Since Donald Trump was re-elected as president, there has been a noticeable surge in requests for birth control and abortion pills. Doctors and companies that sell these products have reported a significant increase in demand. Some companies, like Winx Health, have seen a 966% rise in sales of emergency contraception within just 60 hours of the election results.
Dr. Clayton Alfonso, an OB-GYN at Duke University, shared that many of his patients have asked to replace their intrauterine devices (IUDs) or get permanent sterilizations, such as tubal ligations. He noted that all of them specifically mentioned the election as the reason behind their decisions. “I saw this bump after the Trump election in 2016 and after Roe vs Wade was overturned in 2022,” said Alfonso. “But the patients seem more afraid this time.”
Requests for emergency contraception have also spiked. Dr. Grace Ferguson, an OB-GYN in Pittsburgh, said her patients are increasingly asking for IUD insertions or stockpiling emergency contraception. She explained that many women have expressed concerns about the upcoming administration and its potential impact on their reproductive rights. One of her patients, Mara Zupko, explained her decision to get emergency contraception, saying, “We always kind of teetered on whether we wanted children or not. But as the world has become scarier and scarier, we realized we didn't want to bring a child into that environment. And I also have several health risks.”
In addition to these in-person requests, many women are turning to online companies that sell emergency contraception or offer abortion pills through telehealth. Aid Access, which provides mifepristone and misoprostol, has seen an increase in demand, particularly since the Roe v. Wade decision. A study found that between September 2021 and April 2023, the supplier received about 48,400 requests for “advance provision” pills.
Telehealth companies like Wisp have also seen an uptick in orders. Wisp reported a 600% increase in orders for abortion pills between Election Day and the following day. Similarly, Winx Health, which focuses on emergency contraception, saw a 966% increase in sales within 60 hours after the election results were announced. “Morning after pills are legal in all states,” said Winx co-founder Cynthia Plotch, “but many people seem confused about what emergency contraception is compared to abortion pills.”
Dr. Alfonso predicts that the surge in requests for birth control and abortion pills may level out like it did after the 2016 election and the Roe v. Wade ruling. “If the new administration is not focused on health care right away, then I think it’ll go to the back of people’s minds until it picks up in the media.”
(This story has been slightly reworked from an auto-generated PTI feed.)
