Private companies and nonprofit organizations, including Planned Parenthood, have begun developing mobile apps that allow women to more easily access and order birth control.
Each app is unique and offers its users different options in regards to direct contact with a doctor, pick up method, and payment.
All of the apps do, however, have their users answer a set of questions about their medical history that are reviewed by a physician before they select a method for receiving their birth control (pick up at a local pharmacy or delivered in the mail). For instance, one of the apps, Lemonaid, charges $15 for a user to have their medical information reviewed by a doctor before she receives a prescription for birth control.
Although some of these apps do require its users to communicate directly with a doctor or pharmacist, this new level of access is still much easier than most previous methods of obtaining birth control, which often required women to consult with a physician (in an in-person appointment) to receive a prescription.
The companies and organizations behind these apps are hoping that this improvement can and will encourage more women in their teens to use birth control. Many studies have been conducted in the past, revealing that many teens choose not to use contraception because it’s too difficult to access or because they don’t want to talk to their parents about using birth control.
It’s not just teens who will benefit from this added access though. These removed barriers may also help lower the current rate of unintended pregnancies (about 45% of pregnancies) in the United States.
If you’re interested in these new methods of ordering birth control, you can take this online quiz to figure out which app might be best suited to your needs.
