Services that offer you online medical consultations are popping up right and left, but it’s difficult to trust an online service offering something as important as a clinician's consultation.

When it comes to birth control, the sheer amount of variety and choice available make choosing the right option for you a complex undertaking. Can an online doctor really help you make the right decision for you? Turns out they can — read on to find out more.

History of Online Consultations

As the internet began to blow up in the 2000’s, health advice and research quickly became the second biggest category of searches on the internet. As video conferencing became more popular, more people began to rely on online doctors for medical consultations and online advice.

As online medical consultations become more and more prevalent, online services are beginning to provide various health related consultations and prescriptions. However, their service areas depend largely on state laws.

What are Online Consultations

Online consultations usually consist of a clinician and a patient discussing the patient’s health history and possible treatments through a digital medium like video conference or e-mail. Sometimes online services offer question and answer services in which a certified professional can answer a health-related question.

Online consultations range from cursory to comprehensive, and the level of service you receive largely depends on the provider you choose to work with.

How Can I Get Birth Control Online?

In order to get birth control online, you need to have an online consultation with a licensed medical professional. This clinician will ask you about your age, lifestyle, medical history, as well as current medications. They take a comprehensive survey of your health and other factors relating to your health before deciding whether you are a good candidate to receive an online prescription.

Online prescriptions are best suited to candidates with uncomplicated medical history. In the case of patients who require more in-depth examination and discussion, the online clinician will recommend that you see a doctor in-person.

The online consultation augments the healthcare you receive. It does not necessarily replace the need for an in-person clinician.

Once the clinician has taken a full survey of your health and medical history, they will discuss with you about any lifestyle factors involved in which birth control you choose. This is the time to tell them whether you prefer to use something hormonal or non-hormonal, if you have tried other birth control in the past, and also which contraception options seem to best suit your lifestyle and personality.

The best birth control is the birth control you will use consistently, so use this time to voice any concerns you may have about application methods or frequencies of your birth control options.

Once you have thoroughly answered questions around your medical history, concerns, and preferences, the clinician will order your prescription, and you will be prescribed your birth control. It’s that simple! You don’t even need to leave your home — forget waiting rooms, scheduling, and all of the other hassles that come with a physical appointment. With Alpha, all of the clinical consultations take place securely online.

Is Getting Birth Control Online Safe?

Opponents of online medical consultations often doubt the safety of such consultations. They argue that online clinicians cannot get a comprehensive examination or pick up on cues they would have, had the consultation been in-person.

This argument assumes that online medical consultations aim to replace in-person, physical consultations. That is simply not the case. The online medical consultation is a medical consultation for aims to help patients for prescriptions and treatments that rely more on discussion and less on examination.

The clinicians available through online medical consultations are looking to understand your medical history and prescribe you treatments based on your requests or concerns. If the clinician finds or feels that your case is too complex or requires an in-person visit with a medical doctor, they will happily inform you of that.

Clinicians who do online medical consultations are still medical professionals, and therefore understand the variety of risks and other factors involved with every treatment they prescribe. They can interview to rule out interactions and known conditions, and they can recommend you a physical consultation if your case may need one.

Why Choose Alpha Medical?

At Alpha Medical, we work with certified medical providers and stringent quality standards to provide you the best service possible. We want you to feel that our doctors listened carefully to your concerns, paid full attention to your needs, and prescribed based on a mutual understanding of what you need. We also want it to be convenient for you.

We encourage you to work with us and your trusted healthcare provider should you wish to. We want to keep the medical consultation and prescription process transparent and geared towards serving you the best medical treatment you can receive.

Do I Need Insurance?

While some providers of online medical services accept insurance, the benefit of choosing an online provider is that you can avoid the expensive fees of going to a doctor’s office with your request or concerns. Alpha currently accepts insurance for birth control.

What Next?

If you have any questions or further concerns, you can always look at our FAQ or reach out to your care team.

We strive to make getting birth control online a simple, easy, and reliable process for you, so contact us now!