The Over The Counter Pill National Study

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05988983

Enrollment

1026

Registered

2023-08-14

Start date

2024-05-01

Completion date

2026-03-31

Last updated

2025-05-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Contraception, Contraception Behavior, Contraceptive Usage, Health Care Utilization

Brief summary

This is a prospective cohort study of individuals purchasing the oral contraceptive pill over the counter (OTC) in pharmacies in 32 US states. The comparison group is people receiving a prescription (Rx) for oral contraception. Both groups will be followed for one year to examine contraceptive continuation rates. This study will also identify who is using the pill OTC and why and evaluate differences in pregnancy intention and measures of contraceptive agency between the two groups.

Interventions

OTHERAvailability of OTC contraceptive pill

Over the counter contraceptive pill

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

FEMALE

Age

12 Years to 51 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Capable of pregnancy * Purchasing oral contraception at a participating pharmacy

Exclusion criteria

* Using the pill for non contraceptive indications

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
12 month contraceptive continuation rates	12 months	Difference in proportion of participants using contraception 12 months after starting between over the counter and prescription groups.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026