Morning-after pill sales spike online after Trump wins election, companies say
Online retailers and birth control providers have seen a spike in sales for emergency contraceptives since Donald Trump was elected for a second term as president of the United States.
Winx Health, a sexual health company formerly known as Stix, reported a reported a 966% increase in sales of their morning-after pill, Restart, in the 60 hours after the election compared with the week prior.
Wisp, a sexual and reproductive telehealth company, similarly reported a 1000% increase in sales for emergency contraception from Nov. 5-6, especially in states with abortion bans. Texas, Alabama and Indiana were the top three states with new patients purchasing emergency contraceptives on those dates, Monica Cepak, CEO of Wisp, said in a statement to CBS News.
"We saw a similar situation unfold when Roe v. Wade was overturned and are not surprised that women are once again taking their healthcare into their own hands by stockpiling these medications," Cepak said.
Appointments and searches for long-acting reversible birth control methods also surged following the election.
Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit that provides sexual and reproductive health services and information, reported appointments for intrauterine devices, or IUDs, increased by 760% on Nov. 6. Appointments for birth control implants increased 350% compared with the previous day and vasectomy appointments increased by 1200%, the organization said.
"Americans may be rightfully feeling fearful and worried about the prospect of further restrictions on our freedom to control our bodies. Waking up on November 6, they rushed to Planned Parenthood for help," Danika Severino Wynn, vice president of care and access for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said.
Wynn said Planned Parenthood tracked similar trends in 2022 following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as after the 2016 presidential election. According to a 2019 study published JAMA Internal Medicine, the daily rate of insertions of long-acting reversible contraceptives increased more than 21% in the 30 days after Trump's win in 2016, compared with the 30 days before.
Trump has boasted about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution generally protected the right of women to have an abortion before the point of viability. In an interview with CBS News in August, Trump said he had "no regrets" over his Supreme Court picks that led to the reversal. During Trump's first term, his administration also restricted the availability of funding for contraception, leaving many worried about what a second term could bring.
His stance on other reproductive rights issues has wavered. In a May interview, Trump was asked if he supports any restrictions on a person's right to contraceptives, to which he responded, "We're looking at that." He later retracted this by saying on Truth Social he has "NEVER, AND WILL NEVER ADVOCATE IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL, or other contraceptives." The inconsistency left some questioning what his exact plan would be when he takes up his second term.
Dr. Elise Berlan, a faculty physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital, said her advice for people who are worried is to talk to a trusted professional.
"My advice would be the same right now as it's been for a while that the best conversation to have is with a healthcare provider to really understand what a person's options are and what's going to be the best for them in a really person-centered way."