From the invention of the wheel to the printing press and later the computer, modern technology seeks to make the consumer’s life easier. New online sites and apps are potentially joining the club of life-changing additions to society and focus on bringing prescription medications, most notably birth control, without an in-office doctor’s visit.
How It Works
While there are a handful of options, the process is essentially the same across the board. Both NURX and PRJKT RUBY begin by allowing you to choose your birth control from a list of options. Then, you answer a health questionnaire much like one you fill out at an in-office doctor’s visit and it is sent to a doctor for review. If approved, your prescription can either be sent to a local pharmacy for pick-up, or even delivered right to your door.
I followed through the basic steps on the site NURX to get an idea of how it works, and I was surprised to find how simple and informative it is. If you have not previously been on birth control or want to switch pills, you also have the choice of two options: “Let the doctor select my pill for me!” and “Help me choose on my own!”.
The questions asked are the same essential questions one would fill out on a sheet at a doctor’s office. Height, weight, how much you smoke, etc.
Who It May Benefit
In a day and age where proper reproductive care for women is continuously being cut and restricted, online prescription services for something as simple as birth control may make access both more convenient and affordable.
Access to birth control is much more complicated than many realize. Many of us take for granted the ability to take time off work to see a doctor, the car to get to said doctor, and insurance that covers the prescription. However, this isn’t the reality for many. Things change whether it be from clinics closing or a woman moving for work or school and this sometimes leads to an inability to access quality contraceptive care.
For women in such a position, online prescription services may offer a temporary solution while they find a new doctor. However, it may also be of use to women who simply run out of a script and want a refill but aren’t due for an appointment.
The Disagreements
Since first learning about programs such as PRJKT RUBY and NURX through a Facebook article, there was a lot of negatively projected towards the idea of online scripted birth control.
“This doesn’t replace your annual exam!”, “What about genetic disorders and blood clots!”, “I’ve had to switch so many pills to find one that was right!” and how “This should be a discussion between a woman and her doctor!”. While I may agree with these statements, it is time we start allowing women to be proactive in their own health and make the decisions THEY feel are right; if that means ordering a refill online, then so be it.
What many naysayers choose to ignore is that these services are indeed supervised by a doctor. This is not some willy-nilly backwoods “give us your name and number and we’ll send in a script”. You can be rejected if it doesn’t seem to be an appropriate option for your medical history. In fact, this system has followed the same steps I have had at previous gynecologists; you fill out a form, they ask one or two questions after you wait forty minutes in an office to be seen, write a script and tell you to call and come back in if it isn’t working for you.
We forget to realize doctors are not psychics; within reason, they cannot tell you anything more than you will already know. A doctor cannot look at the average patient and say, “You should be on this pill but not this one”, or “these will cause you migraines”. I know this firsthand, as when I went on birth control for the first time (this is script in hand) my mom mentioned she had had a blood clot once. Had my mom not been there at my first appointment, I would have walked away with no inkling that genetic testing should even be considered. That is reality.
When birth control is currently available over-the-counter in most countries and even in some states (Oregon!), there is no reason to think an online prescription service will be the devil. For the average woman, blood clots and genetic disorders are not a reality and, even if they are, an in-office visit will rarely be able to diagnose something like that on-site. Women are more than capable of making rational decisions regarding their own healthcare and if that means ordering a three-month script as a temporary solution while they find a means to go back to a long-term contraceptive, then so be it.
When I first moved for college, I was an hour away from my previous doctor with no car. When I ran out of refills for my script and was told I’d have to make an appointment to have it rewritten, I realized there were no clinics within walking distance of where I lived except the student health center on campus. But as any full-time student with a job knows, student health hours are the most inconvenient in the world. So I stopped taking my birth control, because like many women, my life got busy and I didn’t have the time or resources. Insert whirlwind-of-bad-luck-that-could-have-very-easily-been-prevented-by-easier-access here. Had I known about services like NURX, PRJKT RUBY, or Lemonaid Health it would have been a wonderful temporary solution until I could reach my doctor. After all, I also didn’t want to go through finding someone new just to transfer back again in a few months.
No, this does not replace an annual exam. Yes, women should be aware of all the risks and potential side effects of ANY medication they take; however, we have labels, the internet and research for a reason. Seeing a doctor in-office will not change that some women are not proactive about what they put into their bodies, but why does that suddenly negate the fact that every woman should have a right to make this decision for herself? This has potential to be a wonderful solution, temporary or permanent, to a problem that many women face today.
