Introduction
Plan B is a form of emergency contraception that can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. While the drug is available over the counter without a prescription, there is growing concern among doctors that women who could benefit from Plan B may not have access to it. In September 2012, a group of doctors called for Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions to be made available to all women of reproductive age. In this article, we will explore why doctors are calling for Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions and what this could mean for women’s health.
Access to Plan B
Although Plan B is available over the counter without a prescription, studies have shown that many women face barriers to accessing the drug. These barriers can be financial, logistical, or related to stigma and misinformation. As a result, women who could benefit from Plan B may not have access to it when they need it.
Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions
Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions involve healthcare providers writing a prescription for Plan B that a woman can fill before she needs it. This would ensure that women have access to the drug when they need it and remove the barriers associated with obtaining the drug in a state of emergency.
The call for Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions has been led by a group of doctors who are concerned about the low uptake of emergency contraception and the resulting unintended pregnancies. By providing women with a prescription for Plan B before they need it, doctors hope to increase access to the drug and reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
Implications for Women’s Health
The availability of Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions has important implications for women’s health. By removing the barriers to access and increasing the availability of emergency contraception, women can make informed decisions about their reproductive health and prevent unintended pregnancies.
Emergency contraception is an important tool for women who have had unprotected sex or experienced contraceptive failure. Without timely access to emergency contraception, women may face unplanned pregnancies, which can have significant health, economic, and social consequences.
Conclusion
The call for Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions has important implications for women’s health. By increasing access to emergency contraception and removing barriers to access, women can make informed decisions about their reproductive health and prevent unintended pregnancies. As healthcare providers, it is important to ensure that women have the tools and resources they need to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and prevent unintended pregnancies. The availability of Pre-Emptive Plan B Prescriptions is an important step in this direction.
Pediatricians should consider giving teenage girls a prescription for emergency contraception before they need it, according to a recent report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recommendation represents a significant shift in how the medication has been treated by pediatricians in the United States.
Although the popular emergency contraceptive, consisting of a combination of synthetic estrogens and progesterones, was made over the counter for women 17 years of age and older, women under 17 still require a prescription to obtain the pills.
This presents a problem for girls under 16, who often have difficulty scheduling a doctor’s appointment and obtaining a prescription within the 72 hour effective window for emergency contraceptives. Making matters even worse for teenagers trying to get EC, the pill is at its most effective when it’s taken as early as possible.
In repeated studies, physicians have found that emergency contraceptive drugs are safe for occasional use in adolescents. Most of the objection to allowing girls under the age of 17 obtain the pills on their own came from people who had issues with the ways in which over the counter Plan B would diminish parental control over a child’s medical treatment.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, giving girls pre-emptive prescriptions would solve several of the current issues with prescribing Plan B to teenagers. For one, the pre-emptive prescription could be filled nearly immediately after an incident of unprotected sex or of a birth control method being compromised. This makes the Plan B medications very likely to be effective.
Another reason is that the doctor can evaluate any girls who are given a pre emptive Plan B prescription to ensure that they do not have any medical conditions that might make Plan B less safe for them to take. Doctors can also go over side effect information with patients and help them understand that Plan B is not for use as a primary birth control method.
Anti abortion groups are likely to decry the statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics. These groups also fought the approval of Plan B, as well as the recent change that made it over the counter for girls and women over 17 years of age. According to these anti-abortion groups, because Plan B may be responsible for causing fertilized eggs not to implant in the uterus, they are tantamount to abortion.
However, according to the CDC and other government sources, these pills work primarily by blocking ovulation and are considered very safe. There have been no major lawsuits as a result of Plan B being made available to consumers, either behind the pharmacy counter or over the counter.
It remains to be seen how many pediatricians will actually act in accordance with the new recommendations from the AAP. Parental objections may make it difficult for some pediatricians, especially those in conservative or rural areas, to give pre-emptive Plan B prescriptions to younger female patients.
Sources: cdc.gov, aap.org
