Each of the websites we visited offer hormonal contraception, but not all offer the full range of options. Ideally, we would like to see a list of all methods offered, including oral contraceptives (OCs, or “the Pill”), the shot, the two contraceptive patches, the monthly contraceptive ring (NuvaRing), and year-long ring (Annovera).

One site, Pandia, came close to our ideal, offering prescriptions for all brands of available Other websites provided full lists of the types of OCs offered, but either only offered one type of patch or ring or didn’t offer either of the contraceptive patches. But, if you know exactly which type of contraceptive you want to use, a site with limited options might be suitable for you.

Simple Health, Alpha Health, Nurx, and Favor all currently offer emergency contraception (also known as the Morning After Pill).

• . If you know you want to use oral contraceptives (OC), Simple Health can provide more than 100 brands. Lemonaid, Alpha, and Favor also list the brands of OC they carry. Pandia lists the most popular brands on its site. On the other hand, Nurx doesn’t provide any information about OCs until after a customer creates an account on the website, which is a barrier for shoppers who are still in the early information-gathering phase. Having many OC options to choose from is important because, while all versions of the pill are equally effective, some people respond better to one version or another. Further, pills containing drospirenone (Yaz, Yazmin, Beyaz, Nikki, Loryna) and desogestrel (Apri, Isibloom, Juleber, Velivet) put users at slightly higher risk of developing blood clots, a very rare but serious complication of using hormonal contraceptives.

If you know you want to use a contraceptive ring, Pandia, Simple Health, Nurx, and Alpha all carry the monthly ring (NuvaRing). Favor, Alpha Simple Health and Pandia also carry the year-long ring (Annovera). The NWHN advises trying the monthly version first if you’re never used a contraceptive ring before.

The new low-dose contraceptive patch (Twirla) became available shortly after we explored the sites. It’s not included in the chart below, but it’s likely that online sites will start carrying it soon. If you’re a satisfied user of the original contraceptive patch (Xulane), which contains a higher dose of hormones than Twirla, you can obtain Xulane on Alpha, Pandia, Simple Health and Nurx. If you’re interested in trying the contraceptive patch for the first time, we recommend starting with Twirla, as its lower dose of hormones reduces the (rare) risk of blood clots.

The new contraceptive gel (Phexxi) was also not mentioned by any of the sites we visited. It’s a good option for people who want to use a non-hormonal method, but unlike other contraceptive gels it requires a prescription.  We hope to see it available online soon.

Nurx and Alpha also offer the contraceptive shot (Depo Provera). Not everyone is comfortable giving themselves an injection, but for those experienced users who are okay with it, ordering online can be a good option.