Can my boyfriend, or someone else besides myself get me a prescription for the birth control?
Prescription birth control is available by prescription only, so that means you have to personally go to a health care provider to get it — no one else can get it for you. Some people can’t or shouldn’t use certain types of birth control if they have certain health conditions, so that’s why you have to get a sign off from a medical professional.
One exception to this is emergency contraception, aka the morning-after pill. Anyone 17 or older (male or female) can get that at a drugstore or health center without a prescription. While it’s not so helpful for ongoing birth control, if you’ve had unprotected sex and want to avoid pregnancy, the morning-after pill is effective up to five days after unprotected sex.
There are also non-prescription birth control options, like condoms, that you can get at health centers and drugstores for cheap or free. They’re really effective at preventing pregnancy if you use them correctly, and they can protect you and your partner from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
If you’re worried about whether or not you can get prescription birth control — because of your age, cost, or insurance — you can call your local Planned Parenthood health center. They can answer any questions you might have about parental consent, payment, and more.