FAQs
Birth control is not a one-size-fits-all approach. When looking at the options available, it is important to evaluate your lifestyle and medical history.
Not all birth control methods are available at the pharmacy. Our Birth Control Methods Guide tells you which methods you can get the pharmacy and which methods require a visit to a clinic or doctor's office. To learn more about the birth control methods you can get at Birth Control Pharmacies, check out our fact sheets.
To explore all your birth control options, check out this Birth Control Options Tool from our friends at Bedsider.
Pharmacists in over half of states are able to prescribe birth control and provide direct access -- thanks to state laws expanding access! More states are joining every day, so keep an eye out for new birth control pharmacies near you. Yay for helpful policies!
That doesn’t mean every pharmacy in those states is participating though. These are all relatively new laws so you should check this site or with your pharmacy directly to be sure they offer the service before you go in. Also, if your pharmacy is in one of these states and isn’t offering this service yet, let them know you’d like them to offer it! If they get patient requests, that will encourage them to start participating.
Pharmacists in your states may be providing this service in collaboration with physicians or other provider types in clinic settings, but this will be rare.
During the visit, you will first fill out a questionnaire about your health history. The pharmacist will then take your blood pressure. With this information, the pharmacist can determine which methods of birth control are safe for you to use.
The next step is to discuss your birth control options and preferences with the pharmacist. You may already know what you want. You may want to hear all about the different options. The pharmacist can give you information to help you decide what is best for you. The pharmacist will tell you how to use the method(s) you selected and answer any questions you may have.
If appropriate, the pharmacist will then prescribe and dispense the supplies for you and/or refer you for additional healthcare services elsewhere.
Most pharmacies welcome walk-ins. We highly recommend you call first to make sure there is a trained pharmacist available when you go in. The pharmacy may also have suggestions on good times to come in when it's less busy to minimize your wait time.
While an annual well woman exam with your primary care provider or obstetrician/gynecologist is important for your overall health and some cancer screenings, it is not necessary to link this with hormonal birth control use. Hormonal birth control can safely be provided based on your health history and blood pressure.
Most pharmacies will give you a prescription for one year of birth control supplies. You can request to get the full year's supply all at once, however the amount of birth control supply the pharmacy can give you each time depends on your health insurance. If your insurance only covers one or three months' supply at a time, you can return to the pharmacy for refill supplies throughout the year until the prescription expires.
Some states have laws that require health insurances to cover the full year's supply all at once but unfortunately this doesn't always happen the way it should. The states that require insurance coverage of one year's supply are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC. If you live in one of these states and encounter trouble with your health insurance covering a one year supply at once, please let us know.
Alternatively, you can always pay out of pocket for your birth control and get as much supply as you'd like.
If you need extra supplies because you are traveling, let your pharmacy know so they can request a vacation override from your health insurance.
It depends on which state you are in. There is no legal age requirement to access this service in California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, and Oregon. However, some of the pharmacies in these states are starting to offer the service to adults only.
Some states only allow pharmacists to provide this service to people over age 18. There may be additional state-specific rules in place. For example, in Tennessee, this service is available for people without insurance who are 18 years and older; Minnesota serves patients 18 years and older and those under 18 with a previous birth control prescription. Please check with your pharmacy on any limitations.
To check on the age restrictions in your state, see the current policy tracking table.
It depends on your state. Check with your pharmacy.
In California, this service is confidential as protected by law and pharmacies cannot share any information about you with your parents unless you sign a written authorization.
If you live in California and wish to keep the insurance information confidential too, visit myhealthmyinfo.org.
Most pharmacies charge a small visit fee for this service -- this visit fee is generally not covered by insurance but you can use your health savings account. Pharmacies are generally charging anywhere from $0 to $50 for the visit fee. This covers the consultation and prescription for up to one year of birth control.
You can use your insurance to pay for medications prescribed by a pharmacist. Most insurance plans cover birth control with no patient copay. If you don't have insurance or your insurance doesn't cover your birth control, let your pharmacist know if you prefer a low cost method and they can help you find one that will work for you. Most pharmacies have birth control methods that cost less than $25 per month.
Yes!
If your birth control supplies have run out, check the prescription label to see if there are more refills you can get at the pharmacy. Most pharmacists and other healthcare providers will give you a prescription for one year of birth control supplies. If your insurance only covers one or three months' supply at a time, you can return to the pharmacy for refill supplies throughout the year until the prescription expires. Prescriptions are good for one year and then expire.
If your prescription has run out of refills or has expired and you'd like more of the same pill, a pharmacist from one of the Birth Control Pharmacies should be able to write you a new prescription for the same birth control pill.
Yes, you can transfer a birth control prescription written by a pharmacist to any pharmacy within the state.
For example, if you visit a pharmacy near your college in San Jose, California and get a birth control prescription from a pharmacist, you can transfer that prescription to a pharmacy in San Diego, California during the summer break.
On the other hand, if you visit a pharmacy in one state and get a birth control prescription from the pharmacist, you may or may not be able to transfer that prescription to a pharmacy if you visit or move to a new state. Check with the pharmacist at the pharmacy in the new state whether they can transfer your prescription.
Most practicing pharmacists have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD). Previously, pharmacists could practice with a Bachelor's degree. For over 20 years now, all pharmacy school graduates have a doctorate degree. So, most likely your pharmacist has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and you can call them "doctor."
Pharmacists are experts when it comes to medicines and using them to keep you healthy. Pharmacist roles are expanding to meet everyone's healthcare needs. Pharmacists can now provide direct access to many preventive health and medication management services. The expanded services that pharmacists can provide vary state to state.
Pharmacist prescribing of birth control is not the same as over-the-counter access. With pharmacist prescribing, you can expect a consultation where the pharmacist will review your health history and measure your blood pressure.
On the other hand, over-the-counter medicines do not require a consultation and can be purchased by anyone. Anyone can purchase one type of emergency contraception pill over-the-counter, and there is now one progesterone-only (or "minipill") birth control pill available over-the-counter.
No, just because there's a law that allow it, that doesn’t mean every pharmacy in the state is participating. These are all relatively new laws so you should check this site or with your pharmacy directly to be sure they offer the service before you go in.
If your pharmacy is in a state that allows pharmacists to prescribe birth control and isn’t offering this service yet, let them know you’d like them to offer it! If they get requests, that will encourage them to start participating.
Generic birth control uses the same active ingredients as its brand-name counterpart. According to the FDA, the drug must be “created to be the same as an existing approved brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics.” An equivalent medication means the drug has the same active ingredient, dosage form and route of administration (meaning they are therapeutically equivalent). The FDA has a great reference, The Orange Book, where all approved equivalents are listed. You can always ask your pharmacist any questions about different products.