If you've used the "Plan B" morning-after form of birth control, you're in a pretty large group right now. The morning after pill was rejected for OTC sale then approved as an OTC item recently -- and since, sales of the morning-after pill have done nothing but go up.

But it's not helping the overall pregnancy rate in the population, according to researchers. The morning after pill seems to work for individual women, though. Why aren't the numbers of pregnancies declining, then?

The researchers for this study stated that easy access to emergency contraception does not reduce unintended pregnancy rates. Are women not taking the pill as required or without counseling on how to properly use the product, then?

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If controversy truly sparks sales, then the makers of the Plan B morning-after pill should see sales skyrocket after today's decision by the Food and Drug Administration. The regulatory agency just announced they will allow the controversial pill to be available without a prescription to women (or their partners) 18 and older, most likely by the end of the year. The pill will be dispensed only at pharmacies and purchasers must show ID to prove their age.

Plan B has been sold in the US via prescription sales since 1999. After a seven-year battle to make the pill available to women of any age without a prescription, this ruling seems to be a compromise Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. is willing to live with -- for now. Barr said it will continue to lobby for the pill to be available to minors. According to today's decision, minors must still obtain a doctor's prescription to get the pill, which doesn't end pregnancy but rather prevents it from happening. If a woman takes Plan B while already pregnant, it will have no effect. In other words, this is not an abortion pill.

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