Birth Control (Family Planning)

Planning if, or when, you want to have another child can help you avoid the health and financial concerns associated with an unintended pregnancy. Timing and spacing pregnancies is better for your body. Planning your family helps you take control over your life and health care.

Birth Control Choices

It is possible to become pregnant soon after you have your baby even if you are breastfeeding. When breastfeeding, there are many choices for birth control. Non-hormonal methods should be considered first. If you want to use a hormonal birth control method, it is important to choose a method that contains little or none of the hormone estrogen. The estrogen may decrease your milk supply and lead to early weaning. Talk to a health care provider about what kind of birth control is best for you.

Remember – Birth control services are confidential. The only way others will know if you are using birth control is if you tell them. Remember you don’t need anyone else’s permission to access family planning services.

Need Affordable Birth Control Services or Health Insurance?

Take Charge – Birth Control/Family Planning

You and your partner may be eligible to receive free birth control through a program called Take Charge.

• Learn more about Take Charge services

• Use the Benefit Finder to see if you may be eligible
  for Take Charge OR

• Call the Family Planning/Take Charge Hotline at 1-800-770-4334 to see if you qualify for this program.

Family Planning Clinics

Many family planning clinics offer services and birth control based on a sliding fee scale. Depending on your family’s income, you may be required to pay only a certain portion of the total cost of treatment and medication. Some clinics provide services for free.

• To find a clinic that offers a sliding fee scale, call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 or visit our Resource Finder.

Basic Health

You may qualify for low cost health insurance that provides coverage for birth control. Basic Health is the health insurance program offered by Washington State. Currently there is a waiting list for this program.

• For questions about the wait list, call 1-800-660-9840 or visit or visit Basic Health.

Additional resources

Prescription Assistance

Washington State offers two prescription assistance programs to help you pay for some or all of the cost of
your prescriptions.

The free *Washington Prescription Drug Program Discount Card gives discounts on all medications to all
Washington state residents regardless of age or income. Learn
more about the program and enroll online to get the discount card. You can also call 1-800-913-4146.

• Rx Help for WA is a program that helps low-income, uninsured Washington residents get free or discounted
  medicines. Learn more about the program. You can
  also call 1-877-923-6779.

Have Health Insurance?

• Contact your health insurance plan to find out what methods are covered and if you must pay a co-payment.

• If you had Medicaid coverage for your pregnancy (also called the medical coupon), you can get free birth control services for 12 months or one year following the birth of your baby. Talk to your health care provider or call the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588 to learn more.