Birth control advice online
Our services
Learn about your birth control options during a telehealth visit with a board-certified Amwell provider, 24/7, using your phone, laptop, or computer.
Your Amwell telehealth provider will talk with you about birth control and explain your options. Depending on your health and risk factors, we may suggest you see an in-person provider for care and prescriptions.
Online counseling for birth control and contraception
Birth control, or contraception, uses a medication, method, device, or procedure to prevent pregnancy. During a telehealth visit with one of our Amwell providers, you’ll have the opportunity to talk about various birth control options to determine the right method for you.
Your provider will consider your health, lifestyle, and any potential risk factors when presenting your birth control options. We call this contraceptive counseling.
What to expect during your telehealth visit
During the conversation, your Amwell provider will ask about your:
- Recent blood pressure measurements
- Smoking history
- Pregnancy status
- Physical activity level (how much exercise you get each week)
- Chronic medical conditions (migraines, blood clotting disorder, previous pregnancies)
Our goal is to educate you about birth control and help you choose a method that fits your needs and lifestyle so you can avoid an unintended pregnancy.
Prescriptions for birth control medication
Your Amwell telehealth provider may give you a new prescription for birth control medication or refill your current prescription. Depending on your health and potential risk factors, your provider may recommend an in-person visit with your primary care provider or gynecologist before prescribing medication.
Please note: Periodic health screenings — breast and pelvic exams, cervical cancer checks, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases — are important to your overall healthcare. However, these tests are not always necessary before starting or renewing a prescription for a birth control medication or a device that uses hormones.
For certain birth control methods, such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or a surgical procedure, your Amwell telehealth provider will recommend you schedule an in-person care visit.
Before your telehealth visit ends, your provider will give you a follow-up care plan, which is important for effective contraception. A follow-up visit will allow your provider to check for side effects and answer any questions you may have.
Have questions about telehealth visits? We’ll help.
You’ll find answers to many of your questions about how it works and services we offer online. Or reach out to our support team at support@americanwell.com, or call 877-410-5548. Our highly trained health service specialists are standing by to take your call, 24/7.
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Got questions? We’ve got answers.
Yes, it can improve your ability to manage birth control methods and has other advantages as well. In addition to making you more accountable for following your plan for birth control methods, telemedicine also establishes a long-term relationship between you and your physician, which encourages better supervision of your reproductive options, provides you with the most recent methods and treatments, and encourages you to make better choices. The use of telemedicine also helps empower patients to take control not only of their birth control regimen, but also their overall health.
Generally speaking, refills or bridge prescriptions are available from your Amwell physician with an online video visit. In those states that allow it, new prescriptions for non-controlled medications (Birth Control medications usually are not controlled substances) may be prescribed at the discretion of your Amwell physician. The physician will make that determination after conducting your online exam and obtaining information from you such as the timing and results of your last lab tests, and when you last had a physical exam. More information is available in the FAQs on our Prescriptions page that offer further clarification.
When an Amwell physician determines you need a change in medication, but due to either state laws or some other reason he or she prefers not to write a full prescription, the physician may furnish you with a “bridge prescription.” A bridge prescription is an order for a limited supply of medication – usually enough for 15 to 30 days – that will cover your needs until you see your primary care physician and receive a physical examination to determine if the medication is right for you and if a longer supply is warranted.
Having your vital signs available provides your Amwell physician with a lot of information that is pertinent to your treatment and has bearing upon his or her decision of whether or not to prescribe birth control and what type of method or medication to prescribe. Having your current vital sign results will make the online session more effective and enable your physician to provide you with all the services he or she can at that time. Examples of vital signs you should provide to your Amwell physician for a visit regarding birth control include your most recent blood pressure and resting heart rate.
Birth control medication is a safe, simple, and convenient way to prevent pregnancy. It also has other benefits like reducing acne, making your periods regular, and easing menstrual cramps. It’s effectiveness, however, is predicated upon you taking the medication every day, or you might not be protected from pregnancy. Also, like most medications, birth control pills can have side effects. While most go away after two or three months, you will want to talk with your doctor about finding another brand of pill or another birth control method. It is imperative, however, that you do not stop taking the pill before you start a new method or you’ll be at risk of pregnancy.
It isn’t about which is better; it’s about availability and access. Ideally, everyone would have unlimited access to personalized healthcare, but we do not live in an ideal world. Telemedicine bridges those instances when distance, access, and special needs interfere with the provision of healthcare, preventative measures, and long-term management of birth control measures.