When it comes to forms of contraception such as the morning-after pill, many women experience stigma, especially in the Black community. On top of that, these forms of contraception aren't always easily accessible to marginalized communities. To combat this, Amanda E. Johnson, Julie Schott and Brian Bordainick — the founders of Mented Cosmetics, Starface and Plus got together to create Julie. Julie is a new FDA-approved morning-after pill created with Black women in mind.
The FDA-approved pill is now available in all 50 states and can be purchased for about $42 at Walmart. The product contains the emergency contraceptive Levonorgestrel 1.5mg, which is an FDA-approved, progestin-only emergency contraceptive.
“I think I want to change the face and narrative of women’s healthcare,” Johnson told ESSENCE, saying she’s looking to also do away with stereotypes connected to it. “For so long it has been a type of woman who has access to innovation in healthcare or a type of person who even needs emergency contraception.”
According to the CDC, non-Hispanic Black women are less likely to use emergency contraception (7.9%) than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic women (11%). The creators of Julie hope education about how morning after pills work will change this.
For many women, this pill comes at the perfect time with Roe v. Wade being overturned and many women of color having less access to family planning options.
RELATED: 5 Common Morning-After Pill Mistakes You Should Never Make
Clearing up myths
The creators also hope Julie will help clear up some myths surrounding morning-after pills. The first myth they hope to clear up is the confusion that morning-after pills are the same as abortion pills.
“Emergency contraception is used so that you don’t get pregnant whereas the abortion pills are used to end a pregnancy and existing pregnancy,” Johnson clarifies.
Another myth they hope to clear up is that using morning-after pills repeatedly can cause infertility.
You can use it multiple times and it does not affect your fertility, according to Johnson. However, you shouldn’t use it as daily birth control.
More accessibility
Julie is following through with its goal of making the morning-after pill more accessible through partnerships at state, regional, and national levels. They have a donation program in place where money from every Julie purchase goes to donating their product to organizations concerning issues such as domestic violence, indigenous groups, HBCUs and more.
How to safely use the morning-after pill
As with any morning-after pill, Julie has its side effects. These symptoms include nausea, dizziness, fatigue, headache, bleeding between periods, or heavier periods.
If you are looking to use the morning-after pill, the first thing you should do is check the expiration date before purchasing it.
Before taking the pill, make sure you carefully read the directions first, especially so you know how you may feel after taking this emergency contraceptive. Many people take the morning-after pill with no serious complications, however, there are some common minor side effects as mentioned above.
Morning-after pills can be taken any time of the day. However, the best time to take them is as soon after you've had sex as possible.
If it's been close to three days since you had condomless sex or birth control failure, it is best to talk to your healthcare provider about getting a prescription for Ella or getting a copper IUD instead, according to the Mayo Clinic.
You can also keep a package on hand so you can use it as quickly as possible if the need arises, instead of having to go to the store.
To ensure effectiveness, store it at room temperature and if you don't use it before it expires, toss it and replace it with a new one.
