Calling all the ladies that are now here in the US

[ninamyers 0]

Have just been trying to research planned parenthood etc as I have almost run out of anti-baby pills, and this thread has absolutely confused the hell out of me!

So, if I don't have any health insurance I'm looking to pay an absolute fortune?? What a nightmare...

[beameup 0]

Since you are located in San Diego, I would just drive to Tijuana and get what you need. Often doctors are located right inside the pharmacy to sign your prescription. Many Americans get their prescriptions filled in Mexico if they live near the border.

Before I left the UK I made sure I got six months supply of my contraceptive pill. I am now down to my last month and panniking! I still dont have any medical insurance and dont know what to do now. I have researched planned parenthood online and it looks like you have to pay for contraception, it looks pretty expensive too! Just wanted to know what all the ladies did? If you have insurance does it cover you for this and if I took out insurance now would it cover me? If you dont have insurance what did you do and how much did it cost? Also, I understand planned parenthood is subsidised, will this have any implications on me not becoming a 'public charge' in the US?

Thanks!

P.S - Absinence is not an option!

[ladybutterfly 0]

Have just been trying to research planned parenthood etc as I have almost run out of anti-baby pills, and this thread has absolutely confused the hell out of me!

So, if I don't have any health insurance I'm looking to pay an absolute fortune?? What a nightmare...

If you dont have any health insurance Planned Parenthood will give you a years supply of pills absolutely free! Just go along to your nearest one, when you fill out the form say you do not have health insurance and you will get them free. They do sometimes ask if you want to give a donation but its not compulsary.

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Sheesh, I haven't needed BC in ages and am deciding what to do since it will be an issue in 3 months...

You can get Cipro OTC in Nepal, wonder about BCP's??? Then again, seeing how many beggar children there are in the streets, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea even if possible....

I have insurance through my work but sometimes it's such a pain trying to find a Dr. who is conveniently located and doesn't have a 2-month waiting list, and then copays, etc. eat up my cash so I might as well go to PP...

I was on the Pill for acne about 10 years ago with no problems so I guess I could go back on it, seems like there are a lot more options now... the only things I am concerned about are I've heard some women gain weight on it, has that happened to anyone? I can't remember that far back... Also, I've heard it affects your libido - then again since we haven't seen each other in 11 months I shouldn't be worrying about that....

[Emancipation 2]

So been reading through this tread... interesting.. I talked to my Dr. before leaving Canada about BC and he perscribed me 12 months of BC.. said "try to get it through Blue Cross see what they do!".. they did no problem, so I've stockpiled over a year of BC.. So it can be done.. I think all my meds cost almost 200$ but with Insurance before i left Canada I only paid over 35$ for them.. nice one..

Anywhoo.. question about the "ring"... Talk to me more about the fact that you don't have your period anymore. It's been a while since i talked to my GYN about female cycles, but I have PCOS and she basically told me.. "if you don't get your period once a month and flush out your system, then you will get cancer". This was her explaination, and honestly I was probably 15 years old, so it may have been more of a "don't you dare think this is cool that you stopped having your periods missy - cause it ain't" scare tactic.. I dunno.. but am interested I've been on the pill for over 15 years *sigh.. that's a lot of pills.

[sparkofcreation 0]

Anywhoo.. question about the "ring"... Talk to me more about the fact that you don't have your period anymore. It's been a while since i talked to my GYN about female cycles, but I have PCOS and she basically told me.. "if you don't get your period once a month and flush out your system, then you will get cancer". This was her explaination, and honestly I was probably 15 years old, so it may have been more of a "don't you dare think this is cool that you stopped having your periods missy - cause it ain't" scare tactic.. I dunno.. but am interested I've been on the pill for over 15 years *sigh.. that's a lot of pills.

Doubt it. I just asked my gyn if she thought I could have PCOS (my best friend--who does women's health research--made me promise to ask), and she said "You might, but it's really hard to diagnose, you have some symptoms but not others but not everyone has those, and if you did I'd just put you on extended-cycle birth control and you're already on it, so I don't think it matters that much as long as you're planning to keep taking the Seasonale.*" In other words, she said taking something to make your periods less frequent was the treatment for PCOS, and that was my understanding as well. (I *think* it's not recommended to stop them altogether if you have PCOS though, because there's no way to know if the lack of periods is from the BC or the PCOS.)

*Which my new insurance refused to cover, but since the generic they want me on (Levora) is the exact same pills as the generic of Seasonale (Quasense) except in separate packs instead of one big pack, and they did approve it for continuous three-month use, I guess in the end it's not a big deal since I'm getting the exact same medications. Although more expensive both for me and the insurance company since four packs of Levora cost more than one of Quasense, but whatever. (It comes out to $40 per three months for me and $100 for them for four packs of Levora, versus $30 for me and $90 for them for one pack of Quasense.)

Edited February 25, 2007 by sparkofcreation

[ELW 5]

Sheesh, I haven't needed BC in ages and am deciding what to do since it will be an issue in 3 months...

I'm with you. I just read through the entire thread and am trying to decide. I'm 41 and have NEVER been on ANY bc. All the talk of the side effects and hormons... yikes. My sister has been on depo for years but they keep telling her about it sucking the calcium out of her bones, and she should stop. And I have heard the pills aren't good after certain age...? Well guess I have a long session at PP coming up in my future... I-129F, NVC, Embassy packets, interview, plane, getting furniture for the house, AOS, EAD, and now this to worry about. Sheesh.

[deathbydalbhat 0]

Sheesh, I haven't needed BC in ages and am deciding what to do since it will be an issue in 3 months...

I'm with you. I just read through the entire thread and am trying to decide. I'm 41 and have NEVER been on ANY bc. All the talk of the side effects and hormons... yikes. My sister has been on depo for years but they keep telling her about it sucking the calcium out of her bones, and she should stop. And I have heard the pills aren't good after certain age...? Well guess I have a long session at PP coming up in my future... I-129F, NVC, Embassy packets, interview, plane, getting furniture for the house, AOS, EAD, and now this to worry about. Sheesh.

I tried calling PP and couldn't get through, gave up after over an hour on hold...

Will try to get an appt with an HMO gyn, was hoping I could get it taken care of before March 15 since I still have some money left in my '06 flex spending account and that is the last day to use it... guess I should use it to buy a supply of condoms and foam just in case, if they're covered...

I think most of the issues of being on the pill over 35 are if you smoke, don't know if it's such a problem if you are a non-smoker. You're right, so many things to think about, it drives me crazy sometimes... K will be coming here in October, assuming he gets his visa right after the interview and there are no major stumbling blocks. This will give me 3 months after I come back from Nepal to get an apartment, so I'm not worrying about it until then, just focusing on putting the finishing touches on my K-1 petition for right now and getting ready for our reunion

[peezey 0]

PP doesn't give you bc for free just because you say you don't have insurance. You have to apply for medi-cal in california to be covered for free care. This means you have to meet maximum income requirements (I think it's $25k for a single person). There are plenty of people who don't have insurance but also are not poor or middle income. It wouldn't work very well if PP just gave things out for free if you can afford to pay a portion of the cost.

Outside of this, they do offer different kinds of bc for a low per month fee. In Santa Clara County the current no-discount fee is $14 per pack, and is discounted a bit the more packs you buy up to 12.

This is actually a lot cheaper than an insurance prescription co-pay of $20 per pack. You can use PP services if you have insurance, too.

In California and many other states, it's illegal for insurance NOT to cover bc.

In CA, PP also offers regular medical care as well, so if you don't have insurance or you have crappy insurance, you can get decent care for a decent fee at PP. This goes for men and women.

Go to the PP website for your state and/or city/county to find out exactly how it works in your area.

Edited February 25, 2007 by peezey