{"id":1565624,"date":"2022-07-22T07:04:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T11:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1565624"},"modified":"2022-07-22T07:04:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T11:04:50","slug":"fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control-puts-womens-health-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control-puts-womens-health-at-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA Approval Of Over-The-Counter Birth Control Puts Women\u2019s Health At Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control-puts-womens-health-at-risk%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1565624&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On the heels of last month\u2019s Supreme Court <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization,<\/em> returning abortion policies back to individual states, Perrigo, an Ireland-based subsidiary of Allergan just applied to the FDA to for \u201cover-the-counter\u201d status for its oral contraceptives. This is a fool\u2019s errand and a potential hazard for women\u2019s health. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Existing clinical practice standards necessitate a number of important checks before a medical provider prescribes oral contraceptive therapy. Periodic provider visits and follow-ups are critical for achieving the appropriate dose and along with monitoring routine women\u2019s health needs.\u00a0 Likewise in the late 1990s, it was shown that men visiting their prescribers for Viagra for erectile dysfunction was credited with an uptick in early diagnosing of non-erectile related health issues such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to keep in mind that while many over-the-counter products exist, oral contraceptives may be made up of progesterone, with or without estrogen.\u00a0These are not drugs, but synthetically produced hormones.\u00a0Hormones are especially effective, potent, and far-reaching in their effect because they mirror chemical signals from the endocrine system and brain. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No other over-the-counter products contain hormones.\u00a0Over-the-counter drugs are meant for the temporary, short-term relief of symptoms whereas oral contraceptives are meant as a chronic, long-term medicine that may very well be taken for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Under current guidelines, the following critical prescriber assessments represent the standard of care for initiating or refilling oral contraceptive prescriptions in order to maintain America\u2019s existing high public health standards.\u00a0Should oral contraceptives be obtained without a prescription from a medical provider, these assessments will likely be overlooked. <\/p>\n<h2>Blood Pressure<\/h2>\n<p>The standard of care prior to prescribing oral contraception is to check blood pressure before beginning birth control pills. Hormones found in birth control pills can sometimes cause your blood pressure to rise. In extreme cases, the pills can cause secondary hypertension. High blood pressure is a very common disorder in the United States. An estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northcarolinahealthnews.org\/2014\/04\/16\/n-c-researchers-re-examine-blood-pressure-stroke-cholesterol-advice\/\">30 to 40<\/a> percent of Americans have high blood pressure, and this number is only increasing with rising levels of obesity.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<h2>Nicotine Use<\/h2>\n<p>Smoking and potentially even \u201cvaping\u201d is a high-risk factor when taking contraceptive pills. The risk of having a stroke, blood clot, or heart attack increases when a patient smokes <em>and<\/em> takes an oral contraceptive. Providers know to recommend alternatives to oral contraceptives for patients who use nicotine or have any other risk factor or family history related to smoking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Family or Personal History of Blood Clots<\/h2>\n<p>Patients at risk for blood clots are also in the high-risk bracket when using oral contraceptives. The birth control pill is known to increase the possibility of blood clots. The hormones estrogen and progestin found in many oral contraceptives cause an increase in clotting factors. Doctors, therefore, have to check for a history of blood clotting as part of the birth control pill examination. Patients that are susceptible to blood clots in the past or are prone to blood clots, should choose a suitable alternate contraceptive.<\/p>\n<h2>Breast Cancer Screening<\/h2>\n<p>Studies from the National Cancer Institute have shown that contraceptives contain progesterone and estrogen either of which have the ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/about-cancer\/causes-prevention\/risk\/hormones\">increase the risk for or exacerbate existing breast cancer<\/a>. \u00a0Patients need to obtain breast screenings prior to taking contraceptive pills to detect early disease since progesterone or estrogen can potentially exacerbate underlying cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Pap Smear<\/h2>\n<p>Studies from the <a href=\"https:\/\/uh.edu\/nsm\/biology-biochemistry\/news-events\/stories\/2021\/0412-cervical-cancer.php\">University of Houston<\/a> have shown that contraceptives containing either progesterone or estrogen have the ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0002944019307175\">increase the risk for or exacerbate existing cervical cancer<\/a>. A pap smear using a brush of cells from the cervix is used to check for cervical cancer. These tests are also important for patients to receive once a year so that if cervical cancer does develop, it can be detected and treated early.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Alternatives or reversible options such as an <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/007635.htm\">IUD<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/007635.htm\">subcutaneous implants<\/a> as alternatives to oral contraceptives will also likely be considered during a prescription consultation, ensuring the woman is informed about all her options and can make the best choice for her in consultation with her provider.<\/p>\n<p>Making contraceptives over the counter could lead to increases in morbidity and mortality in the forms of stroke, heart disease, blood clots, and cancer. Additionally, birth control interactions with existing over-the-counter and prescription drugs could lead to an increased incidence of unexpected pregnancies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Oral contraceptives in particular ought to remain as prescription items, and allowing their over-the-counter access would be a barrier to well-patient visits and preventative medicine testing, something that even Planned Parenthood has loudly advocated for over many decades in fundraising plus <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20220711210257\/https:\/www.plannedparenthood.org\/planned-parenthood-pacific-southwest\/blog\/staying-healthy-with-preventive-care\">on its own website<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>The FDA should reject Perrigo\u2019s request, but anyone who has followed the Biden White House FDA knows they more than likely going to approve it for political reasons. Under Biden, the FDA seems to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/09\/fda-pushes-to-authorize-novavaxs-covid-19-vaccine-despite-serious-cardiovascular-safety-issues\/\">ignore drug safety data as a matter of standard routine<\/a>. Unfortunately, an FDA approval will debase the historical standard of monitoring women\u2019s health and fertility.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/topics\/author\/david-gortler\">Dr. David Gortler<\/a> is a pharmacologist, pharmacist, and an FDA and health policy fellow at the <a href=\"https:\/\/eppc.org\/author\/david_gortler\/\">Ethics and Public Policy Center<\/a>. He was a professor of pharmacology and biotechnology at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he also served at Yale\u2019s Bioethicist Center, and was an FDA medical officer who was later appointed by the White House as senior advisor to the FDA commissioner for drug safety, FDA science policy, and FDA regulatory affairs. He is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/davidgortler\/?sh=8c9dece19514\">columnist at Forbes<\/a>, where he writes on drug safety, health care and FDA policy.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the heels of last month\u2019s Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization, returning abortion policies back to individual states, Perrigo, an Ireland-based subsidiary of Allergan just applied to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":508,"featured_media":1897778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1565624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_finder_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/22\/fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control-puts-womens-health-at-risk\/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fda-approval-of-over-the-counter-birth-control-puts-womens-health-at-risk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/508"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1565624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1897778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1565624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1565624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1565624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}