ellaOne Direct Launches In The UK

ellaOne, the UK’s preferred morning after pill*, have had a whirlwind year since launching the #MyMorningAfter campaign. The campaign has sparked a movement of people speaking out against the outdated taboo surrounding emergency contraception.

In ellaOne’s latest move, they are improving access to the morning after pill for anyone seeking to purchase it with the launch of ellaOne Direct.

ellaOne Direct is a new online delivery service, with the option of same-day delivery, so that people can be reassured that their emergency contraception will reach them within the window that it is most effective (when taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex, ellaOne reduces your risk of pregnancy to just 9/1000).

In September 2018, we started the #MyMorningAfter campaign. This campaign was the first of its kind for emergency contraception: it was filled with women talking candidly about this form of contraception, and it was to be broadcast on mainstream TV, in the cinema and all across social media.

Hearing the words, “it’s my future, I am my own master, it’s my life, my rules, my morning after” was a wake-up call for people everywhere who have ever been made to feel that this purchase was anything other than a responsible decision.

People started coming forward to challenge the stigma and to call time on this outdated taboo. Stories were sent to ellaOne from all over the UK about people’s morning after experiences.

ellaOne have published these stories in an effort to show that there is no singular experience of taking emergency contraception. The best way to shed light on the stigma is to talk about it.

Next, we took the conversation to the streets. We took a camera and asked people about emergency contraception – what they knew about it, what they didn’t and what their experience had been – to produce ‘The ellaOne Question’ series of vox pops.

The #MyMorningAfter movement was making an impact on social media, but ellaOne continued to try to make obtaining emergency contraception as easy as possible for anyone seeking it.

Did you know that 58% of women surveyed felt ‘embarrassed ‘or ‘awkward‘ while accessing the morning after pill from a healthcare professional?

Did you know that a quarter of women (26%) said they would wait until there were no other customers in the pharmacy before asking for emergency contraception?

Did you know that 1 in 8 respondents (12%) would even travel to a different town to purchase EC to avoid bumping into someone they knew?

Only 1 in 10 (11%) of women said they felt confident purchasing the morning after pill. ellaOne Direct aims to make this process as simple as possible for the people who dread buying emergency contraception.

“Our audience are digital natives accustomed to buying almost everything online – whether it’s groceries, clothing, even other medicines – so, why not emergency contraception?” says Emma Marsh, senior brand manager at ellaOne.

ellaOne can be ordered at any time of day or night. ellaOne Direct offers next day (24 hour) delivery nationwide, while ellaOne Express is a same day delivery service offering 3 and 12 hour options.

ellaOne Direct Express is currently being piloted in London (within the M25) but is planned to be extended to other major cities later on this year.

To order ellaOne Direct, you will complete an online questionnaire with the questions a pharmacist would ask in the pharmacy.

Every sale is overseen by a pharmacist so that any red flags require a conversation with a pharmacist, just like the in-store purchase. There is also a 24/7 Careline that provides round-the-clock support for any online orders.

Living with Mum and Dad? Or nosy housemates? Don’t worry – ellaOne comes in a discreet cardboard box, with no indication as to what’s inside. Equally, ellaOne will not be named on your bank statement either.

To find out more about ellaOne Direct visit https://www.ellaonedirect.co.uk/

Share your story and help us end the stigma which surrounds emergency contraception.

Words: Sophia Moss