If you need the morning after pill, the chances are that you're not having the best day. First there's the general misery of trying to find an open chemist and then say the words 'morning after pill' loud enough that they here you, without everyone in the shop staring at you.
Then, historically, you had to fork the better part of £40 (around £35.99) for the morning after pill, unless by some miracle you lived near a walk-in family planning clinic.
Things got slightly better when, in 2017, the cost of the morning after pill was hotly debated and eventually (thanks to pressure from campaigners) the price was dropped to around £15. But that's still a lot of money for a singular pill which, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), costs a fraction of that to produce.
But now there's a new kid in town. Online pharmacy Dr Fox is selling the MAP for just £3. Which, as BPAS points, out demonstrates quite how much women have been overcharged for the medication in previous years.
Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at BPAS says: 'The sale of the morning after pill for £3 illustrates just how cheap this medication is, but women are still having to pay vastly over the odds for this pill at their time of need.
'We believe emergency contraception belongs on the shelf of the pharmacy, not hidden away at the back, accessible only after a consultation. The progestogen pill is extremely safe, can be used as often as needed, and gives women a second chance of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy that may risk their physical and mental health.
'There is simply no reason why we should restrict access in the way we do when the stakes for women are so high – women know when they need it and should be trusted to use it.'
BPAS says it would like to see progestogen-based emergency contraception reclassified as a General Sales List medication, which would mean that it can be sold over the counter without a consultation at a more affordable price, like paracetamol or ibuprofen.
The morning after pill can still be refused for sale by pharmacists who do not support its usage, despite the fact it is not an abortive measure. You can sign this petition to try to change that.
If you do need the morning after pill and you can afford to wait for the delivery window, Dr Fox's pharmacy significantly undercuts any other UK pharmacy.