In August 2018, I had just arrived at my freshman year of college and had decided I wanted to be on birth control. It had been something I had wanted for a while, but due to my schedule (and if we're being honest, awkwardness), I didn't even end up making a doctor's appointment. I knew once I got to college I hadto do something, though.

My periods were awful in the sense I bled a lot. It was difficult to deal with during high school. especially at night. In college, I feared to be not in my own room or right next to my bathroom would make it worse. Having to penguin walk to the communal bathroom multiple times in the middle of the night didn't seem ideal, and even less ideal was the fear of bleeding onto my sheets (which, let's be real, we've all experienced) when I shared a room with someone else and would have to do my laundry in a public place.

Frantic and without much hope, I Googled to see if I could get birth control online somehow. Now, I knew that seemed illegal and impossible, but I just wanted to check. Obviously, you need a prescription from a doctor, but my 18-year-old self wasn't the brightest and probably thought there was a black market for birth control.

Nonetheless, I did find something — The Pill Club.

Basically, I just had to fill out a short questionnaire, upload a picture of my insurance card, and they would let me know if I was physically and financially OK to take birth control. In a short amount of time, I was cleared, and a doctor from their base wrote me a prescription. The best part is, I didn't even have to pick it up from a CVS or any other pharmacy, they mail it to you monthly. Personally, for my insurance, I don't need to pay any co-pay for the medication or a doctor's visit, which I would have to pay if I had gone in person.

Almost two years later and I've had no issues with The Pill Club. They send my birth control on time, have great customer service, and send you some goodies with your package each month. For example, this month I got a sticker (that reads, "Social Distancing Club"), a piece of chocolate, and a condom. Dependent on your insurance, they will also offer to send you Plan B for free, due to the instance that there is ever a shipping delay and you end up needing it, which is much nicer than spending $50 at a normal pharmacy.