LAUSR

OBJECTIVE We calculated the prevalence of contraindications to progestin-only pills (POPs) among reproductive age women to evaluate the safety of over the counter provision. STUDY DESIGN This descriptive study queried a multi-institution U.S. database to identify women ages 10-45 presenting for preventive care, and a subset of this initial cohort also presenting for contraceptive services, to estimate the prevalence of contraindications to POPs using diagnosis and procedure codes. RESULTS Among 813,888 females seeking preventive care between 2009-2015, 4.36% had a condition associated with a potential risk or unacceptable risk for initiation of POPs, compared to 2.29% of the 71,216 women seeking both preventive care and contraceptive services. Current breast cancer, the only condition classified as an unacceptable risk for initiation, was listed as a diagnosis for 2.67% and 0.57% in each respective group. CONCLUSION The prevalence of contraindications to POPs among reproductive age women is low. This finding supports the relative safety of an over the counter progestin-only contraceptive pill.