while Pap smears used to be recommended annually, women now only need to have the cervical cancer screening every three years, erasing another reason for them to thrust their feet into stirrups for a dreaded pelvic exam.
Given how much the new recommendations could harm their members’ bottom lines, I applaud the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for taking a hard look at the evidence concerning the minimal risks posed by birth control pills and putting women first.
In a committee opinion published Tuesday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the gynecologist group highlighted the high rate of unintended pregnancies -- about half of all pregnancies are unplanned -- pointing out that access and cost are common reasons why women don’t use contraception consistently.
“A potential way to improve contraceptive access and use, and possibly decrease the unintended pregnancy rate, is to allow over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives,” wrote the committee authors.
They argued that all over-the-counter medications, including aspirin and acetaminophen, have the potential for serious side effects like gastrointestinal bleeding and liver damage on par with the pill’s rare likelihood of causing blood clots and strokes. There are, however, some women -- such as those who smoke -- who shouldn’t take the pill because of a heightened risk of blood clots. So any over-the-counter packaging would need to communicate this effectively to women.
cont at
http://www.boston.com/dailydose/201...rescription/2RJtwbkEDOtClEHumlYmeJ/story.html
And while Pap smears used to be recommended annually, women now only need to have the cervical cancer screening every three years, erasing another reason for them to thrust their feet into stirrups for a dreaded pelvic exam.
Given how much the new recommendations could harm their members’ bottom lines, I applaud the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for taking a hard look at the evidence concerning the minimal risks posed by birth control pills and putting women first.
In a committee opinion published Tuesday in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, the gynecologist group highlighted the high rate of unintended pregnancies -- about half of all pregnancies are unplanned -- pointing out that access and cost are common reasons why women don’t use contraception consistently.
“A potential way to improve contraceptive access and use, and possibly decrease the unintended pregnancy rate, is to allow over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives,” wrote the committee authors.
They argued that all over-the-counter medications, including aspirin and acetaminophen, have the potential for serious side effects like gastrointestinal bleeding and liver damage on par with the pill’s rare likelihood of causing blood clots and strokes. There are, however, some women -- such as those who smoke -- who shouldn’t take the pill because of a heightened risk of blood clots. So any over-the-counter packaging would need to communicate this effectively to women.
cont at
http://www.boston.com/dailydose/201...rescription/2RJtwbkEDOtClEHumlYmeJ/story.html
