Family Planning Clinics

cfinlers

Hey,
I was wondering is there anywhere that will provide a free consultation for my girlfriend? We want to know about the pill. She has extremely bad period pains, and we've been going out for a good while, so the pill would seem to suit us down to the ground. However, we want to know if she is suitable for the pill, and a whole plethora of information that you just cant get online! (for example, how strong a pill, weather progestin only is suitable, weather a low dose triphasic will actually do anything in the way of contraception, etc). Her mom wont bring her (because of some religous style beliefs) so we are going to go ourselves.

The point is, I dont want to have to pay 50 euro to be told she cant go on the pill. So is there anyway we can do this for cheaper? Even like 20 euro is ok, but 50 is just too much!
Im pretty sure she has a medical card, will this cover consultations?
Thanks

Morag

If she has a medical card then contraception is covered by it and any contraceptive consultation with a dr. She can go see her own dr or she can go to a family planning clinic.
Finding out if she is suitable for hormonal contraception is done by taking a medical history and an examination which includes blood pressure checks.

What type of pill maybe best for her is also a call the dr can make and will use thier knowledge and experience to decided this. By all means she should go in with a list of questions to the dr and expect them answered.

There are more options then the pill which use a lower dose of hormoanes such as the nuva ring, patch, implants and there is also contraceptive injections. She should read up on them all and have an informed discussion with her dr. It is her choice to make when she is ready.

cfinlers

Thanks for the reply
Yes, i am aware of all the different forms of contraception. Ive done hours of research in to it, but i dont feel like i have the authority to tell her "this one works" or "this will suit you". I've told her my opinions, and now we just want to ask someone who is qualified if we're right! So i already have a long list of questions set out The thing is, options like the patch or the ring dont usually solve much period pain, and thats one of the main reasons i was suggesting the pill. Anyways, cheers for clearing that up about the medical card!

Morag

The patch and the ring will regulate periods and period symptoms in the same way as the pill, it's good to see that you are both taking the time to research and learn as much as you can, and that you're being supportive and that you have opinion, I just hope she has some of her own, after all she will be the one taking the medication and having her body effected by it.

Neyite

Not all pills reduce periods or make them less painful. Some actually make periods worse, or influence weight gain, acne or other types of horrible side effects. The doc will try to establish the one best suited to the patient and this may involve trialling several differnt ones over the course of a year or more.

You say the pill would suit "us". By that I take it you mean for contraceptive reasons. Course it would suit you. . The pill universally suits all men, especially since you dont even have to take it. You dont have to cope with the plethora of side effects that the pill brings. It's if it suits her, is what will ultimatly be the deciding factor and the decision made by her GP.

I dont understand why you or her mother has to take her to the doctor though? can she not go on her own? - is she old enough to be having sex? If she is not old enough/mature enough to sit in front of her doctor and discuss it one on one, then really, she has no business taking long term hormonal drugs. Your girlfriend should be able to tell you if her medical card will entitle her to a free GP consult or not.

By the way - you get the pill for 6 months and then you have to attend the GP to renew the prescription,and they usually do a breast and blood pressure check. The pill also costs money each month.

cfinlers

Mmm, im aware not all pills reduce the pain, but thats why i want to go to the doctors: to see if any of them can or if its just a cyst or endometriosis or whatever the hell else it could be.
When i say it would suit "us", you're right in saying 'of course it suits me'. But im getting a sort of "**** men" vibe from that, my main objective here is to get rid of her period pain. As much as having sex would be great, losing more than a week and a half every month to period pain is not something i want to see my girlfriend go through! Nearly half her life in pain.. So it suits me from 2 perspectives: it may solve her pain, and it may provide us with safer sex.
I have researched in to all the side effects, and the possible serious health issues, and the reasons for not taking it, and the roots (eg: the estrogen only pill for preventing growth (my girlfriend is pretty small :P)) and Basically everything about it. Seriously, Im faairly well informed on it!

She is nearly 17, so nearly the age of consent. Either way, even if she was 25 I'd still go up with her for support. Yes it cost money every month, hence why im reluctant to pay for a consultation on top of that! But we are splitting the cost of this.

Also, weight gain is usually a falacy. Many women have been tested who claim weight gain, and have actually remained the same weight. Weight becomes harder to burn, but in most cases does not actually increase.
Also, some pills may reduce acne, while others induce it. This is why i want someone who is well versed in this area to consult us. There is much to learn from first hand experience, or from others' experiences, but i would like hard facts, and scientific opinion as opposed to the usual bias or slight ignorance of the average joe who may have excellent intentions but just doesnt know enough to make an informed judgement.

Thanks anyways, thread done. All i needed was info on making it cheaper ended up feeling like i had to defend my integrity! :P

Morag

cfinlers wrote: »

When i say it would suit "us", you're right in saying 'of course it suits me'. But im getting a sort of "**** men" vibe from that, my main objective here is to get rid of her period pain.

May I suggest that your objective should be supporting her as she sets about finding a way to get help with a medical issue. It's not up to you to solve it or fix her or get a dr to fix her, you have to support her as she does it.

cfinlers wrote: »

As much as having sex would be great, losing more than a week and a half every month to period pain is not something i want to see my girlfriend go through! Nearly half her life in pain.. So it suits me from 2 perspectives: it may solve her pain, and it may provide us with safer sex.

If there is an underlying medical issue then the pill might make it worse, she needs to see the dr about her health and the impact it's is having on her rather then just a consult for the pill.

Neyite

cfinlers wrote: »

Mmm, im aware not all pills reduce the pain, but thats why i want to go to the doctors: to see if any of them can or if its just a cyst or endometriosis or whatever the hell else it could be.
When i say it would suit "us", you're right in saying 'of course it suits me'. But im getting a sort of "**** men" vibe from that, my main objective here is to get rid of her period pain. As much as having sex would be great, losing more than a week and a half every month to period pain is not something i want to see my girlfriend go through! Nearly half her life in pain.. So it suits me from 2 perspectives: it may solve her pain, and it may provide us with safer sex.
I have researched in to all the side effects, and the possible serious health issues, and the reasons for not taking it, and the roots (eg: the estrogen only pill for preventing growth (my girlfriend is pretty small :P)) and Basically everything about it. Seriously, Im faairly well informed on it!

She is nearly 17, so nearly the age of consent. Either way, even if she was 25 I'd still go up with her for support. Yes it cost money every month, hence why im reluctant to pay for a consultation on top of that! But we are splitting the cost of this.

Also, weight gain is usually a falacy. Many women have been tested who claim weight gain, and have actually remained the same weight. Weight becomes harder to burn, but in most cases does not actually increase.
Also, some pills may reduce acne, while others induce it. This is why i want someone who is well versed in this area to consult us. There is much to learn from first hand experience, or from others' experiences, but i would like hard facts, and scientific opinion as opposed to the usual bias or slight ignorance of the average joe who may have excellent intentions but just doesnt know enough to make an informed judgement.

Thanks anyways, thread done. All i needed was info on making it cheaper ended up feeling like i had to defend my integrity! :P

When I was your girlfriends age, I was fainting several times a month with pains and anemic from blood loss. I was and still am, tiny. I, at age 15 went to discuss it with a doctor and made an informed choice without my mother or any boyfriend on what was best for my health, based on my overall health, and medical history. I was put on the contraceptive pill for this very reason, at age 15. Because the doctor could see it was for my reasons. Going in with a boyfriend gives another impression. I was put on several different types, all of which gave side effects however small. Finally the one that suited me, did not suit about 75% of my friends.

In addition, the pill will not give you safer sex. Unless you mean safe sex to be "not getting pregnant". To have safe sex, you would still need to use a barrier method.

Clearly the fact that I have orally took the contraceptive pill for over 20 years, and have discussed various brands, dosages, side effects and contraindacations with a large group of similar aged women and many health professionals including about 7 GPs, 3/4 family planning clinics, a handful of nurses, many pharmacists and a couple of gynaecologists is "slight ignorance and an uninformed judgement" in your eyes though. By all means, I bow to your "superior" knowlege gleaned from Google.

cfinlers

Okay, I know I'm totally ignoring the "thread done" comment, but just in case the OP is still around...

cfinlers wrote: »

im getting a sort of "**** men" vibe from that

It's not a "**** men" thing, it's a "what are the reasons why your girlfriend isn't doing this for herself?" As in you clearly have good intentions, and there's nothing wrong with you going with her for support, but if she isn't independent enough to sort out the pill herself then she isn't going to be responsible enough to take it safely.

Im faairly well informed on it!

That's clear, and it's great that you're taking such an interest, but how informed is she? Has she bothered to look at this stuff too?

weight gain is usually a falacy.

Actually the pill can cause an increase in appetite (it certainly did for me!) which is what leads to the claims of weight gain. I used to not have to watch what I ate but now I really do because if I don't watch it I just keep absent-mindedly eating!

You're clearly responsible and care a lot about your girlfriend, but you need to make sure that she is taking this seriously, and that she's willing to make appointments herself etc.

As for your question, the medical card should take care of the doctor's fees and also make the price of the pill 50 cent (so you wont need to give her money for it). With regards to consultation, some stuff can be figured out by the doctor beforehand, but very often you need to try a few pills to find one that suits, as everyone's different.