Seattle study offers non-prescribed birth control

Pharmacies in Seattle have started to offer birth control pills to women without a doctor's prescription as part of a study to see if the practice can be adopted nationwide, health officials said on Wednesday.

Although many countries now offer hormonal contraceptives without an initial visit to the doctor for a prescription, the United States still requires that women who want to get on the pill see a physician.

Women aged 18 to 45 can walk into any one of eight pharmacies in the Seattle area to participate in the study, which is being conducted by the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

After filling out a questionnaire, having her blood pressure and weight checked, and consulting with a pharmacist, a woman can get birth control pills or patches for a year.

Dr. Jacqueline Gardner, a professor at the School of Pharmacy who is leading the study, said that her group aims to sign up 300 women who will be monitored for a year.

"We can make birth control more accessible to women," Gardner said.

Pharmacists in Washington have been prescribing "morning after" pills for the past six years to women, and Gardner said that the birth control program extends such services for women. Morning after pills are meant to prevent pregnancy if taken within a specified period after intercourse.

"Some people don't like to go to a doctor," said Lilly Colwell, a 24-year-old barista at Zeitgeist Coffee in downtown Seattle, "People would think, well, yeah, why not?"