We need to talk about over-the-counter birth control...

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States approved an oral progestin-only birth control pill for over-the-counter sale. It’s a progestin-only pill called Opill that should be available in early 2024 (unless the cartoon villains at the Alliance Defending Freedom file some bullsh*t lawsuit to prevent it, which is depressingly likely). This is a HUGE step for reproductive health access in the United States, and one that I fully support as a board-certified obgyn. Maybe you heard some scary-sounding reasons why this could be dangerous. Here, I’ll explain why the science itself supports this as a safe and effective method of contraception.

00:00 Intro - FDA approval
00:27 OTC hormonal BC globally
1:24 Hormonal BC use in the US now
4:35 Difficulty accessing prescription BC
6:46 Potential risk - counseling
7:36 Potential risk - self-screening
17:30 ACOG statement
20:09 Potential risk - annual screenings
25:19 Opill overview
31:52 Back-up contraception

Watch next:
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Male birth control:    • Do we really NEED male birth control ...  
Bizarre historical birth control:    • Historical birth control was SHOCKING  

Resources:
Journal of Women’s Health: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.108...
Contraception journal: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22520...
American College of Obstetricians Committee Opinion: https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinica...  
Self-screening for birth control:

birth control,contraception,opill,fda,us politics,medication,over the counter birth control,prescription,medicine,reproductive health,dr danielle jones,danielle jones md,mama doctor jones

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** The information in this video is intended to serve as educational information and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/advanced practice provider. **

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