In the age of Seamless and countless other on-demand services, you can go online and get everything from kitty litter to breakfast tacos delivered right to your door. So, why not birth control?
That’s where Nurx comes in. Nurx is an online service currently available in California and New York that lets users order birth control pills, patches, the NuvaRing, and Plan B online for home delivery—no doctor visit required. Once you set up an account on their website, all you have to do is choose your preferred method of birth control, then submit your insurance and shipping info. You can also have one of Nurx’s on-staff doctors help you select a method of birth control based on the same questions your regular OBGYN would ask.
A physician at Nurx reviews each order, writes a prescription, and then Nurx sends users a three-month supply of their prescription. As long as you live in New York or California, you’re good to go, since both states have minimal regulatory hoops to jump through for services like Nurx. (They are currently recruiting doctors and pharmacies in other regions and expect to move into 20 more states soon.)
What’s especially cool about Nurx is that it offers bodily autonomy in places where access to Planned Parenthood is severely limited. For users with insurance, the prescriptions cost the same as they would at their pharmacy (often this means free!), and for the uninsured, a month’s supply of birth control pills starts at just $15. Plus, by taking the doctor’s visit out of the equation, Nurx helps trans and gender nonconforming people avoid the stress of being insensitively questioned or otherwise embarrassed while attempting to get the meds they need. “By the nature of being an online platform, we hope to provide care to patients who may not be comfortable going to the doctor to receive their birth control,” says doctor and Nurx co-founder Edvard Engesaeth. “[This includes] people who may want to avoid being misgendered in a medical setting, or users who may not be comfortable talking with their physician about birth control. Our service is non-judgmental, respectful, and sex-positive.” Visit app.nurx.co to get started.
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By Meg Zulch
Illustrated by Morgan Ramberg
Meg Zulch is your genderqueer overlord from the NYC area. They love lipstick, pups, and pegging. You can find their writing at Bustle and HelloGiggles to name just a couple, peruse their posi sometimes whiny tweets @femsplain and @MegZulch, and follow them on Instagram @theladyjane.
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2016 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
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