Getting the birth control pill over the counter means you can buy it without ever talking to a health care provider or visiting the pharmacy counter. You can get the pill right off the shelf at the drug store and other retail locations, probably next to the condoms and the lube.
The only difference between getting the birth control pill over the counter and getting it with a prescription is how you get it. They work the same way. Whether you get the pill over the counter or with a prescription, it’s a pill that you take once a day that works by releasing hormones to prevent pregnancy before it starts. The birth control pill is NOT an abortion pill and it’s NOT emergency contraception either.
As of 2024, there is only one brand pill that’s been approved for sale over the counter without a prescription. It’s called Opill and it’s a progestin-only birth control pill, or mini-pill. You take one pill every day, and it releases a small amount of progestin into your body to prevent pregnancy. Opill doesn’t have estrogen in it, so pretty much anyone can use it safely. There is another type and brand of birth control pill that contains estrogen and progestin that is going through the process to become available OTC, but it may be a few more years before that happens.