Women Can Now Buy The Contraceptive Pill Over-The-Counter For The First Time

The contraceptive pill will now be available to buy over-the-counter in a UK first.

Later this month, the progesterone-only pill, better known as the 'mini pill' or POP, will be on offer at pharmacies.

Women will no longer have to have an appointment with the doctor to get the pill, one of the most common forms of contraception in the UK.

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Instead of a prescription, those seeking the pill will have a brief consultation with a pharmacist before being offered the contraceptive.

The pills available will be the ones containing desogestrel - with the brand names Lovima and Hana on offer at high-street pharmacies.

The decision was reached after the MHRA, a drugs regulator in the UK, held a consultation on the matter in March.

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Chief Executive of the MHRA, Dr June Raine CBE, described the decision as "good news for women and families."

"Pharmacists have the expertise to advise women on whether desogestrel is an appropriate and safe oral contraceptive pill for them to use and to give women the information they need, to make informed choices.

"We have consulted a wide range of people to enable us to reach the decision to make this contraceptive available for the first time in the UK without prescription."

Meanwhile, the Royal College of Obstetrician and Gynaecologists described the move as a "huge win".

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Dr Edward Morris, president of RCOG, said: "This announcement is a huge win for women and girls who will no longer face unnecessary barriers when accessing this type of contraception.

"Even before the pandemic, too many women and girls were struggling to access basic women's health services.

"The consequences of this include an increase in the number of unplanned pregnancies, which can result in poorer outcomes for women and their babies.

"Enabling women and girls to access POP more easily and conveniently will give them more control over their reproductive health, which can only be a good thing."

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Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds will all offer the pill in their pharmacies.

The change comes after an inquiry, launched last year, found women were finding it increasingly difficult to acquire contraception, with the coronavirus pandemic only exacerbating matters.

Research by Lovima also found 70 per cent of women agree that the pill should be easier to get and more widely available.

The changes will come into effect at the end of this month, but the exact date is still yet to be confirmed.

Boots have said Hana will be priced at £9.95 for a one-month pack and £21.95 for a three-month pack, while Lovima will be priced at £14.99 for a one-month pack and £29.99 for a three-month pack.

Topics: UK News, Life News, Life, Sex & Relationships, Health

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

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