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  Answers to key questions about the over-the-counter birth control pill approved by the FDA. March 21, 2024 By  Candice Mazon, MD , Contributor, and  Amy Desrochers DiVasta, MD, MMSc , Contributor Birth control pills have been safely used in the US (and sold only by prescription) for more than half a century. In 2023  the FDA approved Opill , the first daily contraceptive pill intended for sale over the counter with no prescription needed. This offers many more people access to a new nonprescription option for preventing pregnancy. Opill is available online and soon to be stocked on drugstore shelves. Here's what anyone interested — adults, parents, and teens — should know. What is in Opill and how does it work? Opill is a progestin-only form of birth control. That means it uses a single hormone called progestin (or norgestrel) to prevent pregnancy. It works by affecting ovulation so that the ovaries do not release an egg every month thickening cervical mucus, which...