In our society, contraception is one of the most controversial and feuded topics next to politics. Many of these controversies have led to the revoking of hard-fought-for-rights, one of which was the overturning of Roe v. Wade. While much of what our families and activists have fought for before us has been taken away, we are still aiming to improve the rights of all, and more specifically, contraception and reproductive rights.
On July 13, 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Opill, the first ever non-prescription, over-the-counter, birth-control pill plan. The Opill is a 98 percent effective full-prescription strength, progestin-only (POP), daily birth control pill.
Before we break down this new product, it’s important to know how far we have come with oral contraceptives over the years. Enovid, created by G.D. Searle Company, was the first birth control pill to be approved by the FDA in 1960, which was released to consumers all over the United States that same year, marking it an important year in reproductive history. In 1973, the FDA approved the first norgestrel (laboratory-cultivated progesterone) tablets for daily contraception as a prescription. It was not until 2015 that HRA Pharmaceuticals began research to switch Opill from prescription to over-the-counter. Seven years after the start of the research, in 2022, the Opill Team officially applied to the FDA to make the pill available over the counter.
What makes Opill different from many contraceptives is that the progestin tablets are estrogen-free, which are not as widely used as their estrogen counterparts.
Estrogen-free contraception is useful in many circumstances where estrogen might be unsafe or not recommended. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have high blood pressure, deep vein thrombosis or cardiovascular disease, estrogen increase can be dangerous. “Estrogen in those pills, rings and patches can tip the scales toward forming blood clots which can be dangerous or deadly,” said Dr. Gina Allison, a gynecologist physician and surgeon. “The progesterone-only methods don’t carry the same risks.”
“Some experts feel progesterone-only methods might be slightly less effective than typical estrogen-progesterone pills, but if a person is careful and diligent about taking [the pill] at the same time each day, the efficiency is really high,” said Allison.
Not only is this type of birth control safer for many, but the brand also allows anyone to purchase and receive the product in a safe and judgment-free manner. With clear and understandable packaging, Opill is user-friendly, allowing people to use the product without the supervision and insights of a pharmacist. Unlike many companies, even the teal packaging of the pill was designed by the creators to avoid gender-based cliches about the consumers of birth control. Opill ships in discrete packaging when ordering online to allow anyone to feel comfortable having their order shipped to their home, regardless of their identity or privacy concerns.
To ensure the proper dosing instructions, Opill will bill the payment method 14 days before the current pack ends and then will ship the next scheduled delivery as soon as they receive the billing. Opill accepts many major insurance companies and credit cards, and people within the Cost Assistance Program (CAP), as well as, Federal Student AID (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) can be eligible for financial assistance.
