obtaining birth contorl, insurance, etc
Find a Conversation
obtaining birth contorl, insurance, etc
| Mon, 02-12-2007 - 10:21pm |
Hello all! I'm new to the board. I'm 18 and my boyfriend and I are getting closer to sex (I am still a virgin now). I would prefer to get on birth control instead of using condoms. It's simply not possible for me to talk with my family about this issue. My insurance is through my parents. Is it possible for me to get on birth control without them finding out? If I go to my doctor, I'm sure they will just get a bill for it. Could I pay for whatever I needed on my own, and not involve insurance? How much would the exam and the prescription cost, with no insurance?
Also, one other question. Would sort of exam would I need? Do I have to get a pelvic exam to be prescribed birth control?
Thanks so much for your input!

You will need a pelvic exam. I would suggest having that done and telling your parents that it was a check up and leave it at that so you don't have to pay for that out of pocket. You could talk to the doctor then about it without your parents knowing the reason for it. You can also tell the pharmacist that you're paying cash and not putting the prescription on your insurance. I don't know how much it would cost you each month though.
I hope that helps because paying for the exam at your regular doctor would be expensive, if you wanted you could call planned parenthood and go there too. That would be cheaper.
-Mel
Good luck,
Holly
I know you don't want to use condoms, but unless you know for absolutely sure that your partner doesn't have any STD's, condoms are a MUST, even if you're using another form of birth control.
Even if you are both virgins, if either of you has had genital contact (not necessarily penetration) with another person besides each other, it's possible to be carrying something. The only way to know if someone is carrying an STD is to get them tested--carriers don't always show symptoms and this isn't something to take lightly or figure it can't happen to you. The 18-25 age group is the highest risk age group for STD's.
Otherwise, you've gotten some good advice about going to a Planned Parenthood or a public health clinic that offers low-cost services to certain groups of people. I don't know how it will work because you're on your parents' insurance, but it's likely to be cheaper than going to your regular doctor. Without insurance at a regular doctor, the exam and test could run you a couple of hundred bucks depending on where you live.
You also wouldn't be able to fill your prescription at your regular pharmacy with your regular insurance card, that information is accessible to your parents as well. Planned Parenthood does dispense certain types of birth control pills and Nuvaring, which takes the pharmacy out of the equation. Generic pills seem to be around $30-$40 a month, name brand can be up to $50 per month.
I think almost everybody is apprehensive about her first pelvic exam, but after you get the first one out of the way, it's not nearly as bad. The anticipation is the worst part of it, it's more uncomfortable than it is painful.
If you need any more information, please let us know!
Co-cl for Birth Control
Planned Parenthood is a great place to go for low-cost examinations and birth control.