Since 2009, when Plan B first became available over-the-counter for men and women 17 and up (and later without an age restriction in 2013), the morning-after pill has been a life-changing option for many couples who forget to pull out or have a condom break while they’re getting it on. In fact, according to 2013 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 11% of women have used Plan B after having sex.
Tag: Plan B
Why I Won’t Let Infertility Win
After one-and-a-half years of fruitless (and awkward) babymaking sex, we decided it was time to move forward with Plan B and seek out fertility testing. It was a big step. After all, not so long ago, we had been on the brink of separation, in part because of our frustrated efforts at procreation.
Emergency Contraception Not Covered by Health Plans
Emergency contraception, also known as the morning after pill or “Plan B”, is available over the counter. This means that you do not need a physician’s note to get it. It also means that health insurance plans generally do not cover it, along with other over-the-counter medicines like those for heartburn or urinary tract infections. The cost of emergency contraception ranges from $50 to $70.
America’s Plan B Problem: The Contraception Misinformation Epidemic
Emergency contraception is supposed to be available to teens, but pharmacists are telling them they’re too young.
Implementing Health Reform: Contraceptive Coverage Litigation Moves Toward The Supreme Court
Litigation challenging the Affordable Care Act preventive services rule
continues its march toward the Supreme Court. This requirement has been
challenged by over 60 lawsuits filed across the country by religious
organizations and employers that object on religious grounds either to
contraceptives generally or to specific contraceptives — like Ella or
Plan B — that operate after the fertilization of an egg by a sperm.
Judge Refuses to Delay Ruling on Plan B
A federal judge who’s been battling the Obama administration over “Plan B” emergency contraception took another swipe at the federal government on Friday, denying a request to delay his ruling ordering the government to make the pills available to everyone, without restrictions.
With sex ed, contraception–and Plan B–NYC teen pregnancy rate drops
The teen pregnancy rate among New York City’s public high school students dropped 27% over a decade, new city data shows. Among 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, 73 became pregnant in 2010. That’s down from 99 of 1,000 girls who became pregnant in 2001.
“We’re seeing that there are two things happening: teens are both delaying sex, and those that are having sex are more likely to use contraceptives,” Deborah Kaplan, assistant commissioner of the New York City Department of Health’s Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, told MSNBC.com. “Our efforts to make sex education and birth control more widely available in public high schools are working.”
According to the health department’s numbers, she’s right. From 2001 to 2011, there was a 12-point drop in the proportion of public high school students who have ever had sex: 51% to 39%. And from just 2009 to 2011, the proportion of sexually active female students who used hormonal contraception (Plan B included) or long-acting reversible contraception (such as an IUD) the last time they had intercourse increased from 17 to nearly 27%. Read full article.
Doctors And Women’s Groups Urge Feds To Relax Plan B Restrictions
Dozens of medical, women’s health and reproductive health groups marked the first anniversary of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ decision to maintain age restrictions on the sale of the morning-after birth control pill without a prescription by urging her to reconsider that decision.
“The unique dual-labeling of Plan B One Step has led to confusion among consumers and health care professionals alike, particularly regarding age restrictions and whether men and women can purchase non-prescription emergency contraception,” said a letter signed by more than three dozen women’s health, reproductive rights and individual providers of health care. Read full article.