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Birth-control guide

Birth control pills online in Virginia and West Virginia

This guide is for adult women who want to prevent pregnancy with the progestin-only pill (the mini-pill). Combined estrogen pills, non-pill methods, and pill requests for acne, PCOS, or heavy periods need in-person care instead.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Birth control.

National guidance (CDC US MEC and US SPR 2024) supports starting the progestin-only pill without a pelvic exam, labs, or a blood-pressure check when the screening history is collected carefully. After the full safety checklist — including a pregnancy-certainty check — the physician can prescribe norethindrone 0.35 mg in 3-month supplies, with a short re-check before each refill and a complete re-evaluation at least every 12 months. Combined (estrogen-containing) pills are not prescribed through this lane because they require a blood pressure verified in person.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visitSee response windows

Quick facts

  • You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
  • Starts at $59
  • No insurance needed
  • No app download
  • Physician review around the clock
  • Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
  • A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
  • Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

  • Want to start or restart a daily birth-control pill
  • Switching from another pill or method
  • Able to take a pill at the same time every day
  • No pregnancy symptoms and no severe pelvic pain

May fit online care

  • Adults 18 and older
  • Adult woman requesting pregnancy prevention only
  • Can pass the pregnancy-certainty checklist (or has a recent negative test)
  • No history of breast cancer, blood-clot-related stroke or heart disease, or severe liver disease
  • Not taking rifampin, enzyme-inducing seizure medicines, or St. John's wort

Look for another care setting

  • Wanting pills mainly for acne, PCOS, heavy or irregular periods, or perimenopause symptoms
  • Known or possible pregnancy, or unexplained abnormal vaginal bleeding
  • Current or past breast cancer, prior heart attack or stroke/TIA, severe liver disease, or lupus with positive or unknown antiphospholipid antibodies
  • Prior gastric bypass or other malabsorptive weight-loss surgery, or a progestin allergy

What to have ready

  • The date your last period started
  • Your current or most recent birth-control method and timing
  • Your most recent blood-pressure reading if you know it (helpful, not required)
  • Medication allergies and a complete list of current medications and supplements

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Which birth-control pills can be prescribed online here?

The progestin-only pill norethindrone 0.35 mg (the mini-pill) only. Combined estrogen-containing pills are not prescribed through this lane because national guidelines require a verified blood pressure below 140/90 before starting estrogen, and an async visit cannot verify one yet. Drospirenone (Slynd), patches, rings, injections, IUDs, and implants are also not offered here.

Do I need an exam, labs, or a blood-pressure check first?

Not for the mini-pill. CDC guidance (US MEC and US SPR 2024) states that no examination or testing is required before starting a progestin-only pill — careful screening questions are the standard. The intake still records your most recent blood pressure because it matters if you ever want combined pills.

How much supply do I get, and how do refills work?

Each prescription covers 3 months. Before each refill you complete a short re-check confirming nothing has changed — no new diagnoses or medicines, no red-flag symptoms, no chance of pregnancy — and at least every 12 months a full re-evaluation with the complete questionnaire is required.

How do I take the mini-pill correctly?

Take one tablet at the same time every day with no pill-free days. The window is strict: a pill taken more than 3 hours late counts as missed — take it as soon as you remember, keep taking the pack, and use condoms or another backup method for the next 7 days. Backup is also advised for the first 7 days after starting. Irregular bleeding or spotting is common and expected, especially at first.

Can I use this lane while breastfeeding or after having a baby?

Usually yes — the progestin-only pill is considered safe while breastfeeding and soon after delivery. If you gave birth less than 6 weeks ago, the physician gives your request extra review to confirm timing. Combined estrogen pills are a different story postpartum and are not offered here.

When should birth control be handled in person instead?

If you might be pregnant, have unexplained vaginal bleeding, have ever had breast cancer, a heart attack, a stroke or TIA, severe liver disease, or lupus with positive or unknown antiphospholipid antibodies, take enzyme-inducing medicines, had malabsorptive weight-loss surgery, or want pills for acne, PCOS, or heavy periods — see a gynecologist or your primary care clinician in person. Severe pelvic pain, chest pain, a severe headache with neurologic symptoms, new leg swelling, or vision changes are emergency-department problems.