5 Best Services To Order Birth Control Online in 2024
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth control pills are one of the most commonly used forms of contraception. This is in part because of the relative reliability of oral contraception. Birth control pills are 99% effective at preventing pregnancy with perfect use and about 91% effective with typical use. The increasing prevalence of online birth control delivery services is improving access to the pill, making it more discreet, affordable and convenient than ever before.
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Purchasing Birth Control Online
A prescription is required to obtain birth control pills, but most online birth control services offer a consultation with a medical professional who can advise you and write the prescription.
It’s important to research to determine trustworthy online birth control providers. What follows is a guide to five such companies from which you can order pills to be shipped to your home, including Nurx, Lemonaid, Hers, Twentyeight Health and Pandia Health.
These services have options in terms of brands or contraceptive types and customer reviews generally indicate a positive experience with the service. They also offer transparency with regard to their business practices.
Shipping is free for all of these services. Note that, in keeping with medical best practices for online pharmacies, none of these companies offer returns for prescription medication.
5 Best Online Birth Control Pill Services
Best Overall Online Birth Control Service
- Accepts Insurance: Yes
- Cost: $15 consultation fee, plus $15 per month without insurance
- Options Offered: Pill, ring, patch, shot and emergency contraception
- Delivery Time: 3 to 5 days
In addition to offering the ring, patch and the shot, Nurx offers birth control pills. The first step is to answer a few health questions about your age, gender, height and weight. You will also be asked for your blood pressure reading and health history.
You will then meet with a medical professional online who can consult on your options and write you the appropriate prescription. The consultation costs $15, but includes a year of unlimited messaging for any questions you might have.
Note that this fee does not include the cost of filling the prescription. Depending on the carrier, if you have health insurance it may cover the cost of the prescription in part or in full. For those without insurance, Nurx costs $15 per month with the cheapest plan, which can be canceled at any time.
Nurx offers a 3-month supply to start, with automatic refills so you don’t have to request a new prescription.
- For those without insurance, options start at $15 per month.
- There are more than 100 birth control options available, including generic and brand names.
- The Nurx medical team understands interactions with gender-affirming therapy and supports trans and nonbinary customers.
- Nurx is unavailable in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
- The $15 consultation fee is not covered by insurance.
- Accepts Insurance: Yes, with several exceptions
- Cost: $25 consultation fee, plus $15 per month without insurance
- Options Offered: Pill, ring and patch
- Delivery Time: 2 to 3 days
With over 100 different types of birth control pills, plus the NuvaRing and the Xulane patch, Lemonaid has plenty of options, but the real bonus is expediency. The company works to review medical requests within 24 hours.
Note that some states require a telehealth visit prior to obtaining a prescription, which may slow down the time it takes to receive a prescription. However, Lemonaid is one of the only companies that is able to service people ages 18 and over in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The initial consultation fee is $25 and the medication costs start at $15 per month.
Insurance is accepted if the Lemonaid prescription is sent to your local pharmacy, but it is not accepted for the home delivery option. Prescriptions usually come in a 3-month supply and last for a year.
- 24-hour response time, depending on the state, plus 2 to 3-day delivery.
- There are many options for generic and brand-name birth control pills.
- Service is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
- There is no home delivery option if using insurance.
- The $25 consultation fee is relatively high compared with other services.
- Accepts Insurance: No
- Cost: No consultation fee, with plans as low as $12 per month
- Options Offered: Generic brand pills and condoms
- Delivery Time: 2 to 3 days
Part of the reason Hers offers such affordable prices is that it only offers generic brand birth control pills. It also offers condoms.
A medical professional will review your answers to a brief health questionnaire before meeting with you to discuss the best options. They are available for any follow-up questions you might have.
Hers commits to sending a new pill pack 6 days before your last one will run out. It does not offer insurance, but some medications start for as low as $12 per month.
- The virtual consultation is free and plans cost as low as $12 per month.
- Hers is available in every state.
- Hers only offers generic brands of birth control and condoms.
- It does not accept insurance.
- Accepts Insurance: Yes
- Cost: $26 consultation fee, plus medication costs starting at $18 per month without insurance
- Options offered: Pill, patch, ring, shot, the morning-after pill and internal condoms
- Delivery time: 3 to 5 days
Though Twentyeight Health only delivers to 35 states, it serves the widest variety of individuals, including teens (starting at age 13) and coverage for Medicaid recipients in most states. It also offers a wide variety of patches, pills, rings and shots, with over 100 brands to choose from.
A $26 consultation with a medical professional is the first step. Twentyeight Health accepts insurance. Without insurance, the pills start at $18 per pack.
- Service is available to teens and all genders.
- It accepts insurance, including Medicaid in 30 states.
- It offers 100+ types of birth control.
- It is only available in 35 states.
- Pharmacy pick-up is not offered.
- Accepts Insurance: Yes
- Cost: $30 consultation fee, plus medication costs starting at $15 per month without insurance
- Options Offered: Pill, patch, ring and emergency contraception
- Delivery Time: 2 to 3 days
Pandia Health claims it is the only doctor-founded and doctor-led online birth control service. The fact that it is also women-owned, started by Dr. Sophia Yen, may be an additional incentive for many customers.
Pandia Health accepts insurance, and most people pay $0 if they have insurance. If they don’t, prices start at $15 per month. If you have a valid prescription, the $30 consultation fee is waived and you can have your prescription filled online right away.
It may even be possible to have the $30 fee waived if you live in California, Florida, Louisiana or Texas and are eligible for financial aid. Prescriptions come with automatic refills for a year.
- Pandia Health is a woman-founded and -led company.
- You can save money by uploading your existing prescription.
- It accepts insurance.
- It does not accept the following insurance providers: Cal Optima, Care, Humana, Kaiser, Sunshine Health, StayWell or Tricare.
- Pandia Health can deliver prescriptions to all 50 states, but can only provide new prescriptions for people living in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming.
How To Buy Online Birth Control
In order to ensure you are buying from a reputable company, there are a few pointers to keep in mind. Always be sure that a certified medical professional is available to review your medical history and consult you on your prescription.
The company should make it easy to find the doctor’s last name, education and years of experience in the field. Online reviews are often a good indication of the level of professionalism and service.
In addition, all packages should come fully sealed with the name of the medication clearly labeled.
Doing your research can help you avoid receiving fake pills from disreputable companies. These are pills sold without the right ingredients or with the wrong amount of active ingredients, which could result in an unplanned pregnancy or health complications.
When To See a Doctor in Person
Depending on your medical history, you may want to opt to see a doctor in person so they can review your health information with you and take your blood pressure or conduct more in-depth examinations.
If you have any health concerns that might make taking birth control containing estrogen high risk, for example, you may want to get your prescription at your doctor’s office. Contraindications can include a history of blood clots, breast cancer, liver cancer or high blood pressure. And for people who smoke, combination birth control pills, or those that have estrogen, may not be a good option.
Risks and Side Effects
The following is a list of risks and side effects of the birth control pill, which you may or may not experience, depending on your unique body composition and health profile:
- Nausea
- Spotting between periods
- Headaches
- Breast tenderness
If these side effects last longer than 3 months, consult your prescribing medical professional or primary care physician.
Though much less common, more serious health risks, such as blood clots, are possible. Blood clots are related to a condition called deep vein thrombosis, which can cause heart attack or stroke.
They are more common in those with high blood pressure or more body weight. People at higher risk may want to avoid using combination birth control pills and should speak with their doctor about which options are best for them.
Taking the correct dose at the same time daily and not missing doses impacts how effective the pill is at helping prevent pregnancies.
The birth control pill can help greatly reduce your chances of getting pregnant. Some people find that online birth control services are a more convenient and, in some cases, affordable option for receiving birth control.
However, it’s important to do your research to ensure you are ordering from a reputable company. The companies above are good places to start.
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