Larger pill supply makes birth control easier

NEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) Giving women a year's supply of birth control pills at a time may make it easier to use the contraceptives properly, a study suggests.

To be most effective, oral contraceptives must be taken daily, and imperfect use is considered one of the leading causes of unintended pregnancies in the U S For many women, running out of pills is a major reason for inconsistent use, according to the authors of the new study published on tuesday.

As it stands, most health plans limit all prescriptions drugs, including oral contraceptives, to a 30-day supply -- which means women need to have timely refills to use the pill properly.

But the new findings, published in the journal Obstetrics&Gynecology, suggest that giving women a year's supply of birth control pills could allow for more consistent use -- and cut down on healthcare costs.

For the study, Dr Diana Greene Foster and her colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco analyzed data on more than 82,000 women taking part in a state family-planning program for low-income women. The program allows women to receive up to 13 cycles of birth control pills at a time.

Foster and her colleagues found that women given 13 cycles were twice as likely to have continuously used the pill for a year compared with women who received a three-month supply of birth control pills.

In addition, women given the 13-month supply were less likely to need a pregnancy test during the year, and their overall reproductive healthcare costs were lower.

The findings, according to Foster's team, suggest that giving doctors the freedom to prescribe a larger supply of birth control pills could prevent more unintended pregnancies, with less inconvenience to women and less expense.

REUTERS DKA HT0932