News

You Can Get Plan B Delivered Now, So No More Uncomfortable Pharmacy Runs

by Alexandra Svokos
Wikimedia Commons / Seamless

Emergency contraceptive Plan B is now available for online delivery through Seamless.

This is a pretty sweet and overdue deal. Plan B is over-the-counter, so you don't need a doctor's prescription to get a box.

It's also available without age limits, unlike, say, alcohol, which is illegal to people under 21 but still regularly delivered.

So it really makes a lot of sense that Plan B should be available for delivery.

There are just a couple catches.

First of all, this news is coming from the Grand Ol' City Of New York.

Corner Grocers on Orchard Street, down in the Lower East Side, is the place currently putting Plan B up for delivery.

It's available for delivery through Seamless. This makes it extra cool because you can order it straight online. No need for awkward talking with cashiers or whatever.

Making Plan B as accessible as possible is generally a good idea for reducing the stigma of contraceptive health and helping to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies.

But while I'm happy about this news for what it represents, I'm a little annoyed about one big catch.

Namely, that Corner Grocers is selling Plan B for $76.99.

Seamless

That is way too high for a box of Plan B.

For comparison, you can order Plan B for delivery on Amazon for around $30. So that $77 mark-up is not exactly helping with making the emergency contraceptive more accessible.

Plan B prevents a pregnancy from happening (it is not the pills that induce an abortion). It's kind of like an extra strong dose of birth control pills.

You use it after having unprotected sex. It can be used up to five days after unprotected sex, but it doesn't protect you from STIs.

You should also be aware that it doesn't have the same effects of taking birth control pills correctly; you can still get pregnant if you have unprotected sex after taking a dose. Keep it safe, friends.

As Dr. Diane Horvath-Cosper advised last month, it's probably a good idea to have a dose in your home if you're sexually active, just in case.

But check the expiration date — that way you won't even have to think about delivery.

Citations: Cosmopolitan, New York Daily News, Planned Parenthood, Health Line