Women Stocking Up On Contraceptives For Fear Trump Policies Will Restrict Their Rights

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —  Women all over the country are rushing to stock up on birth control for fear Donald Trump policies
will restrict their access to pregnancy prevention and pro-choice rights.

At Lisa Masterson's Santa Monica gynecology practice, she said the number of patients asking for long-term birth control has doubled since the election.

"Women are very afraid. They are worried that they aren't going to get covered, and so they are looking for long-term things that will be covered by insurance right now so they won't have to worry about it later."

According to Google trends, in the hours after Donald Trump was elected president, Google searches for the word "IUD" rose exponentially.

On social media, women began posting about wanting birth control that would outlast his presidency.

Her tweet has been retweeted nearly 2,600 times.

"I would say like 95 percent of my friends are talking about this - even the ones who have IUD's are considering going back and getting a new IUD so that they don't run out of time on their IUD within the next four years," Kat Andrusco said.

Trump has not said he will restrict access to birth control, but he has said he wanted to eliminate or make changes to the Affordable Care Act.

In an interview with "60 Minutes" on Sunday, Trump said: "It will be repealed and replaced, and it will be great health care for much less money."

Under Obamacare, insurers must provide birth control for free. IUD's can run anywhere from $600 to $1,000 out of pocket.

Andrusco said she has never considered an IUD in the past, but now she is. "We feel like our rights are being compromised, and we want to be sure that at the very least, we are safe if that were to happen."

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles said it has seen a spike in the amount of women asking about long-term birth control in the past week. They released a statement that reads in part:

"While we truly hope that birth control methods will be available, accessible, and affordable to all women under the Trump administration, we understand people's real concerns about losing access to birth control, which is basic health care for women."