Having a doctor's prescription is often a prerequisite for health insurance coverage, so getting the birth control as a prescription can reduce your out-of-pocket cost. General medical guidelines and research suggest that hormonal contraception like the pill can be safely prescribed based on a careful medical history and blood pressure measurement.
Some people should not take the pill. It can increase your blood pressure , so you should have your blood pressure checked regularly for the first few months after you start using the pill. It can also increase the risk of blood clots for some people, especially smokers or people who have a medical condition that causes blood clotting abnormalities.
Breast exams, pelvic exams, Pap smears , and sexually transmitted disease STD screenings are important for detecting and preventing cancer and for family planning and reproductive health care.
Even though these tests may be uncomfortable and are not something most females look forward to , they are an important part of your overall health care.
Routine STD screenings are recommended because females who use birth control pills are less likely to use condoms that protect against these infections. These exams are essential for early detection of many diseases—some of which can be life-threatening. That being said, the information that healthcare providers get from these exams does not indicate whether a person can or cannot safely use birth control pills.
You may be like many other people out there—you want to use the pill, but you are not seeking a prescription because you're afraid to have a pelvic exam and Pap smear. If that's the case, you should know that research shows that birth control pills can be safely prescribed based on a careful review of your medical history and blood pressure measurement.
For most females, no further exams are necessary. Current guidelines created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that birth control pills can be safely prescribed without a pelvic exam. They might hesitate out of concern that you could have an undiagnosed medical issue if you don't have these screening tests, or they might agree to prescribe the pill for you without the screening tests.
You can also call around and find a different medical professional who does not require these tests as a prerequisite for prescribing birth control pills. Planned Parenthood may be an option that doesn't require a pelvic exam to get hormonal birth control. The pill is an effective, discreet, and convenient birth control method. Consider your birth control options and choose the one that will work best for you.
But don't avoid seeing your healthcare provider to get your routine gynecologic checks. This is also a chance to discuss your options with your medical professional privately and get a prescription if that is what you decide is best. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Obstet Gynecol. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, Pharmacies often had longer operating hours, so women had more opportunity to buy it, Bradley said.
The price of the pill would vary between pharmacies and it was no more expensive than visiting the doctor, she said. We want it to be an accessible and convenient service. The Awapuni Unichem isn't offering the service yet, but Bradley is planning to train after the busy Christmas period.
Agatep hopes to have the service available in early Green Cross Health — the organisation behind Life and Unichem pharmacies — lobbied for the change since Green Cross Health spokeswoman Debbie Yardley said about Cross Health-employed pharmacists were undergoing or had completed the training. Both contain desogestrel, which is a type of the hormone progesteron. At the moment it is only possible to get them on prescription from a doctor. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA , which launched the consultation, said reclassifying them would give women a choice of where to obtain the medicine.
That could be on prescription - as both pills would still be available from GPs and sexual health clinics - over the counter from pharmacies, or a mix of both. Dr Sarah Branch of MHRA said the consultation would help get a better picture of whether people wanted them to be available from pharmacies. The consultation comes after the companies that make the pills - Maxwellia and HRA Pharma - applied for them to be made available at pharmacies.
Michelle Riddalls, chief executive of PAGB, which represents the makers of over-the-counter medicines, said it was a "positive step". Clare Murphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service BPAS , said reclassifying the pills "should improve access to an extremely safe method of contraception".
However, she said BPAS wanted the pills to be "made available at an affordable price" and for consultations at the counter to be "swift and straightforward". Last year, a group of MPs and peers warned the coronavirus pandemic had made a "difficult situation even worse" for women trying to access contraception. Progestogen-only pills, sometimes written down as POP or called the mini-pill, are a type of contraceptive that contain a hormone called progestogen. One pill needs to be taken at the same time every day, with no break between packets.
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