You sure can, as long as it’s safe for us to give you a prescription based on your medical history. We also ship most generic birth control pills for $15 pack with FREE shipping from our own mail order pharmacy.

We write prescriptions for over 100 different birth control pills, for NuvaRing and for Xulane patch. The birth control patch branded as Ortho Evra is no longer available in the US, but the generic version, Xulane, is available at pharmacies.

Yes. We can start you on birth control for the first time, or change you to a method or specific pill that’s a better fit for you personally.

Yes. We can recommend a pill that matches your needs if you don’t already have a specific one in mind. There are 2 broad categories of birth control pills to choose from – combination pills and progestin-only pills - and we can recommend one cost-effective pill from each category. We can ship the pills we recommend for $15 pack from our own pharmacy based in St Louis, Missouri.

We can give you a birth control prescription that lasts close to a year. We write a prescription for 3 packs, with 3 refills. After you’ve used your 12 packs you’ll need to come back to GoMDUSA to complete another visit. When we ship birth control pills to you, we typically ship 3 packs at a time.

Hormones in the pill, patch and ring make it harder to get pregnant because they: a) keep eggs from leaving your ovaries, and b) thicken your cervical mucus. Because of this, it's harder for sperm to reach an egg and fertilize it.

No. They don't protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. We offer STD testing for the two most common STDs - chlamydia and gonorrhea - through GoMDUSA.

If 100 women are on the pill, patch or ring as instructed, fewer than 1 in 100 women will get pregnant every 12 months. In reality, about 9 in 100 women taking birth control pills will get pregnant every 12 months. The pill, patch and ring are equally effective.

Longer-acting birth control methods such as an IUD are more effective at preventing unplanned pregnancy.

Combination pills, the patch and the ring contain 2 hormones – estrogen and progestin. Most pills are combination pills.

Birth control that contains estrogen come with a higher risk of serious side effects than progestin-only pills, the other type of birth control pill, or birth control methods that don’t contain hormones. Certain health conditions increase the risks of serious side effects from estrogen. These serious side effects can include blood clots, stroke, and death. Because of the risk of serious side effects, our doctors or nurse practitioners will review your answers to our health questions before prescribing any medicine.

If you have high blood pressure, it's not safe to take a combination pill, the patch or the ring. This is why you'll need to tell us your blood pressure. It's important that you give us an accurate blood pressure measurement from the last 6 months.

Progestin-only pills contain just one hormone, progestin.

Progestin-only pills have a lower risk of serious side effects compared to combination pills, patch and ring, because they don’t contain estrogen. The challenge with progestin-only pills is that you need to take them at the same time every day or else they aren't effective.

We can prescribe progestin-only pills to women who aren't suitable for combination pills through our website, such as women 35 and older, women who have high blood pressure, or women with risk factors that make it dangerous for them to take a combination pill.

Bedsider (http://bedsider.org) is a great website with detailed information about all birth control methods. If you're not sure birth control pills are right for you, we recommend using Bedsider Methods (http://bedsider.org/methods) to help you choose the best method for you.

You have a higher risk of serious side effects from a combination pill, patch or ring if you have high blood pressure, which is why we ask for a blood pressure measurement as part of our health questions. Even if you don’t know your blood pressure, just the chance that it might be high makes it unsafe to give you combination pills, patch or ring without measuring it first.

If you do have high blood pressure we can prescribe a progestin-only pill. Taking progestin-only pills is safe if you have high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, but still prefer to take a combination pill, we think it’s safer for you to have an in-person discussion with a doctor or nurse practitioner first so you can review all your options for birth control.

No. To answer our health questions you need to provide us with recent and accurate blood pressure measurements.

Thousands of pharmacies have machines that can measure your blood pressure accurately for free, including most Walmart, Sam’s Club, Safeway, Rite Aid etc. Check these links for your nearest Higi machine and Pursuant Health machine.

It’s important to use a blood pressure monitor that has a cuff for the upper arm and has a label on the box that says ‘clinically validated.’ You can buy them in most drugstores or online. Always read the instructions carefully. We don’t recommend using finger and wrist monitors, as they tend to be less accurate.

Rest for at least 5 minutes before taking your readings. Wait at least 30 minutes after smoking, eating, drinking caffeine, or exercising.

Make sure the cuff for the upper arm fits properly. A cuff that is the wrong size will give an inaccurate reading. You should have just enough room to fit your fingertips between the cuff and your arm.

Make sure you put the cuff on the correct part of your arm. The lower edge of the cuff should be about an inch above your elbow. Rest your elbow on a table so that the cuff is at the same level as your heart.

Take 2 readings in both arms and give us the highest number you record.