Our 7 Picks for Online Birth Control Providers for People with PCOS

Nurx ensures you get all your questions answered before you sign up for service. On its FAQ page, you can enter a question or term in the search bar or peruse the vast library, conveniently sorted by category and subcategories. Most importantly, there are several FAQs related to PCOS. Founded in 2015, Nurx has quickly become one of the most popular options for online birth control. 

Nurx offers the pill, injection, patch, ring, and morning-after pill. You can find over 50 generic and brand-name birth control options to fit your needs and budget. Rates for prescriptions are as low as a $0 copay with insurance, or $15 per pill pack if you're not using insurance. Free, timely, and discreet shipping makes getting your birth control effortless. Nurx is available to patients aged 13 and older (independently or with parental consent, depending on state laws).

Though you must pay out of pocket for a consultation, this $25 initial fee includes unlimited messaging with the Nurx medical care team for a year. So if you have any questions or issues with your prescription, such as bothersome side effects or concerns about how your prescription is or isn’t addressing your PCOS symptoms, you can always reach out to Nurx’s medical team. Access to medical providers makes switching your birth control easy. Reviewers appreciate Nurx's professionalism, attention to customer care, and user-friendliness (hooray for automatic refills!). If you're unsatisfied, you can cancel your plan at any time. In addition to birth control, Nurx offers various health services, such as STI treatments and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). 

Lemonaid Health is praised for its responsiveness and timely deliveries, making it a great option for people with PCOS who need their prescription sooner rather than later. Whether you're looking for the pill, patch, or ring, a medical professional will get back to you within one day after you submit a prescription request (some states require you to complete a phone consultation). Next, you choose from over a hundred generic and brand-name hormonal birth control options. You'll receive it on your doorstep in as little as one to three days. Lemonaid Health is available in all 50 states and accepts flexible spending account (FSA) and health saving account (HSA) payments, unlike many other online birth control options.

Its pill price, $15 per pack, is on par with many other online platforms. Unfortunately, you'll have to pay the current local pharmacy price for the ring or patch, as home delivery is unavailable for these prescriptions. But you can use insurance for any prescriptions you have sent to your local pharmacy. Medical consultations cost $25, similar to many competitors. However, Lemonaid Health won't charge you if it determines it can't serve you. Regular discounts like $5 off your first order help to make Lemonaid Health one of the most affordable options for super-fast service.

Hers, the sister company to Hims, offers assistance with various health concerns and reproductive issues, including hormonal birth control. A consultation with a medical professional will provide in-depth information on which pill option may be best for you based on your most concerning PCOS symptoms, like heavy periods or acne. This consult includes the option to pose follow-up questions after your appointment.

Doctors are available to answer questions at any time in the patient portal, whether you are curious about how long side effects should last or wondering if a different formulation might better address your PCOS symptoms. There’s no fee for your initial consultation, and follow-up medical visits are only $5 each.

However, Hers only offers 13 different generic-only pill choices and does not prescribe the patch, ring, or injection. Fortunately, some pills start as low as $12 with free shipping. And its refills arrive at your door six days before you run out. Should you have other concerns or needs, Hers also provides consultations for conditions including acne and products such as STI treatments. Customers appreciate how timely the service is and the level of comprehensive care Hers provides.

Planned Parenthood is one of the longest-running reproductive health services in the country. Its app aims to provide all its standard and familiar care with digital convenience. Fill out the Planned Parenthood Direct form and answer a questionnaire. A provider will review your answers, sometimes issuing a prescription in as little as 24 hours. There is no consultation fee to request birth control pills or emergency contraception (EC) by mail, with pills costing between $15 and $25 per pack and EC starting at $80 per pill. In most states, you don't need to meet virtually with a provider.

Planned Parenthood Direct may be best for people who know which prescription works best for them to address their PCOS symptoms. There are only 10 pill options currently available: nine combination pills and one progestin-only pill. The patch and ring are also available, but those prescriptions must be sent to your local pharmacy. There is a consultation fee of $15 to $25 to request prescriptions that will be sent to your pharmacy, but you can use your insurance to pay for pharmacy-filled prescriptions. Patients aged 13 and older can use Planned Parenthood Direct (independently or with parental consent, based on state laws).

Managing your prescription or receiving answers to your questions is as simple as logging into the app. Users appreciate how prompt and hassle-free care is. Planned Parenthood Direct currently offers treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs) through its app and may add other reproductive healthcare features in the future. You can also use the app to schedule an in-person or virtual appointment at a Planned Parenthood healthcare center.

Nearly one in 10 teens and young adults has PCOS. And many of the side effects, like acne and excess facial hair growth, come with a side of social stigma. Twentyeight Health can make finding, choosing, and receiving hormonal birth control simpler, especially for teens. You start with a $20 consultation via a questionnaire, free call, or direct message. After that, a provider will prescribe birth control from one of Twentyeight Health's hundred-plus brand options. In addition to pills, the patch, ring, and injection are also available. Should you have follow-up questions, free messaging is available post-appointment. The extensive list of prescription options makes it easy for teens who need to try different formulations or delivery methods before finding the right one for them.

While Twentyeight Health can provide birth control to patients as young as 13, whether or not they need parental/guardian consent varies by state laws, and some states only allow independent access at older ages, like 14 or 16.

Insurance is accepted for more than 60 prescription options, but even without it, Twentyeight Health's birth control pills are affordable, starting at just $18 per pack. Insurance does not cover the annual fee cost. Users note that shipping isn't always quick, generally taking a minimum of three to five days, but customers praise the timeliness and responsiveness of the company’s customer service. When your birth control is delivered, it arrives in discreet packaging.

Alpha Medical's goal is to make healthcare more accessible, so it offers monthly subscriptions for telehealth appointments for a wide range of medical needs. In the case of birth control, it provides a prescription to be delivered to your home after a consultation. There are over two dozen types of brand-name and generic birth control pills available, in addition to the ring, patch, and shot.  

A $29 per month basic subscription provides two medical visits per month and care for over 100 medical conditions, from PCOS and abnormal uterine bleeding to excessive hair growth and hypothyroidism. A plus-level membership ($49 per month) includes four monthly visits and access to additional health services for weight loss, diabetes, and mental health.

For those with PCOS issues that go beyond a simple birth control prescription, Alpha's subscription services may make getting the care you need more affordable and convenient. If you’re interested in trying out the service before committing to a subscription, you can buy a single telehealth visit to request birth control for only $15. Single telehealth visits for other health conditions are $35. Should Alpha not be able to deliver the necessary care, it can refund the cost of your visit.

In 15 states, Pandia Health offers $25 telehealth prescribing consultations for birth control and $35 telehealth prescribing consults for acne, but anyone can use its mail-order prescription service to transfer an existing prescription. Pandia Health can recommend the pill, patch, or ring, with pill prices starting as low as $7 per pack, depending on your brand. An incredible 148 pill types are available, so no matter your PCOS symptoms, you should be able to find a fit. Automatic refills for a year help to ensure you never miss a dose.

Pandia Health offers access to doctors for birth control questions 364 days a year. However, some users note that Pandia Health's medical team did check in with them after the prescription to see how they were doing on their birth control. Users appreciated how Pandia Health is doctor-founded and doctor-led, taking a more medically focused approach to birth control access. The additional service of prescription acne medications is yet another perk for those with PCOS.

Telemedicine prescribing services are currently only available to residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Pandia has plans to expand to more states in 2023.