I was wondering, seeing as I have an appointment on Friday at the local Health Department here to get put on the pill, what kind of birth control pills do they offer at Health Departments? If they offer various kinds, which is the best or the more effective one? I'm clueless as to everything they offer. Would they have to give me an exam to determine what pill I need or anything? I'm completely clueless... though, I do know that they usually give you a pap smear when you go up there for birth control. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou.

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--ME

The clinic will offer you any type of birth control you are interested in. Look up birth control on the web and find out more about each one BEFORE you go in to the clinic so you have some idea of what is out there. The will discuss everything with you and between the two of you the decision will be made what pill seems to best suite you or what one he thinks will work out best for you. Also if you are sexually active already you should get tested for STD's too while you are there and remember that you will need a pap/pelvic exam yearly now if you are sexually active.

If I were you, I would avoid taking any form of BCP at all. They cause more problems and have more side effects and interfere with your hormones and I think that they are more trouble than they are worth.

Also, if you have problems with one, then you may find that you have to chop and change until you get the right one.

If I were you, I would look for other methods of birth control, of which there are many rather than messing around with your hormones.

Just my opinion though.

Good luck

I'm allowed to post these because they are not dot com sites and they will be of great help to you. Here is something to help in choosing the right birth control for you.
http://www.arhp.org/patienteducation/interactivetools/choosing/index.cfm?ID=275

This is a list of oral contraceptives available in the United States.
http://www.arhp.org/healthcareproviders/onlinepublications/clinicalproceedings/rhupdatecp/graphics4.cfm?ID=182

This is a list of Low Dose Contraceptives available in the United States.
http://www.arhp.org/healthcareproviders/cme/onlinecme/lowdosecp/available.cfm?ID=55

Keep in mind that, as the previous poster pointed out, other options are available besides the pill. The diaphram, the cervical cap, condoms (male and female types), the Mirena IUD with hormones, and the copper type IUD without hormones, and sterilization.

Perhaps if your a woman who has had children and doesn't desire any more in your life, the IUD would be a good fit because there is no having to remember to take it everyday nor any interuption during sex. It's also cheaper than sterilization and reversable if you should want to have another child. Good luck.

Opps!!!

[This message has been edited by girlygirly (edited 07-30-2003).]

I agree with Sarah. I wouldn't recommend the pill either as you never know what effect they will have down the road. playing around with your hormones is serious business. Why can't your partner be in charge of the birth control, as there are no risks to his body.

Thanks alot for the help that all of you gave me. I'm gonna try and find the best pill for me. My boyfriend has to work the day I go in for the doctor's appointment, so I'm going to have one of my friend's take me and go in alone. Plus, even if he did go, the nurse at the Health Department told me that the woman who runs "Family Planning" hardly ever let's men back there... so I would be alone anyways. The reason why he can't help with the birth control is because we've been using a condom for a year... and they aren't really that effective... a few have broken... some have gotten holes in them. We can't take that risk anymore. I've already had a possibility of 2 miscarriages (one I'm almost positive was a miscarriage), though I was never forsure... so, I don't really want to go through that again. That means that I possibly won't be able to have children in my future. We're both only 17 yrs. old and we don't want our children to go through what most children do if they have young parents... we would love our child, but it would be difficult, especially for our baby. We don't want that to happen. So, I made the step to get put on birth control pills no matter what they do to my body for my future children's sake... I'm hoping I find the right pill. Even though it won't take all of the stress and responsibility out of having sex, it will take some of it away. Thanks for all of your help and bless you all. If you have anything further to add or to tell me about, it would be greatly appreciated in helping me find the right one.

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--ME

Yes, there are risks to taking birth control pills, and it is not for everyone. But it is definetely a good option for some people - the risks of getting pregnant or having a miscarriage outweigh the risks of taking hormones.

I think you are wise to do this, it is a real act of maturity to take this step. Some people your age do not think of the consequences of having sex. But you have thought it through. Congratulations on taking care of your sexual health! You're on the right path.

I agree with DenverGal that your very mature to step up to the plate like this and take control over this aspect of your life to prevent pain and suffering in someone else's life.

Now that I know your only 17, I'll tell you outright that a doctor would NOT give you an IUD. So, because of the situation with condoms, (which would be sort of the same with diaphrams and cervical caps) I'd say your really a good candidate for the pill. Try to get on one of the low dose varieties - some to try would be Yasmin, Aleese, Loestrin, Mircette, Ortho Tricyclene LO.

Also, be aware that it's a hit or miss sort of thing with the pill - not all pills work well with all women. You may have to try 3 months on one brand, and then if you've experienced side effects, switch and try 3 months on a different brand and so on down the list of pills until you find one that suits your body chemistry. Best of luck!

Taking birth control is a very responsible thing to do. There are side effects but for most women birth control is not a problem. If you're going to have sex, and avoid pregnancy, birth control is your best option. I don't really think it's anyones place to tell you not to use it, some people just have a bad experience with it.

I also agree that you should try a low dose pill. The clinic will probably give you Ortho tri cyclen, which seems to be the default pill. It works well for some poeple, but it's a rather high dose pill and for some it becomes too much. Also, the hormome levels in ortho tri cyclen (and ortho tri cyclen-lo) increase each week, which is sometimes also a problem for people. I would recommend Alesse, or Mircette which are two lose dose pills. best of luck http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

Hi there -

Just make sure you tell the doc at the health dept about your possible miscarriages. I am not sure what leads you to believe that you had them, but make sure and let the doc know. Tell them about your health and sexual history honestly and completely - this will help them decide what pill will work best for you.

And I will add my congrats to the others. Very mature.

Thanks again, guys. I'm going to try and tell the nurse everything. Especially about the miscarraiges... just to check and see if there is more of a possibility that I did or didn't have them... though, in some ways... I think my boyfriend and I would be better off not knowing. As for taking a low dose pill, I'm going to try that as well if they allow you to do that at the health department... I meant to ask, but forgot. I'll probably call them later though. If the first pill doesn't turn out to be the right one, I will try to keep searching... we are also going to use protection until we are sure we have found the right pill. We will probably use it regardless though. When I went up to the Health Department because I had that appointment, the nurse there said that the computer didn't except it and that my appointment was lost, so I had to reschedule. I go on Aug. the 14th at 1 p.m. Thanks alot for the help and I will keep all of you updated. You've been a great help. Bless you all.

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--ME