More than 99 percent of women aged 15 to 44 who have ever had sexual intercourse use at least one contraceptive method, according to the Guttmacher Institue.
Oral Contraception continues to be the product sold at the highest rate in pharmacies around campus, according to CVS pharmacist Renee Hayes. CVS alone sells around 50 packs of birth control pills every day, totaling nearly 350 packs a week, according to the CVS pharmacy.
"Birth control is our fastest moving product," Hayes said. "It seems like most female students are using it."
The sale of birth control pills has maintained consistent popularity in the recent past. According to an online Miami Student poll of 161 students, 26 percent said they use oral contraception as a means of birth control.
"The sale of birth control is always pretty consistent," Hayes said. "It never really changes."
The most popular brands of birth control pills among Miami students include Sprintec, Tri Sprintec and Junel, according to Hayes.
The use of Plan B or "the day after pill," an emergency contraception method, is also a very popular method of birth control.
"We sell about 31 boxes of Plan B a week. We sell out of the product almost every weekend," Hayes said. "They are mostly sold on Saturdays and Sundays. They are also very popular after holidays or popular campus events, like Green Beer Day."
For many, birth control comes at a low cost or even no cost at all. Under the Affordable Care Act implemented by President Barack Obama, health insurance plans are required to cover co-pays for birth control, allowing its recipients to receive birth control at no cost if it is included in the insurance plans, according to the National Women's Law Center. This law ensures that women will always have access to birth control, even when they cannot afford it.
"For most, there is no charge for birth control," Hayes said. "Most insurance plans cover it."
While the popularity of contraception is high at local pharmacies, the availability on campus is limited. Contraception, such as condoms and birth control pills, are not sold at any markets on campus.
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"No discussion has ever been held on the matter of selling contraception at markets," General Manager of Retail Operations in Merchandising Diana Byrd said. "There is no rule against it, it just isn't sold in our markets. The topic has never been presented so we've never addressed it."
While contraception is not available in markets, it is not altogether absent from campus. The Gynecology department can administer many forms of contraception, according to the Miami Women's Health Center's official website. Emergency contraceptives, like Plan B, can also be given at the Miami pharmacy, according to their website.
There has recently been a national rise in the use of injectable contraception, with a change from 4.5 percent of women using injectables nationally in 1995, to 23 percent in 2010, according to the Guttmacher Institute in August of 2013. The Women's Health Center has adapted to this change, and offers injectable contraception methods to all female students.
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