Survey of 1,400 Women Offers Insights into Telehealth Preferences, Birth Control Access, and Pregnancy Planning

Twentyeight Health’s survey of more than 1,400 women shows post-pandemic baby boom could be on horizon; pandemic-induced shift to telehealth has increased access to birth control for low-income communities

NEW YORK, June 24, 2021 — Twentyeight Health, a telehealth company increasing access to sexual and reproductive care for women from underserved communities, today announced results from a survey of 1,462 women, a small but statistically significant subset of users, about telehealth preferences, birth control access, and plans for having children as the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Over the last year, the U.S. saw a dramatic increase in the use of telehealth, a rise in the number of women taking birth control, and also a decline in the birth rate in the U.S.,” said Amy Fan, co-founder of Twentyeight Health. “As COVID-19 subsides, we wanted to learn more about what types of healthcare services women would continue to use telehealth for, and their plans for starting or growing their families, so we can better support our users, particularly from underserved communities.”

Twentyeight Health surveyed 1,462 of its customers during May 2021. The majority of respondents live in either suburban (40.2%) or urban (41.2%) environments, and 18.6% of respondents reported living in rural areas. Twentyeight Health is focused on providing birth control prescription and delivery services to underserved communities — 50% of respondents had an annual income of less than $25K, and 56% reported using Medicaid as their health insurance for Twentyeight Health.

Key survey findings include:

1. The U.S. could experience a post-pandemic baby boom: 12% of respondents postponed plans to have a child because of COVID-19 and 9% are planning a pregnancy once the pandemic subsides.
2. Telehealth is increasing access to birth control for women in lower-income communities: Over 40% of respondents making less than $25K annually said they were not taking birth control prior to using Twentyeight Health’s telehealth and birth control delivery service.  
3. Privacy and discretion are top-of-mind for lower-income telehealth users: 85% of respondents with an annual income of less than $25K ranked privacy and discretion among top priorities when considering a telehealth platform.
4. Many women prefer text-based communication with doctors: When asked “If a video consultation was covered at $0 copay by your insurance / Medicaid, would you prefer to use it over messaging with the doctor?” more than half of the respondents (57%) would prefer messaging. While asynchronous communication with doctors on telehealth platforms is preferred, over 40% of younger respondents, lower income respondents, and those living in urban areas are open to pairing asynchronous communication with live virtual interactions with doctors.
5. The pandemic-induced shift to telehealth for birth control access will be long-lasting:  97% of respondents plan to continue to get birth control via telehealth services after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.  47% of respondents reported getting birth control at a doctor’s office before the COVID-induced physical distancing measures began in March 2020.

“These survey results clearly show that telehealth will remain extremely popular in the years ahead,” said Bruno Van Tuykom, co-founder of Twentyeight Health. “I’m also encouraged to see how much Twentyeight Health’s telehealth services have increased access to birth control for women who were not previously accessing it, particularly among underserved communities. This is just one example of how telehealth providers can help more people across demographics receive the high-quality care they need.”

To read the survey report, visit https://twentyeighthealth.com/twentyeight-survey-2021

About Twentyeight Health
Twentyeight Health is a mission-driven women’s health organization expanding access through high-quality telemedicine care, a convenient online platform, and affordable options. To learn more, visit www.twentyeighthealth.com.