Traditionally, getting birth control required seeing a doctor, getting approval and dealing with the mess that is health insurance. Not to mention the fact that there’s still a stigma that seems to follow the idea that women have sex for anything but baby making.

Knowing all of these moving parts exist, there are various platforms and apps that want to make it easier for you to get oral contraceptives. We’ve rounded up a list of game changers:

Nurx

Nurx delivers one-three months worth of oral contraceptives (or the ring or the patch) at a time, depending on your insurance. With insurance, it is most likely completely free, without it is $15. The doctors at Nurx can prescribe oral contraceptives to anybody ages 14 and older. Nurx also offers overnighted emergency contraceptives (Plan B) and PreP (an HIV-preventing drug which you can learn more about here.) This is an especially great service for teens who are sexually active and are unable to get birth control from a primary care physician. It is also great if you’d like a service that takes insurance and delivers to your door. Check out Nurx here.

 

Lemonaid

Lemonaid does not accept insurance and costs $15 for up to three months of birth control pills. Lemonaid boasts over 100 brands of birth control pills, which is excellent if you have a specific type of pill you definitely want. Major plus is that it’s also very easy to use: you simply fill out a form online and then a prescription is sent to your local pharmacy. Lenmonaid is for patients 18 and over and cannot be prescribed for acne or period pain relief.

Lemonaid is best if you don’t have insurance and want to pick it up at a pharmacy and also great if you need to get UTI medication quickly and don’t want to wait for your doctor to see you. Check out Lemonaid here.

 

Maven

Maven works a little differently. While they do have one off appointments, their best deal is its plan for students. It offers both primary care and mental health assistance at a monthly cost of $25 (or $45 if you don’t want to commit for a year). Maven’s student plan (for anybody currently in college) gives you unlimited access to healthcare (specifically for women), offers video appointments, and instant prescriptions (although you will have to pay separately for these). Maven is especially great because it offers full 40 minute therapy sessions (via skype) included in the price. Compared to usual co-pays of $20-70/session.

Maven is best if you don’t have insurance, want all your doctors in one place, and want the face time provided by video chat. It is an especially great deal if you are in college and need both birth control and therapy. Check out Maven here.

 

Prjkt Ruby

Prjkt Ruby is birth control on demand, plus it’s good for the world. They have a “Take One Give One” project, which donates 25 cents to support access to birth control for women who do not have the privilege via Population Services International. Prjkt Ruby offers seven different generic birth control pills starting at $20/month, no insurance required. The entire procedure is done online by answering a few simple questions, so no video chat necessary. The pills are shipped to your home in 3 month packs in discrete packaging. Prjkt Ruby is best if you have a little extra budget, want a simple online process, and want to do a good deed. You can try Prjkt Ruby here.

Have you ordered birth control online? What did you think of your experience? Let us know!

 

Image courtesy of Getty Images.

By Hannah Rimm on September 16, 2016
Hannah Rimm is a writer, educator, and filmmaker living in New York City. When she isn't writing, she is the marketing coordinator at an Academy Award-nominated arthouse animation company.