Correcting three common misconceptions about "Plan B."

[TheWraith]

All of which I've seen right here on DU today.

1. Plan B does not terminate a pregnancy; it's an emergency contraceptive. It does not have anything to do with pregnancy.

2. Plan B is still available over the counter to people over the age of 17, no questions asked. The decision against OTC sales only applies to girls 16 and under, who will still require a parent or a prescription.

3. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive, emphasis on the emergency, not something that is or should be encouraged for regular use.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Does it prevent fertilization, or implantation? I thought it prevented implantation.

[hedgehog]

2. I believe that the technical definition of pregnancy requires implantation.

[TheWraith]

4. You are correct. Pregnancy requires implantation. nt

[dtexdem]

6. Not according to many anti-choicers.

They think that fertilized eggs are unique miniature human persons -- including those that lead to fraternal twins. That's why I always ask them which twin is the true, unique human person and which is a nonperson. ;-)

[TheWraith]

3. Implantation.

However, if failure of a fertilized egg to implant is considered an abortion, then a fertile woman having unprotected sex has many spontaneous "abortions" during her life.

[TwilightGardener]

7. I think it does make a difference to the anti-abortion crowd, actually.

Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting as it naturally might could be seen as terminating a pregnancy--and Catholics don't approve of contraceptives. I do think that plays a role in the decision to allow this to be sold to minors OTC. I'm not sure it SHOULD, but those parents have rights, too.

[TheWraith]

8. I'm sure it does, but many of the pro-lifers' opinions aren't scientifically accurate.

I'm not out to bash people who don't believe in abortion, but the belief that "life begins at conception" isn't really scientifically based. Even if you believe a pregnancy is the same as a baby, pregnancy begins with implantation.

[hedgehog]

11. I think people mistrust this decision as a knee jerk response to the anti abortion crowd.

There could be perfectly rational reasons to limit free access to this drug to certain age groups because of health concerns rather than as an attempt to limit contraception/abortion. Given that many young teens have very strange notions about human reproduction, I can imagine all kinds of scenarios in which Plan B is overused or used unnecessarily. Does anyone here really think repeated strong doses of hormones are healthy for a young teen?

Edit: to clarify, just because the anti-abortion people are against Plan B doesn't mean that unsupervised access to Plan B is right for everyone.

[TwilightGardener]

14. I don't think it should be approved OTC for minors on a purely medical basis--

until regular BCP's are available OTC to minors, and parents are OK with that, I'm not sure why this should be freely available to them with no parental consent. The religious aspect is something else, but to put it simply: If surgical abortion requires parental notification for minors, then this might fall under that same category for many religious people.

[jeff47]

21. Then you think it should be available to minors

Minors can get a birth control prescription without parental consent today. A lot of doctors won't do it, but the law allows it.

The issue with Plan B is speed is of the essence. It's not easy for a minor to get to a doctor, get a prescription and then get to the pharmacy, all within the window when Plan B is most effective.

More to the point, there's no medical reason to put up those barriers.

[HockeyMom]

5. It won't END a pregnancy either

as defined as IMPLANTATION. Plan B prevents ovulation. Just like ordinary BC pills do. As an older woman, I KNOW it is nothing more than a mega dose of regular BC pills, which I myself did take when I forgot to take my normal daily pill. Take two or three when you forget them. Just a MARKETING gimmick of what women already on the pill have been doing for DECADES.

[Autumn Colors]

9. Really, isn't Plan B just the equivalent of 4 birth control pills

in one pill?

[hedgehog]

12. Regular birth control pills require a prescription in order to have

a medical professional evaluate their safety and effectiveness for a given woman. A one-time (or very infrequent) use of Plan B is judged to have little chance of causing harm. Repeated or regular use of Plan B could have bad side effects.

[HockeyMom]

13. As an old woman,

I did take the higher dosage of BC pills back then, so it was 2 or 3 when you missed them. Plan B would probably be the equivalent of 2 of what I took. I am still around!!!!! It didn't kill me taking them for about 15 years. Sorry, I cannot say in all that time how many times I forgot my pill and had to double or triple up.

[uppityperson]

26. Yes. Here is a link to bookmark. Used to be providers would figure out which

pill the woman was on, or was available, then the right dosages of them. We had a problem back in the 80's of a pharmacist that didn't want to fill the Rx due to "moral" reasons, so figured out other OC's to prescribe.

http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/ecinfo.htm

[lamp_shade]

10. Thank you for this post. K&R

[ZombieHorde]

15. Great OP. I am adding some excerts from a FAQ I believe comes from the company that makes it.

http://www.planbonestep.com/plan-b-faq.aspx

When is it not appropriate to use Plan B One-Step®?

Plan B One-Step® should not be used:

If you're already pregnant, because it won't work
If you're allergic to levonorgestrel or any of the ingredients in Plan B One-Step®
In place of regular birth control. Plan B One-Step® should not be used as routine birth control, as it's not as effective. Plan B One-Step® won't protect you from HIV infection (the virus that causes AIDS) or any other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

When should I use Plan B One-Step®?

You only have a few days to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. Plan B One-Step® works better the sooner you take it. It’s only one pill, so you can get what you need right away—within 72 hours (3 days) after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure.

What if I'm already pregnant and use Plan B One-Step®?

There is no medical evidence that Plan B One-Step® would harm a developing baby. If you take Plan B One-Step® accidentally after you're already pregnant, or it doesn't work and you become pregnant, it's not likely to cause any harm to you or your pregnancy. Plan B One-Step® will not disrupt or affect an existing pregnancy.

Can I use Plan B One-Step® for regular birth control?

Plan B One-Step® should not be used as regular birth control. Plan B One-Step® is not as effective as using a regular birth control method correctly and consistently. It is a backup method to be used if your regular birth control fails, or if you have sex without birth control. If you have unprotected sex after taking Plan B One-Step®, it cannot protect you from getting pregnant.

````````````````

There are other questions and answers at the link.

[no_hypocrisy]

16. Denying Plan B to 16 year olds (and younger girls) is part of the Master Plan.

Next: federal law that prevents 16 years and younger from getting an abortion (all 50 states) without parental consent and a doctor's prescription. Possibly no judicial bypass where you can get a court hearing to get a judge to allow the abortion without parental consent, but with very very narrow conditions.

[TheWraith]

17. You might want to loosen your tin foil hat.

Lots of over the counter drugs are denied to minors for safety reasons. Try being 16 and going in to buy painkillers, or caffeine pills, or nicotine inhalers.

[jeff47]

20. Um....you can buy 2/3 of those anywhere at any age

Some states lock up the nicotine. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol and Caffeine are purchasable by anyone in the 7 states I've lived in, and I'm not aware of any states that restrict them to adults.

[TheWraith]

22. New York, for one, restricts most of those.

And don't mistake "not in a locked case" for meaning that it's for sale to anyone. Clerks still check age.

[uppityperson]

27. " Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol and Caffeine" are restricted in NY? Seriously?

You can't buy a bottle of aspirin without proving your age? Seriously? Aspirin? Tylenol? Ibuprofen? Caffeine? Seriously?

[TheWraith]

30. Aspirin you can buy. Ibuprofen, tylenol, and caffeine pills are 18 plus. nt

[uppityperson]

32. Plain tylenol. Baby tylenol. Not the kind with codeine in it but plain tylenol.

Young moms, say 17 yrs old, can not buy tylenol for their infants? Acetaminophen. What they give to babies after shots.

Yes, you can buy ibuprofen with an Rx, of a certain dosage. But plain ibuprofen.

I'd like to see confirmation of that. Sudafed is behind the counter and limited because of meth, but plain infant tylenol?

[jeff47]

35. Got a source? State web sites don't list any such restriction

I haven't found a state agency's web site that lists such a restriction. Nor does a google search.

[TBF]

24. Exactly - try being 45 and buying Sudafed at the pharmacy - that's behind the counter too. nt

[uppityperson]

28. Sudafed it restricted to all ages, not just under 17 yrs.

[TheWraith]

18. Well, interestingly this just got unrecced into the ground.

From +6 to +2 in half an hour or so.

[redqueen]

19. Surely you're not surprised.

I just gave it a rec. Nice to see an OP about the issue which isn't outrageously misleading and hyperbolic.

[Lisa0825]

23. I am undecided about the ruling. I think it should have an age limit...

though maybe lower than 17.

I took Plan B a few years back, and I was horribly nauseous for an entire day, and then the next period I had came with the worst cramps of my life, and was extremely heavy. I was 39 or 40 and I was a bit scared. I can only imagine how a very young girl trying to handle this in secret from her parents, and feeling like she had no one to confide in would feel if she had a bad reaction.

[TBF]

25. I guess if this is a place where we can compromise I don't have too much difficulty with it.

I wish as a society we could be more honest about sexuality, and also provide birth control free to all who want it. It's sad that it has to get to this level with "emergency contraceptives" and the like.

As a parent I don't like the idea of teenagers being able to buy these things OTC. A kid can't drink until she's 21, but she can buy something like this? Seems really odd.

[uppityperson]

29. A quibble with #2. It is available without an Rx but yes, you do get questioned as to your age.

#3. It is not as effective as OC's, not as effective as other types preventative contraception, hence "emergency".

[TheWraith]

31. Regarding number three...

Yes, it's not as effective, but there are also potential health problems associated with repeated use. It's safe to use once in awhile, but not for prolonged use.

[uppityperson]

33. "prolonged use"? You mean like oral contraceptives?

[TheWraith]

34. Yes. That's why oral contraceptives are prescription only.

Because they can have serious health side effects, and doctors want to consult a woman before she starts taking them. My own mother started having very severe health problems as a result of oral contraceptive use, and eventually had to quit the pills and get her tubes tied instead.