The Food and Drug Administration removed age restrictions on emergency contraception in 2013, but many teenagers still face barriers when trying to access the drug, according to a study published in Pediatrics.
For the study, women posing as 17-year-old girls called 979 pharmacies in five cities to inquire about emergency contraception using a standardized script. Also, researchers examined 2015 estimated census data and the federal poverty level to assess the income level for the neighborhoods of each pharmacy.
Here are four study findings.
1. A majority (83 percent) of pharmacies said emergency contraception was available.
2. About 8 percent of pharmacies said it would be impossible for the women to obtain emergency contraception under any circumstances. This scenario occurred more often with pharmacies in low-income areas.
3. The pharmacies provided women with accurate information about over-the-counter access 51.6 percent of the time. Researchers did not find any link between accuracy and income level.
4. When researchers compared the study results to the outcomes of an identical study performed in 2012, before the FDA removed age restrictions for the birth control, they found few differences.
"It is surprising that access hasn't improved despite the change in regulations that were intended to improve access for adolescents in particular," lead study author Tracey Wilkinson, MD, a pediatrics researcher at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, told Reuters. "Without access, more unplanned pregnancies can result and for adolescents in particular the repercussions of unplanned pregnancy can be substantial and life-long."
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