Frequently Asked Questions

Gemma is a digital health company that allows you to get personalized birth control and acne creams prescribed and delivered directly to your door, completely online. We allow you to skip the waiting rooms, the awkward conversations with your doctor, and annoying trips to the pharmacy.

Simply fill out our medical questionnaire and what you’re looking for, and a licensed Canadian healthcare practitioner will review it and either approve your request, or ask you some follow-up questions to better understand your situation. If you’re approved, we will send your prescription directly to our partner pharmacy so they can ship it to you as soon as possible, for free. You also have the choice to send your prescription to another pharmacy of your choice.

You can use Gemma if you are 18 years old or older and are located in Ontario or Quebec. If you’re elsewhere in Canada, you can sign up to our Newsletter and we’ll let you know when we come to your province :)

All prescriptions made on Gemma are provided by licensed Canadian healthcare practitioners, who must abide by the guidelines of their professional orders. These practitioners will not provide prescriptions unless they believe it is medically appropriate and safe for you, based on the answers you’ve provided in the medical questionnaire. This is why it’s critical that you answer all questions truthfully and transparently. 

Additionally, our pharmacy partner is a licensed Canadian pharmacy, subject to the exact same guidelines and regulations as your preferred local pharmacy.

Nope! You can get a new prescription through Gemma, or get an existing prescription renewed or changed.

Complete and submit the online questionnaire at any time, and one of our medical practitioners will review it within 24 hours and get back to you. No appointment necessary, and often no need to talk to anyone.

Absolutely not. Once you have been approved for a prescription by our medical team, you can instruct them to send it to your preferred pharmacy.

At Gemma, we encourage you to explore different prescriptions if your current medication is not working for you. Simply submit a new online questionnaire and explain why you would like to change prescriptions, and our medical team will review and decide if a prescription change makes sense for you.

In many cases, as long as you're covered by insurance, your prescription will be completely FREE. If you do need to pay out of pocket (aka pay yourself), we will clearly tell you exactly how much you're paying before we charge you.

‍Medical Consult: The fee to have your online questionnaire reviewed is $10, which will only be charged if your prescriptions has been approved. 

‍Prescription Cost: The price of the prescription itself depends on your insurance provider, but in most cases it will also be completely FREE.

‍Shipping Fees: Our shipping is also completely FREE.

You will be provisionally charged for the online visit as soon as it is approved by the healthcare practitioner.
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Once the prescription has been processed by our partner pharmacy, we will let you know what the total would be if you go forward with the prescription. You will then be able to check out and finalize the process. We will never charge you before you know how much you owe (if anything!).

In Ontario, OHIP covers many types of birth control in Ontario for people under 25 that do not have private insurance. Make sure to upload your OHIP card during your online visit so that we can apply your coverage. We also recommend letting us know if you do not have private insurance to help the practitioner make a more informed prescription decision.

For private insurance, we recommend that you upload your benefit card during sign up so that our we can apply your coverage before shipping your meds. We also recommend you check your plan manual to better understand how much coverage you have. If you have any questions, you can send us your plan manual and we’ll help walk you through your coverage.

See what types of birth control are covered by OHIP+ here, or directly on the OHIP website here.

You can add or update the insurance information on your Gemma account, under the Billing tab.

No, any medication you’re taking is considered Personal Health Information and is not allowed to be shared with anyone without your consent, including your parents.

Prescriptions will typically be made to include enough refills for a full year. However, the amount of medication and the number of refills prescribed will ultimately be decided by the practitioner who reviews your online visit.

You can pause or cancel your refill delivery at any time by going to the Prescriptions tab in your Gemma account.

Everyone on the Gemma medical team is a licensed Canadian healthcare practitioner! All online questionnaires submitted on Gemma are reviewed by someone on our medical team that is licensed in your province. They have complete medical authority, and are not influenced by Gemma to make any medical decisions, in terms of prescription authorization, amount of refills or dosage.

Not at all. Gemma provides a more convenient way for you to get birth control and prescription acne cream, but we are in no way a replacement for a family doctor or primary care physician. We encourage you to maintain contact with your family doctor, and inform them of all medications you are using, as well as for your regular checkups and any medical concerns.

For any questions on the medication you’re taking, we recommend that you speak directly to the physician that prescribed the medication to you. You can do this by reaching out to them directly on our messaging platform.

If you have side effects that you think may be serious and require emergency medical attention, you should call 911 or go seek emergency care immediately.

At Gemma, there's nothing we take more seriously than your health and security - and this extends to the security of your information. All Personal Health Information that is discussed during your medical visit will be kept strictly and legally confidential between you and your healthcare provider.

In addition, all your account information is stored safely and securely with a comprehensive security infrastructure and best in class data policies. You can read more on our Privacy Policy.

We value your privacy and discretion. As such, our packaging is super discreet, arriving in standard and generic packaging with no identifying branding.

We offer a wide range of generic and brand name birth control pills, including both combination and progestin only pills. We also carry the patch, as well as vaginal rings. We also carry several brands of emergency contraception, including the original Plan B.

We do not currently offer the IUD, injection or implant as these need to be administered in person by a medical professional. However, if our medical team believes these alternatives may be best for you, we will not hesitate to let you know.

As of now, Gemma only offers preventative emergency contraception Having emergency contraception pills for future use is recommended for those at risk of unintended pregnancy. Keep in mind that emergency contraception is recommended only as a backup option, and never as a primary method of birth control.

There is no minimum age for getting birth control in Canada. Regardless of age, our medical team will need to ensure that you understand the nature and risks of the treatment before prescribing it.
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You also do not need your parents’ permission to get birth control. However, our medical team might encourage you to speak to your parents about your options in certain cases.

If you miss one or more pills, there are specific instructions on how to make up for the missed pills, depending on the type of birth control pills you take and how many pills you missed. This information can be found on the package insert located inside your birth control package.