Contraceptive

best contraceptive option: Im 20 years old. Im 5ft and weigh just over 5 stones. I do not have any eating disorders and am medically healthy otherwise, and my periods are regular, however I do get migraines and my mother passed away from cancer before the age of 50. She had cancer twice. My GP cannot prescribe the pill to me, so Im wondering what the next best option would be, particularly for me.

Contraceptive option

Not sure why your GP can’t give you the pill as your favoured contraceptive option as from your description there doesn’t appear to be any contraindication. However, if your GP doesn’t want to offer this to you then you are really looking at barrier contraception as the alternative contraceptive option here. By far the commonest and arguably the most sensible option would be for your partner to wear a condom. This will not only provide relatively effective contraception, but will also help to prevent the sexually transmitted diseases. Other barrier methods include the cap, a latex shield that covers the cervix which your GP can give you or the Femidom, the female version of the condom that you insert in to the vagina before sex.

Your GP could also discuss with you about using the coil, a device that is inserted in to your uterus and helps to prevent implantation of the egg into the uterine lining. This is particularly good if you have any problems with heavy periods. The device can be removed by a sexual health specialist if you want to have children in the future.

Can I also point out, if the reason your GP “can’t prescribe the pill” is because you either don’t want to see your GP or you have an obstructive GP, there are other places you can go for this. In particular, you can go to your local sexual health clinic (sometimes known as a GUM or genitourinary unit) where they can give you further anonymous advice and assistance in this



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