‘Women are stockpiling’: Demand for birth control, medical abortion, and mental health services surged after the election

Americans are responding quite viscerally to Tuesday’s presidential election, which will send Donald Trump back to the White House.

Zocdoc, a platform that helps people book medical appointments, reported a 22% surge in mental health appointments the day after the election, according to data shared with Fast Company. (Unfortunately, Zocdoc was not able to provide data for mental health bookings after the 2016 and 2020 elections.)

And Lyra Health, a workforce mental healthcare provider, saw calls to its 24/7 helpline more than double. Nearly half of the patients calling in said it was their first time looking for mental healthcare.

The panic is extending beyond increased mental healthcare. Demand for birth control has also surged.

Sexual and reproductive health platform Wisp saw an increase in orders for birth control and abortion. Starting November 5, orders for medical abortion went up 600%. As of November 6, emergency contraceptive sales have increased almost 1,000% and new customer emergency contraception sales went up 1,650%.

“The appointment of Trump as president-elect has caused a further sense of uncertainty for women’s reproductive rights . . .” Monica Cepak, CEO of Wisp, commented via email. “These stats are showing that women are stockpiling these offerings in anticipation of further restrictions being introduced.”