Medically reviewed by Sophia Yen, MD, MPH – Written by Pandia Health Editorial Team
Pandia Health prioritizes your health, not our profits. Our CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Sophia Yen, spoke with Sharon McLaughlin, from the Female Entrepreneurs Podcast to talk about how she became interested in medicine, the inspiration behind Pandia Health, and her continued fight for helping women receive the care they deserve.
From Med Student to Founder
Dr. Yen’s idea came from a talk she was giving to a roomful of physicians in which one of the leading questions was, “Why don’t women take their birth control?” One of the main reasons is because they do not have it in their hand.
Dr. Yen and a friend of hers were determined to solve this issue. How? They decided to create a service that would continuously ship birth control to women until they were told to stop.
However, when ads were first run promoting free delivery of birth control, 60% of the women who responded did not have a birth control prescription. As a doctor, Dr. Yen knew she could fix this problem. Thus, Pandia Health was born.
The end to end solution is this: if you need a prescription, Pandia can write you one; if you already have one, tell us where your pharmacy is located and we will move it to our partner pharmacy, bill your insurance, and ship it to your door.
Pandia provides FREE delivery of birth control, automatic refills, and tasty goodies to all our consumers. Besides your birth control packs, the swag items in your package include Hi-Chews, lubricants, or a product from another female-founder.
Dr. Yen also founded #FFFL (Female Founded, Female Led) which is an initiative that highlights female-founded and female-led startups. Part of the goal of #FFFL is to help consumers knowingly choose products made by female entrepreneurs. It is about supporting and uplifting the sisterhood! After all, you’re probably more likely to purchase a product aimed at women if a woman is behind it as opposed to a man, agreed?
Pandia Has Your Back
Some women are embarrassed when picking up birth control at a pharmacy, and some pharmacists have slut-shamed women. What if a notoriously gossipy woman is in there? What if your boss is in there?
The three main tenants of Pandia Health are care, convenience, and confidentiality. We provide cutting edge, evidence-based care, we deliver your birth control wherever you have internet and a mailbox, and our packaging is discreet so women do not feel shame – although no one should!
Our packaging is usually white or blue with a discreet label that says “PH – a Pandia Health partner” The package could be from Etsy, Amazon, or eBay… no one will know.
“I hope for the day where we with uteri proudly wear a patch on our shoulder, saying, “Hey, I got my birth control up. Let’s do this! I am a responsible person, and I will decide when and where I have children. I hope in the future that we can ask our customers, “Do you want your birth control confident or confidential?”
– Dr. Yen
Dr. Yen’s Background
Dr. Yen has taken her job as a doctor seriously since the 4th grade which is when she decided it was going to be her future career path. She even used to beg her mom to get her stickers so that her future patients could all receive a little gift each time they visited.
Now, Dr. Yen has a giant sticker book filled with rainbow and scratch & sniff stickers. As someone who loves people and science, Dr. Yen felt that giving out stickers was a way of providing a thoughtful experience to each patient.
Pandia Health Beyond Delivery
“Using science to help people is a wonderful thing, and Pandia Health is using science, technology, and laws to get people stuff that they need to prevent unplanned pregnancy.”
– Dr. Yen
Pandia promotes all of the benefits of birth control – it is not just a contraceptive method! If you are bleeding once a month, you can use birth control to make your #PeriodsOptional. Check out this TedX talk Dr. Yen gave discussing how to safely and effectively skip your period (fun fact: stopping your cycle can decrease your risk of endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal cancer).
Plus, did you know, the number one reason for missed work or school for women under the age of 25 is menstruation?! Women can reduce pill anxiety and random bleeding with the help of Pandia. We want women to be able to have as many opportunities available as possible – and making your #PeriodsOptional can help.
Quality of life, over periods any day!
The Benefits of a Doctor-Founded Healthcare Company
Physicians should be in charge of medicine rather than CEOs who only have a background in business. Dr. Yen is a graduate of MIT, UCSF Medical School, and UC Berkeley Masters of Public Health. She has over 20 years of experience and is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford’s medical school.
That is what makes Pandia Health special.
We are the only doctor-founded, doctor-led, female-founded, female-led company in the birth control delivery space. For customers, it is essential to know they are receiving quality telemedicine care. Some companies will only provide customers with two options (like the pill and the ring) and may not even list who their CEO is.
“That is not the standard of care. That is not informed consent. They are confusing their profit motive with their do no harm health motive… At Pandia Health, we will always tell you what is best for your health, even if it is not best for us…I don’t need to make money by pushing stuff on you that you don’t need or by withholding information from you,”
Dr. Yen
Our doctors will always inform you of all your options, even if we do not offer one of them. Your health is our priority, and part of that includes having outstanding telemedicine practices.
Making money does not take precedence over your care.
Pandia Is Here For You
Pandia Health offers a seamless process to get started. It is straight-forward, and our doctors are there for you every step of the way. Our community wants women to feel empowered by taking control of their bodies.
We host events on our Facebook and Instagram throughout the week, and our blog is a great tool to learn about other women’s health issues. Whether it be recipes to relieve PCOS or resources for Black Lives Matter, we are here for you.
The above information is for general informational purposes only and is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor/primary care provider before starting or changing treatment.