How do you handle a situation in which one day, you think you are taking your birth control medication correctly, and the next day you find out that you are pregnant? This has become a plausible situation in light of a statement released on Friday by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, an Alabama pharmaceutical company.
Qualitest recently issued a nationwide voluntary recall of several lots of birth control pills, according to CNN. This packaging error means women taking certain birth control products run the risk of unwanted pregnancy.
Maralis Mercado, program coordinator and sexual health director at the wellness center, explained that the pills were “inverted,” so the placebo pills were taken first—rather than last—in the cycle.
According to a statement issued by the pharmaceutical company, customers face no current health risk.
“They fail to take into account the risks associated with pregnancy, especially unintended pregnancies,” Mercado said.
She believes that this mistake could have larger implications than perhaps Qualitest is afraid to say.
"How are they going to be able to go back and tell how many people are pregnant because of this mistake?" Mercado asked. "Who is going to provide care for these women that become pregnant?”
Included in the recall are 1.4 million birth control packages, which includes generic medications. Qualitest is investigating the source of the error and arranging for customers to return their pills and report any additional problems.
“From a social justice perspective, it’s an issue," Mercado said. "Let’s say you’re already poor, as a teenager or college student, and you thought you were doing everything correctly in terms of taking the medication. The fact that [the birth control pills] were reversed is out of your control. Now you have to deal with what comes with being pregnant."
Janet Hortin, medical director at student health, explained that the recall could involve Duke students who are not taking birth control through the Duke pharmacy. Hortin said in an email that the Duke pharmacy stocks one of the brands, Gildess FE 1/20. However, the pharmacist reported today that none of the recalled oral contraceptives have been dispensed.
“I don’t know if it will become a problem yet; people get their pills from all over the place and only a fraction [of students] get their pills from student health,” Horton said.
Horton added that students should check their pills to confirm that they don’t have a recalled brand. No students have come in so far regarding their birth control, she said.
“But this is important for students to know about, because what if you think you are being protected when in actuality, you aren’t?" Horton said.
Sophomore Flora Muglia said that she didn’t know anything about the recall.
“A lot of people read the news, but this isn’t necessarily something that would fly on everyone’s radar screen,” Muglia said.
For now, women affected by the recall should use non-hormonal forms of birth control.
“Any other physical barrier method is preferable in this case,” Mercado said.
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