Many college women experience “sticker shock” with cars, handbags and jeans. Soon, ISU women may feel the same shock when it comes to birth control pills.
At the end of 2006, federal legislation changed the policy that allowed oral contraceptive suppliers to give discounts to college health centers. A change in a Medicaid policy, the federal program that assists the poor with health insurance, has also affected Thielen Student Health Center at Iowa State.
“We used to offer about 12 to 20 different brands of birth control pills for 10 to 12 dollars, but now the same products are doubled or tripled in price,” said Greg Yeakel, chief staff pharmacist at the Student Health Center.
College health centers used to be offered preferential pricing since they are nonprofit government entities that only serve the college community. The pill producers used this as an opportunity for marketing. Young women who begin using a product at a young age will likely continue with it as they get older.
“All manufacturers are included; this is not a brand-specific issue,” Yeakel said.
Generic options are available for most contraceptives and work just as well as the original. Few people notice a difference in the way the generic medication affects them, but not most.
At Iowa State, about a third of students pay cash for prescriptions while the other two-thirds have insurance, or are covered through a similar plan, Yeakel said.
The change in rates “wouldn’t make much of a difference for most students unless they were paying for birth control pills with cash so that their parents wouldn’t find out on the insurance bill,” Yeakel said.
Birth control Q&A with Greg Yeakel, chief staff pharmacist at Thielen Student Health Center
Price comparisons for one month’s supply
NuvaRing:
Student Health Center – $39.53
www.walgreens.com – $52.66
www.drugstore.com – $46.24
Ortho Evra Patch:
Student Health Center – $35.40
www.walgreens.com – $54.99
www.drugstore.com – $51.39
Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Pill:
Student Health Center – $45.40 (generic $20)
www.walgreens.com – $52.99
www.drugstore.com – $48.07
Contraceptive use statistics
- 43 million women of reproductive age, or 70 percent, are sexually active but not seeking to become pregnant. They could become pregnant if they fail to use contraception.
- 98 percent of women ages 15 to 44 – that have engaged in intercourse – have used one or more contraceptive methods.
- The birth control pill is currently the most popular contraceptive used. 30.6 percent of contraceptive users cited the pill as their method of choice in 2002. Tubal sterilization and male condoms were the second and third most popular.
- The pill is the leading method for college educated, never-married women. After age 35, more females turn to sterilization.
- 62 percent of women ages 15 to 44 used contraception in 2002. The 1982 rate was 56 percent. Current use is slightly down since 1995, when it was at 64 percent.
- 90 percent of employer-base insurance plans cover prescription contraceptives. Just 10 years ago, this number was closer to 30 percent.
– Compiled from www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html.
Side effects of oral contraceptives
The short-term side effects of: nausea, breast tenderness, changes in weight, spotting, variances in libido and mood changes, among other effects.
Clinicians will often schedule a follow-up appointment after the first three cycles of the pill are taken to evaluate the how well a patient has adjusted to the pill.
Certain physical or mental changes warrant alerting your physician. These include:
- Sudden shortness of breath or spitting up blood
- Abrupt pain in the abdomen, chest or arm
- Sudden or on-going pain or redness in the legs
- Severe headache
- Sudden vision changes
- Abrupt depression
- Muscle weakness or numbness
Although these events are quite rare among pill users, they should be reported to your prescriber.
– Compiled from www.public.asu.edu/health/pharmacy/OralContraceptives.html.
