With over-the-counter birth control pills likely to be approved, pharmacists and pharmacies could play an ever-increasing role in reproductive health care

The over-the-counter birth control pill will not require medical examinations or prescriptions prior to purchase. Sergey Mironov/Moment via Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to review a drugmaker’s application for the first over-the-counter birth control pill in November 2022, with a decision expected in the first half of 2023.

An approved over-the-counter hormonal birth control product would not require a prescription and would be considered self-care, defined as “the practice of individuals looking after their own health using the knowledge and information available to them.”