Contributed photo
Contributed photo
It’s a good day to be a part of the Wolfpack here on NC State’s campus… or so I thought. Do not misunderstand me, it is still a good day, maybe just not while seeking access to birth control.
Nothing terrible happened, but I felt unsupported by the Pack. Today, when I tried to schedule an appointment to get a new birth control prescription, I was told this was not a “medical issue.” It was a “physical one” apparently. I could not be seen for another week for a reason such as this. However, if it had been a “medical issue,” I could have been seen the same day as stated by the pharmacy staff.
The issue is that birth control IS a medical issue. It is the option of having a baby-free uterus or potentially having a baby growing within me. I want that one day, just not today before biology lab and after calculus.
Some further context will inform you that I went to pick up my birth control refill, which I had ordered three days prior. It wasn’t available. However, lucky for me I speak clear English, I am health literate, and fully capable of finding other options, so that is what I TRIED to do. My only option was to go off campus and get help or wait the week until I could be seen.
I needed access now. I knew the potential consequences. I am like a human ticking time bomb that explodes and either a bloody uterus lining or beautiful baby will emerge. If I can’t access a resource off campus, then I am forced to withdraw from birth control for the time being. This concludes that I will be at least at 25 percent risk of pregnancy with no forms of contraception. Even with a partner using condoms, there is still a 18 percent failure rate for this form of contraception as described by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention.
This may seem a bit ridiculous because, I could just stay abstinent for a week until I get birth control again, but that isn’t how the pill works. The pill must be taken daily for a month, and depending upon the pill brand, taken around the same time of day consecutively. If a woman misses even a single day, her chances of pregnancy increase greatly. Furthermore, if she misses a whole week then she would then need to take birth control daily, at the same time, for an entire month, to then be back to the full protection she was before she stopped.
Only then, would she be at the same risk of pregnancy the company advertises. In my case, Chateal® (Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets) advertises a 0.1 percent failure rate among women who take it perfectly. Abstinence is an option, but statistically that is unlikely, because you wouldn’t just be asking a woman to be abstinent for a week, but a month and a week. The CDC explains that 48.9 percent of women my age have had sex within the last three months.
Now, what were my options? I could go off campus — but wait, what if I don’t have the money to take an Uber, or what if don’t know what Planned Parenthood is, or I am unsure how to explain my health concerns? Each of these barriers makes the process of obtaining off-campus birth control even more difficult. As a side note, Planned Parenthood’s first availability was a week and a half later.
All these barriers should have been avoidable though since NC State communicates timely access to resources through the Student Blue plan. However, since this was not the reality, now I need to find a way off campus or potentially be at risk for unwanted pregnancy.
You may be thinking, “wow this girl is sex crazy,” but that isn’t the case. There are many reasons to be on birth control as explained by the Department of Health and Human Services. The reason I am on birth control is to stabilize my hormones, as to reduce my chances of painful menstrual cycle symptoms that return each month in blazing fury. BUT, it is an added bonus that by taking birth control I am reducing the risk of unwanted pregnancy and thus, reducing the chance I will have to alter my life course unexpectedly.
I like to think of things in comparison so let’s compare. If I had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) I would have had the chance to be seen for a medical reason. There were appointments at student health, I just couldn’t have one because my reason was not enough…. If I had went in there and said, “I have an STD and need assistance” there were appointments available, but for birth control, no dice.
I know this is a stretch, but let’s compare pregnancy to STDs. Both may not show signs at first, but later they will and can have life altering or life-threatening effects. Therefore, should I not be able to be seen for birth control as I could be for a STD? Both could potentially change my life, IF I were to get pregnant from my lack of birth control or IF I were to test positive for syphilis.
The system is flawed, it’s a bureaucracy I get that. The health care system is complex and there are lots of competing demands. However, I should not have to go off campus to receive birth control in a timely manner. If I was uneducated, or afraid, or uninformed than I probably wouldn’t go off campus. Also, potential pregnancy isn’t simply a physical issue… it is a life altering, world shaking, ‘holy $*!% I’m pregnant’ issue. I should not have to wait a week for access to help, when a man can get five condoms no questions asked, or when an STD is seen as more life-altering than having a child.
This is a timely issue, given the NC State administration just communicated their pride that the 2018 freshman class is 50 percent male and 50 percent female, rather than predominantly male. I also am very proud of this accomplishment. However, my heart is burdened, because the Women’s Health Center is already understaffed and now will be facing even higher demand.
Maybe this issue is an NC State problem, or maybe it is a problem that affects all publicly funded schools. I do not know, but I wanted to address this issue, because next time this happens the girl may not be me. She may not write an essay about how this frustrates her and push until she finds a solution. Instead, she may just not receive birth control and become pregnant. I understand that people can make decisions to help themselves, but this wasn’t a decision I could control exclusively myself.
I was diligent about trying to get my medication in advance. The pharmacy just didn’t inform me that I had to make an appointment before I could receive a new refill. Then they did not inform me what could happen if I am off the pill for a week (fortunately I already knew). The goal is to have quick, dependable access to birth control for all people, not just condoms. I want this problem resolved, but not just for me, but for the woman who isn’t.
Adia Caviness is a second-year studying communication with a concentration in public relations