Potential contraindications reported only by the participant were breast cancer, liver disease, medication interaction, any smoking, hypertension, personal history of thromboembolism or heart disease, and having a first-degree relative with thromboembolism.
Participants were adolescents with a mean age of 17 years from a primary care medicine clinic in a Midwest urban setting. Of the 61 subjects, 62% were black, 62% reported having ever used contraceptives, 44% were currently using contraceptives, and 62% said they would be interested in OTC OC access. Among the 38 who reported having penile/vaginal sex, 87% had ever used OCs, and 60% were currently using them.
“In summary, adolescent women are interested in over-the-counter access to combined oral contraceptive pills, they’re skilled at self-screening, and they’re mostly more likely than providers to report potential contraindications. So these data really provide some preliminary support for the over-the-counter provision of oral contraceptive pills to adolescents,” Dr. Williams said, noting that additional research is needed to assess adolescents’ ability to use combined oral contraceptive pills correctly.
In addition, larger studies in groups with a higher prevalence of contraindications are needed, as are studies with recruitment from nonclinical settings and more diverse populations, she said.
Ms. Manski and Dr. Williams both reported having no relevant financial disclosures.