contraception

A pharmacist goes over instructions with a patient.

Health & Safety

N.C. expands access to contraceptive services at pharmacies

11:19am May 15, 2024

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says residents statewide will soon be able to access certain contraceptive services at pharmacies without first consulting a doctor.

Queue Listen Now

Opill is the first birth control pill available over the counter in the United States.

Health & Safety

First over-the-counter birth control pill heads to stores

1:22pm March 04, 2024

by Sydney Lupkin

Women will be able to buy the pill without a prescription later this month at pharmacies and grocery stores.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray discusses efforts to protect reproductive rights during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in August 2022. Murray has re-introduced legislation that would require health insurers to cover over-the-counter birth control if the FDA approves it.

With growing abortion restrictions, Democrats push for over-the-counter birth control

8:18am May 22, 2023

by Sarah McCammon

With abortion increasingly restricted in many states, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), hopes to persuade Republicans to back insurance coverage for over-the-counter birth control.

Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will make a recommendation about whether the agency should approve the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S.

Health & Safety

The FDA considers first birth control pill without a prescription

5:05am May 09, 2023

by Rob Stein

The Food and Drug Administration is weighing whether to allow a birth control pill to be sold over the counter for the first time. An advisory committee opens a two-day hearing Tuesday.

Juliet, 15, lives in Georgia, a state that bans abortions after six weeks. There is an exception for rape, but only with a police report. Juliet became so fearful of getting pregnant from rape, she told her mom she wanted to go on birth control. "I just wanted to be a little in control," she says.

Health & Safety

Fear of pregnancy: One teen's story in post-Roe America

6:00am April 15, 2023

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

In a state that bans abortion, anxiety about rape and getting pregnant drove this teen to start on birth control, though she's not having sex.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro signed a new executive document Wednesday night that will allow open access to emergency contraception.

Honduran president ends ban on emergency contraception, making it widely available

4:13pm March 09, 2023

by Bill Chappell

President Xiomara Castro, the country's first female leader, announced the policy shift in the final hours of International Women's Day.

In the hunt for a male contraceptive, scientists look to stop sperm in their tracks

5:01am December 04, 2022

For decades birth control research focused on women. Now there's a new push to develop gels, pills or other products that could keep men from getting their partners pregnant.

Writer Gabrielle Blair argues that irresponsible ejaculation by male partners is an often-overlooked cause of unintended pregnancies.

Book by mom of six puts onus on men to stop unwanted pregnancies

11:48am October 20, 2022

by Sarah McCammon

In her new book, writer — and mother of six — Gabrielle Blair makes the case that the abortion debate should focus much more on men's roles in unintended pregnancy.

Hajime White (right) with her daughter Gwen and Gwen's daughter, Quen, at the family compound in Warren, Ark. Gwen had her first baby, a son, at 16, and, defying the odds for teen moms, went on to finish high school and earn a degree in pharmacy tech. "She never stopped because she had the support of me, her dad and her sisters," Hajime says.

Health & Safety

Why childbirth is so dangerous for many young teens

5:37pm October 07, 2022

by Sarah Varney

Laws banning abortion in many conservative U.S. states are expected to boost birth rates among adolescents, whose bodies often aren't built for safe childbirth, or for carrying a pregnancy to term.

Writer and health educator Marni Sommer is co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty & Periods, which aims to help young people ages 9 to 14 understand the changes that happen in puberty and what to expect when.

Opinion: With abortion bans on the rise, kids need to know more about menstruation

11:50am September 17, 2022

by Marni Sommer

Today, even one missed period could have serious implications for a young person's life. But how late is late, and when is pain or a heavy period a medical concern? Many preteens don't know.