birth control clarification

I just wanted to put a clarification in here because there was a point that kept being made when I read about birth control here in the UK that I misunderstood.  I heard all of the comments about how if you wanted birth control for free, you just had to go to a family planning clinic and they would give it to you for free.

From those comments, I thought I would have to go to a separate FP clinic in order to not have to pay for contraception, but that is a little out of my way.  Having just started the process here myself, I thought I would explain my experience, just in case there are others who are starting the process.

My GP also does family planning as part of their practice, and they made it clear to me that there were no charges there either.  They don't fill my prescription for me, but I was able to take it to a local chemist who filled the prescription--also for free.  It was all very easy and convenient since my local surgery is just a 10 minute walk from home, and the chemist is on the way home.

I was given a three month supply of my prescription, but my GP told me that if it worked well for me to come back and they would fill a six month supply.  Unfortunately, my favorite BC isn't available until the end of this year in this area (Nuvaring), but I can live with it for free and switch next year if I'm still wanting birth control.

If I continue on this prescription, I don't have to go back to the GP each time.  They have a family planning branch.  You see the GP for your initial consult, but if it is working well for you, you can just go see the family planning nurses who will check your blood pressure and send you on your way with a continued prescription.  --all quite simple.

I think that reason that people recommend the FP clinic is beacause when you go, you get the BC right then and there.  There is no prescription, no appointment, no red tape.  You show up during the opening hours, wait your turn and they give you whatever method of BC you want then you go home and that's it.  However, if going to your GP works better for you, that's fine too.  Gosh, I'm gonna miss free BC!

June

I have had no problem getting birth control pills from my GP, and no problems with red tape.

I think the reason that some women prefer FP clinics as that FP clinics specialise in this sort of thing, and would know more about different types of birth control, how they affect women with different medical conditions, etc.

My GP's clinic also has a walk-in slot each day around the lunch hour, so I can do that if I want to or make an appt during other times.  It works pretty well for now, and the chemist is on the way home and only took a couple minutes to fill.  My doctor listed family planning as her speciality, and I felt she had a good understanding of the different options, but I might not feel that same way with other doctors.

I mainly felt like putting in the clarification so that others understood that there was more than one way to get free birth control and do whatever worked best for them.  It may be that when I find a job, stopping into a family planning centre works better for me too, but this is great for now.

I'm not sure, but perhaps the FP clinic was brought up because they will see you even if you are not eligible for the NHS. They seem to have a very open policy, and don't request anything in terms of proof of address, visa etc. You also don't need an appointment. So it may be that the posts included one of those issues, which is why the clinics came up.

It is good to note that you can see your GP about this as well.

Yes, you can use FP even if you're not technically eligible for NHS (though I'm not advocating this, obviously), because they require no proof.  I think some women prefer it because of its anonymity...if, God forbid, you needed to get contraceptives without someone knowing or you're just embarrassed, FP is a good option.  It's very open-doors & efficient, since there's no prescription involved.

Yes, certainly not advocating it either!

I just seem to remember a post where the poster was here on a visitor's visa and found themselves needing birth control, which is perhaps where the FP clinic originally came up.

I think the reason that some women prefer FP clinics as that FP clinics specialise in this sort of thing, and would know more about different types of birth control, how they affect women with different medical conditions, etc.

At our FP, you can see a real gynecologist pretty easily, and much faster than w/a GP referral, for some reason.

In fact, I saw the OB who delivered my first daughter when I went in for birth control counselling after having my second child - although that may also have been b/c I have PND and needed to make sure I didn't use anything which would worsen the depression or interfere w/the medication.

This is a little off topic but Cadenza, what section of the country do you live in and when is NuvaRing available for you? I've had my doctor from back home mail me a few months supply of it, but I'm running out and he won't send me anymore because he isn't able to monitor me at annual checkups. I went to my local GP and the nurse thought I was insane. She was positive no such thing existed!! I looked it up on wiki and it said that it was still in testing phases by the UK govt so I thought it would be ages before it became available but now I am excited to hear it might be sooner

This is a great clarification because I too misunderstood that family planning clinics were the only place to obtain free birth control.  I called my GP to check and was happy to hear that I could go there instead because it was much closer and as others have said, it was very quick and easy to get my prescription. 

Sorry to re-iterate the off topic but I'm so very very partial to Nuvaring as well and I was under the impression that approval was years away... Have you heard otherwise?  I'm in the same situation - my gyno gave me a few months worth before I left which was great at the time.  But now I'm near the end and I was resigning myself to never getting it back... Is there hope?! 

Well, I used up the freebie stash that my US doc gave me too.  I really miss the ring--especially the first month on the pill when I kept forgetting to take it and had to use two methods of protection!  Luckily I seem to be responding okay to the pill they put me on.

I'm in Cardiff, Wales.  I'm not sure about the ins and outs of NuvaRing, but my GP told me she had phoned around and been told it was slated for NHS approval the end of 2007.  Who knows if that will make it readily available though.  It does cost more than the pill, so it's still up to them to see if it's really offered.  We shall see.  I hope it comes back, but we've talked about starting a family about that time, so time will tell if I use it this year or not.

I'm confused because I read on some sites before I started NuvaRing that it had been approved last year by the NHS--apparently that site was misinformed.

Does anyone have experience with Depo-Provera? This is the bc I've used here in the US, and I've read it's available in the UK, but was wondering if it's the same or if anyone has continued with it in the UK and had a good experience. I'd prefer to stay on it since it's a shot you only get every 12 weeks, but am open to alternatives.

I believe that was one of the options my GP mentioned when we were discussing choices.  I haven't done it here, but I believe you can.

Does anyone have experience with Depo-Provera? This is the bc I've used here in the US, and I've read it's available in the UK, but was wondering if it's the same or if anyone has continued with it in the UK and had a good experience. I'd prefer to stay on it since it's a shot you only get every 12 weeks, but am open to alternatives.

I was curious about this as well because it is the one I'm mostly learning to in terms of replacing nuvaring. If anyone has any personal experience please share!