Los Angeles

United States of America / California / Los Angeles

OVERVIEW

As the second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles has an incredible variety of resources. The city is renowned for its large and thriving artist/entertainment, LGBT and immigrant communities, and California overall tends to have progressive laws compared to many other US states. Generally speaking, Los Angeles is a progressive city that is pro-choice, and it has many options to help the uninsured. However, the political scene in Southern California is a more complex picture. There are pockets of the SoCal region, especially in Orange County, that are quite religious and conservative, and this is something to bear in mind.

Contraception (Birth Control)

General Note: There are many types of contraceptives, also known as "birth control," including IUDs, oral contraceptives, patches, shots, and condoms, etc. If you would like to view a full list, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In California, the laws around contraception (birth control) recently changed in 2016. You can now purchase birth control pills from a pharmacist without a prescription. However, in reality, most pharmacists in California refuse to sell birth control without a prescription. In Los Angeles, birth control pills are legal for both minors (under 18 years old) and adults. Minors do not need parental permission to obtain birth control. While you do need a prescription for birth control, this prescription can be obtained at a pharmacy. Unlike many other US states, which require that you actually visit a physician for a prescription, California (as of April 2016) does not require that you visit a physician for self-administered hormonal contraception, which includes patches, pills and vaginal rings. For birth control that requires a physician, like IUDs, you will still need to visit a doctor.

If you want to be on the safe side, there are some confidential and Title X clinics that you can visit. Title X clinics are completely confidential, which means that your appointment and billing will be confidential. At Title X Clinics, teens and adults can receive sexual and reproductive health care. They charge on a sliding-scale basis. They may be able to give you a prescription to birth control pills, as well as condoms and sexual health counseling. If you pay for their services with family health insurance and you're a teenager, your parents may see that you visited the clinic in their bills.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Birth control sold in the USA

Condoms

• You can get condoms in grocery stores, drug stores, convenience stores (like CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens) and online. There are no age restrictions for purchasing condoms. Typically, a 12-pack of condoms costs around $12. Female condoms cost around $2 to $4 per condom. You can also get free condoms at health centers (like Planned Parenthood), HIV testing centers and local health departments. Call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526) to learn where you can get free condoms in your area. If you live in LA, you can also have 10 free condoms mailed to your home address (click here for details), or you can find free condoms distributed at locations throughout LA, including at UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, nightclubs in West Hollywood (like Rage), Saban Community Clinic, Westside Family Health, AIDS Project Los Angeles and many more locations. For a full list of where to find free condoms in LA, click here.
• If you want birth control pills, you will probably still need a prescription. While you technically can buy birth control pills without a prescription in California, most pharmacists don't seem to honor this. In other words, they still require a prescription. You can get a 12-month prescription for birth control through the Planned Parenthood app (available for Android or iPhone). If you're uninsured, you can also get a low-cost prescription directly at a Planned Parenthood office. Once you have a prescription, you can fill it at LA pharmacies, such as CVS or Rite-Aid. Note that, if you don't have health insurance, the costs can be pretty expensive to fill a prescription (so you may want to go through a low-cost clinic).
• If you are insured under your employer in California, there is also a very good chance that you are insured under Kaiser Permanente. Their main Kaiser site in LA, including the pharmacy, is found at 4867 Sunset Blvd.
• Planned Parenthood, which has over 10 locations in LA, provides many lower-cost birth control services, including birth control implant, birth control patch, birth control pill, birth control shot, birth control vaginal ring (NuvaRing), diaphragm, condom, female condom, fertility awareness method, IUD (hormonal), IUD (copper), etc. For a relatively low cost, Planned Parenthood writes and fulfills birth control prescriptions. If you don't have a prescription, you can receive the prescription and pills in the same day.
• FPA Women's Health offers free services if you are a California resident, have no other health coverage for the procedure you need and meet specific income requirements. They have Mirena, Paragard, Nexplanon, Skyla, Essure, tubal sterilization, the depo shot, the pill and the vaginal ring. They have locations in Downtown LA, Santa Monica, San Fernando Valley, etc.

Costs

If you are an American citizen, your birth control exam/consultation may be covered for free, with no copay. As for birth control prices, there is no one standard price, as this greatly depends on which method is used. But, if you are uninsured, you can expect to pay between $20-$150/month supply of pills. For IUD insertion, you can expect to pay $175-600 if uninsured (or $10-$30 copay if insured). There are some clinics that offer free coverage (FPA Women's Clinic) if you fall under specific criteria.

Emergency Contraception (Morning After Pill)

Important Notes: Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy for three days (72 hours) and sometimes five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Take EC as soon as possible after unprotected sex. If you don't have access to dedicated EC, oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages and time schedules to work as EC 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) They may be less effective than dedicated EC. For general information on emergency contraceptives, click here and here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In the US, Plan B pills are the most common forms of emergency contraception. It is legal to purchase Plan B in Chicago without a prescription, and there is typically little stigma related to the act. You can buy Plan B at many drug stores, such as Walgreen's and CVS.

What to Get & Where to Get It

You can purchase emergency contraception at Chicago drug stores and pharmacies. Some of the brands you can expect to see are My Way, Next Choice One Dose, Plan B One-Step, Take Action and ella.

Costs

Plan B pills typically cost between $35-$60/pill. If you can't afford Plan B, call up your local hospitals and Planned Parenthood. Some hospitals offer free pills, and Planned Parenthood does give free pills to some people in need. Also, consider seeing if Medicaid can cover the pill. There's also AfterPill, which is a cheaper morning after pill, which costs $20 and can be bought online. Since you usually want to take the morning after pill as quickly as possible, it's recommended to only purchase AfterPill as backup for future events -- not if you're currently in need of a pill.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs/STDs)

Important Notes - Learn about PEP and PrEP: If you think that you've been recently exposed to HIV (i.e. within 72 hours), seek out PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a month-long treatment to prevent HIV infection after exposure, and it may be available in your city. Take PEP as soon as possible. For more information, click here. If you are at risk of HIV exposure, seek out PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a daily oral pill that can prevent HIV infection before exposure. To learn more about PrEP, click here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Hollywood Walk-in Clinic -- Offers an urgent care visit, which includes an STD evaluation, for $79.
• Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic (http://www.hsfreeclinic.org/)

Medications & Vaccines

What to Get & Where to Get It

• For yeast infections, you can get over-the-counter medication (like Monistat 7) at drug stores. No prescription is needed.
• For a urinary tract infection (UTI), you'll need to visit a doctor and be diagnosed with a UTI to get a prescription for antibiotics.

Costs

For yeast infections, Monistat 7 at Walgreens is $14.99 while Walgreens generic brand is $11.49 (which seems just as effective). For UTIs, you can expect to pay about $60 for the antibiotics. Chlamydia medication generally costs $10 but can go up to $50. Gonorrhea medication usually costs about $17 for a single dose. For uninsured consumers, some medications may be steep, so you may want to seek out sliding-scale clinics.

Menstruation

Note: In addition to pads and tampons, you can also use menstrual cups and menstrual underwear for your period. To learn more about menstrual cups, click here. To learn more about menstrual underwear, click here.

Gynecological Exams

What to Get & Where to Get It

• Hollywood Walk-In Clinic gives pap smears for $135 or pap smears with HPV test for $185. No appointment needed -- just walk in. The clinic is mostly for the uninsured but they do accept Blue Shield PPO and Anthem Blue Cross PPO. They're located on the corner of Selma and Wilcox Avenues with adjacent parking. Our address is 6430 Selma Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. 323.848.4522.
• FPA Women's Health has locations in Downtown LA, Santa Monica, San Fernando Valley, etc. (877) 883.7264.

Abortion

Important Note: There are two main types of abortions: medical (also known as the "abortion pill") and surgical (also known as "in-clinic"). For medical abortions, you take a pill to induce abortion. For surgical abortions, a procedure is performed to induce abortion. For general information about medical and surgical abortions, click here.

What to Get & Where to Get It

• My Choice Medical Center: Offers surgical and medical abortions. "My Choice Medical Center is the only private abortion practice in Los Angeles that is certified by the National Abortion Federation (NAF)." Address: 4903 W. Pico Blvd #202. Los Angeles, CA, 90019. Phone: (866) 397-3070
• Planned Parenthood Hollywood Health Center: Offers medical abortions (the abortion pill). Address: 1014 1/2 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029. p: 800.576.5544 | f: 323.664.3602.
• Her Medical Clinic: There doesn't seem to be a website but they have positive reviews on Yelp. "Her Medical Clinic is a family planning and abortion clinic offering confidential care in Los Angeles. Here at Her Medical Clinic, we pride ourselves on our confidential, individualized approach in offering birth control and family planning programs." Address: 1414 S Grand Ave #400, Los Angeles, CA 90015, USA. Phone: +1 213-747-4391.

Costs

Nationwide, the abortion pill can cost $800, but often less. For an in-clinic procedure, abortions can cost $1500, but often less. You can often find cheaper options at Planned Parenthood or some clinics. For low-income women (regardless of citizenship status), there are a variety of program in Chicago that can help pay for these costs.

From Planned Parenthood: "Abortion services may be covered by your insurance. If you want to use your insurance, please be sure to bring in your insurance information at the time of your visit. Medi-cal accepted. If you are uninsured, you may be eligible to receive financial assistance for your procedure. You can confidentially find out if you qualify by calling us at 800.576.5544."