It’s indisputable that oral contraception should be accessible and affordable to all women regardless of their age, religious background, or any other factor that could hinder their access to the pill. Because I was going to UMass by the time I started using the pill, I chose to pick up my prescription from University Health Services which was just a five minute walk from my dorm. This was fine for the first two years because it was only a slight inconvenience going to U.H.S. once a month, but when I moved across campus to Southwest my junior year, that’s when things got super annoying. When I lived in Southwest, I tried to walk as often as possible to get to UHS because this was usually the fastest way to get there. However, when it was the middle of winter or pouring rain, I chose to take the bus which, if you know anything about the P.V.T.A., never comes on time. Dealing with this majorly tedious task every three weeks was definitely not something I enjoyed doing nor wanted to continue doing. Another nuisance was having to call my pharmacy at home and transfer my prescription every time we went on break. More often than not, my CVS at home would not carry the same brand of birth control that U.H.S. provided me with so I would be forced to switch back and forth between pills which my body was not happy with.
I’m currently in my senior year living in a house with 12 of my friends and life is great. The only downside is that I don’t have a car so picking up my pill on campus became a huge worry for me. I rely on the busses to get me to and from school so getting to U.H.S. and back home would be at least a two hour affair with how my bus schedule works. No way was I about to do this every few weeks for a chore that shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Over the summer before coming back to Amherst for senior year, I began researching different ways I could get access to the pill without it being a hassle. That’s when I found out about The Pill Club.
The Pill Club “is a free app that allows users in a growing number of states to quickly order their birth control and have it shipped to their homes, also free of charge, from The Pill Club’s own pharmaceutical stock, which it purchases directly from wholesalers, just as brick-and-mortar pharmacies do.” Signing up for The Pill Club was unbelievably easy. All that needs to be done in order to get birth control delivered to your mailbox is either renew your current prescription through the website or start a new prescription by answering an in-depth questionnaire that helps find you the kind of pill that works best with your body. Your questionnaire is reviewed by a licensed nurse practitioner that works at The Pill Club and after a few days, you will receive a text message that lets you know when your package is being delivered. Depending on your insurance, the pill will be completely free of charge or, if it’s not covered, it will still be at a lower cost than your typical pharmacy. I decided to start a completely new prescription because I wasn’t entirely happy with my old brand of birth control, so after filling out the questionnaire, I was sent a new brand and so far it’s been so much better than my previous pill. Of course, I was nervous that I wasn’t able to physically speak to my nurse, but I soon found out that any questions I had could be either sent via text or email to The Pill Club’s team of nurses which made me feel much better about using this service.
So far I have received two packages that include my pill pack and several additional goodies. Along with the pills, I have received emergency contraception (this stuff normally costs an arm and a leg and I got it for free!), stickers, candy, and even lubricant. Both of my packages have come right on time and have never been delivered damaged. So far, The Pill Club has been a godsend. If I need to change the location where the package is delivered, all I have to do is log back into my Pill Club account and adjust the address and that’s it! The whole process is so simple that it seems unreal.
Image courtesy of author, my first Pill Club delivery.
For many girls and women across the United States, access to birth control is a huge struggle which can lead to dangerous consequences. Online birth control delivery services like The Pill Club are helping keep women across the country safe as all of the information provided to the website is kept confidential as it would be if you were speaking to a nurse in person. Parental consent isn’t required so girls that are nervous about needing the pill but can’t access it due to family reasons now have a safe way of obtaining a prescription. However, if at all possible, it’s always best to let your family know if you’re about to go on long-term medication. The Pill Club combines convenience with safety and confidentiality which is something I think we can all get on board with.