Should Oral Contraceptives Be Sold Without a Prescription? An Analysis of Women's Risk and Benefit Perceptions Regarding Nonprescription Birth Control Pills

Despite expert opinions favoring a switch of oral contraceptives (OCs) from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) status, limited empirical evidence currently exists for indicating a consumer preference for nonprescription OCs. The objective of this study was to measure perceptions of women regarding nonprescription OCs and to assess their preference for acquiring OCs without a prescription. A cross-sectional survey research design employing a combination of mail and telephone survey methodologies was used to measure perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of a randomly selected sample of university women (N = 500) regarding the consequences of using OCs with and without a prescription. Of the women who were surveyed, 37% favored the acquisition of OCs without a prescription. Women associated the OTC system for obtaining OCs with increased likelihood of adverse medical consequences and the prescription-only system with an increased likelihood of pregnancy avoidance. Women who preferred nonprescription pills reported more favorable attitudes toward their use and stronger intentions to buy them without a prescription. Perceptions of OC benefits seem to play a more significant role in decisions to favor nonprescription pills than the perceptions of OC risks for those women who preferred OTC pills. Currently, the support for nonprescription OCs among women is only moderate.