A birth control pill is now available in Oregon without a prescription

(APRIL 11, 2024) Opill is a new kind of birth control pill. You can buy it without a prescription. It's now available in Oregon. It makes it easier for people to get birth control. You can buy it at places like CVS and Walgreens for about $20 a month. 

Opill is different from other pills. It only has one hormone. That makes it safer for some people, like those who are nursing or have certain health problems. You don't need a doctor's appointment or tests to get Opill. You just need to read the instructions and buy it from the store.

“It’s an incredibly safe method, and we’re really lucky to be at this time and place that we have this available to us,” said Alison Edelman. She's a professor and doctor at Oregon Health & Science University. 

The pill needs to be taken at about the same time every day. According to a news story from Oregon Public Broadcasting, "When used 'perfectly,' according to the label instructions, Opill is 99 percent effective, meaning one person out of 100 will become pregnant over the course of a year on the pill. When used under real-world conditions (in which a person misses a dose every once and a while), it’s 93 percent effective, comparable to combination pills."