Oral contraceptive pills shortage in Lebanon amidst the economic collapse: a nationwide exploratory study

Oral contraceptive pills shortage in Lebanon amidst the economic collapse: a nationwide exploratory study

The political instability, economic crisis, and devaluation of the national currency left Lebanese females suffering from a scarcity of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Therefore, we aimed to identify the incidence of OCPs shortage in Lebanon and its impact on women's sexual and reproductive he...

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Published in:BMC health services research Vol. 23; no. 1; p. 520
Main Authors: Itani, Rania, Khojah, Hani Mj, Karout, Samar, Abu-Farha, Rana, Mukattash, Tareq L, Rahme, Deema, Housary, Khouloud, Achi, Hiam El, Safar, Ali O, Al Hajj, Ismail Karam, El-Lakany, Abdalla
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 23-05-2023
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects:
Abortion
Abortion, Induced
Abortion, Spontaneous
Analysis
Birth control
Contraception
Contraceptives, Oral
COVID-19
Distribution
Drug stores
Economic crisis
Female
Health aspects
Health services
Humans
Lebanon
Methods
Oral contraceptive pills
Oral contraceptives
Pharmacists
Pregnancy
Reproductive health
Sexual Behavior
Shortages
Women
Women's health services
Womens health
Lebanon
Beirut Lebanon
Lebanon
Reproductive health
Women
Oral contraceptive pills
Contraception
Abortion
Economic crisis
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Summary:The political instability, economic crisis, and devaluation of the national currency left Lebanese females suffering from a scarcity of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Therefore, we aimed to identify the incidence of OCPs shortage in Lebanon and its impact on women's sexual and reproductive health, as well as physical and psychological well-being. Community pharmacies were selected randomly across Lebanon, using a stratified sampling approach, where female clients asking for OCPs were interviewed using a standardized data collection form. A total of 440 females were interviewed. More than three-quarters of the participants (76.4%) reported not finding their preferred OCPs brands, almost 40% were affected by the increased prices, and 28.4% declared stockpiling OCPs. More than half of the participants using OCPs for pregnancy prevention reported adopting alternative traditional contraceptive methods (55.3%). Unplanned pregnancy was reported by 9.5% of participants, where 75% of them disclosed intentional abortion while the remaining (25%) reported experiencing a spontaneous miscarriage. Other consequences of OCPs shortage included mood disturbances (52.3%), dysregulation of menses (49.7%), dysmenorrhea (21.1%), weight gain (19.6%), acne (15.7%), and hirsutism (12.5%). Of the participants taking OCPs for birth control, 48.6% reported a reduced frequency of sexual intercourse, which led to conflicts with their partners (46%) and a decreased libido (26.7%). OCPs shortage has seriously and negatively exposed women to various undesirable consequences including unplanned pregnancy and dysregulation of menses. Therefore, there is an urgent need to bring the attention of healthcare authorities to support the national pharmaceutical industry in manufacturing affordable OCPs generics to meet women's reproductive health demands.
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ISSN:1472-6963
1472-6963
DOI:10.1186/s12913-023-09523-3