'People are so appalled at the incidences of unwanted pregnancy and abortion, yet we make effective contraceptives difficult to continue to use,' said Diana Greene Foster, a professor in reproductive sciences at the University of California San Francisco.
USA TODAYIn this Aug. 26, 2016, file photo, a one-month dosage of hormonal birth control pills is displayed in Sacramento, Calif.Distributing a year's supply of birth control pills to women up front reduces unintended pregnancies, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Right now, there's no national standard for dispensing periods of oral contraceptives. Seventy percent of women receive a supply of three months or less, and 15% receive a supply of more than six months, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation. Some insurance companies are reluctant to offer 12 months of contraceptives at a time, says Cathryn Donaldson, communications director for American Health Insurance Plans. One reason for concern, Donaldson said, is that using any medication in the long term comes with risks.
"It's important to remember that before the 90 day supply is exhausted, a refill can seamlessly be delivered to the home of the individual, encouraging adherence while easing the need to travel to a pharmacy or other location," Donaldson said.Sonya Borrero, an author of the new study and physician with the VA Pittsburgh HealthCare Center, said implementing a universal 12-month birth control pill policy would take further efforts.
"On the basis of those studies, many states actually changed their law to allow for a year supply," Foster said."It’s so gratifying to have scientific evidence change policy." Foster said there are many reasons a woman might skip picking up her birth control. It could be as simple as someone being too busy, and the nearest Walgreens being a trek. Foster recalled a uniquely different case: while serving as an expert witness in a hearing at the Alaska State Legislature, she heard an Alaskan woman detail difficulties accessing birth control while captaining a fishing ship in the summer.
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