One of the best things about living in the modern day is never having to leave your house. I love being able to order things by mail: razor blades; Korean skincare; sex toys. The process, when done well, is so easy — and it lets you save your energy for the important stuff. And, I’m happy to be able to report, a new company called Felix (Felixforyou.ca) does it incredibly well.
Felix is an online provider of “lifestyle meds,” including birth control, ED meds, and topical acne treatments. Their site is well-designed and comprehensive, and I’ve been quite excited to share more about it with all of you!
» Ordering today? Use code TheNotice50 for 50% off of your online visit fee until March 31st, 2020! «
Why is accessibility important?
When I was a teen first trying to get birth control for my awful periods, my GP refused to write a prescription. Her (very, very flawed) logic was that if I wasn’t having sex, I shouldn’t be given birth control — it was “too risky” and “would encourage promiscuity.” At 27, I’m now very aware that I should have brought it up with an organization like the CPSA, but back then? I had no idea.
As Canadians, we’re already incredibly lucky to have first-dollar universal healthcare. Our medical appointments are covered, and we have the privilege of never having to worry about the costs when we check into a doctor’s office or hospital bed. But just like as in my case, things aren’t always as accessible as they should be.
Why order Felix birth control online?
Because it’s an online site, Felix makes prescription access easier for folks who face a barrier when accessing birth control. Maybe that’s you, because you can’t get time off of work to go to the doctor’s office before it closes. Maybe you don’t have the energy to get to the pharmacy, or maybe there’s someone in your household who’s opposed to you taking control of your reproductive health.
Felix ships to your home or sends a prescription to your pharmacy, so you can pick whichever method is the safest and easiest for you. And hey! For most of us, that’s honestly probably just going to be our homes because we’re lazy — and that’s okay. I’m enthusiastically here for all methods of safely accessing contraceptives, and one reason really isn’t more valid than another!
The Felix ordering process
Y’all. This site is swanky.
You know that feeling we all had when Warby Parker became a thing? Like, that not only was ordering your glasses online cheap and cool, but that the product you were getting was somehow cooler, better, and edgier than what you’d have found at a mall?
Felix feels like that. The ordering process is extremely thorough—way more so than any doctor I’ve ever asked for birth control from—and the website is slick. The Felixforyou.ca birth control questionnaire asks pertinent but respectful questions (think “what is your biological gender,” not “and what does your boyfriend think about this,”) with options for the oral contraceptive, the ring, and the patch. Your file is assessed by a licensed Canadian doctor, and you only pay their appointment fee if you’re approved for your medication.
I went through the process for the pill, because that’s what I took until I had my IUD inserted. Once you’re ready to order, delivery can be made every one month or three months for up to a year, and each prescription is filled by a registered pharmacist. Their rates are competitive, too; they encourage the use of generic oral contraceptives, and you can switch to a name brand or upload your healthcare information for coverage if applicable.
Currently, Felix offers topical or oral medication for contraception, ED, acne, and hair loss, but I’m excited for them to expand into medication for cold sores and HIV prevention. (Being able to recommend PrEP by mail? Iconic.)
Ordering birth control online in Canada: The Felix difference
Before telling you to go try your first order — remember, use TheNotice50 until the end of March!—I just want to touch on my favourite part about Felix again.
(And it’s not their office dog, although Chilli Pepper is really, really cute.)
Felix is for every body. That doesn’t mean that they provide birth control for every biological sex organ, but it does mean that they provide a respectful screening process for all individuals, including my non-binary self. It’s a small detail for most people, but one that I really appreciate — and one that I think is becoming more and more important in the medical landscape. So thank you, Felix!
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Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Felix. As someone with an IUD, I am not currently using their service, but was able to go through the system as a consumer to check things out & form my own options before writing this post. I’ve also met their team in person (these images courtesy of Felixforyou.ca), so don’t be surprised if my face or hands pop up on their site later this year!
