Patients prep for a second Trump term, buying birth control in bulk and getting IUDs

After Donald Trump won a second term as president on Nov. 5, many Americans began stocking up on birth control, the morning-after pill, and abortion medication, preparing ahead of time for an administration that could severely limit their reproductive health care.

While he was running, Trump said he would veto a federal abortion ban. However, during his first term, he appointed three conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices and restricted federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

During his campaign, Trump disavowed Project 2025, a 922-page far-right agenda for a Republican administration that includes recommendations for rolling back reproductive rights. After the election, however, he nominated four Project 2025 contributors to his new Cabinet.

Wisp, a telehealth platform offering sexual and reproductive health care, saw a massive spike in the sale of emergency contraception, birth control, and abortion medication in the days following the presidential election.

“Stockpiling emergency contraception can have many positive effects for people in need,” Monica Cepak, the CEO of Wisp, told the American Independent via email.

“If women have the pill on hand, they can immediately use it when needed without delay,” Cepak said, adding that unlike most pharmacies that limit the amount of the emergency contraception medication Plan B patients can purchase at a time, Wisp allows patients to buy up to six packs of the pills.

“This approach encourages women to take agency over their own reproductive health and ensures they have resources available when needed most,” she said.

The shelf life of Plan B is four years; birth control pills, depending how they’re stored, last between one and five years, and the abortion medication mifepristone lasts about five years.

Cepak said that on election day and the day after, orders for abortion medication soared by 600%. She added that emergency contraception purchases were up nearly 1,000% and sales to new patients were up 1,600%. Birth control sales were up 50% day-over-day on Nov. 6, and multipacks of Plan B made up 92% of all emergency contraception sales.

The maker of Julie, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved emergency contraceptive, told the American Independent that it saw an average of 50% week-over-week growth per day of the drug and a 10-fold increase in sales through its Amazon store in the three days following the election.

The company said it saw the most growth in sales in states such as Idaho, Florida, Texas, and South Dakota, where abortion was banned or severely limited after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

The company additionally distributes emergency contraception through Julie For All, a one-for-one donation program that provides emergency contraception to those in need through partner organizations. Julie works in collaboration with communities, bars, college campuses, community pharmacies, and in abortion-restrictive states or contraception deserts.

Dr. Erin Stevens, an obstetrician-gynecologist working in Edina, Minnesota, told the American Independent that since the election she’s had numerous patients asking for intrauterine devices to be implanted.

“Anyone who’s even considering an IUD, I’m kind of saying, well, not to fearmonger, but I don’t know how long it’s going to be practically accessible to you once the next administration takes over. So let’s talk about this now, if it makes sense now,” Stevens said.

The copper IUD, a nonhormonal device that can be used while breastfeeding and doesn’t have the same side effects as a hormone-releasing device, lasts up to 10 years. The hormonal IUD, which releases a synthetic progesterone that prevents pregnancy, lasts up to eight years.

Briana Schneekloth, a junior at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Sohana Pai, a medical student in Kansas City, Missouri, told the Washington Post that they contacted their physicians the day after the election to discuss having an IUD implanted. Both women said they wanted to make sure they were covered during the four years Trump was in office.

“I think having a really good plan in place if it’s a long-term or permanent option makes sense for someone. Think about it sooner rather than later,” Stevens said. “Otherwise, having at least some stock, not hoarding like years and years’ worth of birth control that ultimately might expire and you’ll never use anyway, but having some preparation there can be helpful.”