So there
Here's a little tip for my dermatologist and everyone else who's given me a hard time over the years about my choice for family planning... It's as effective as any other method.
It may never be mainstream, but maybe with new scientific proof, doctors will actually start mentioning it as a legitimate option instead of chuckling about it while discussing the "real" (a.k.a. prescription) choices. Or perhaps it will show up on the charts in the exam rooms that list "all" of the options for birth control. Probably not, though, since I'm sure the charts are provided by pharmaceutical companies who would be very sad if a drug-free form of birth control became popular.
I'll jump off my soap box before I get too worked up.
posted by HangerMom @ 11:52 AM
11 Comments:
Why in the world would your dermatologist be putting his/her two cents in on your birth control method? "To each their own," I say!
It was a situation where she was giving me a prescription for something that can cause birth defects. She asked what sort of birth control I use, and when I told her, she gave me a very hard time about it. I don't see her anymore.
Wow. Surprising research, but good to know. I'd prefer not using hormonal birth control myself, but after struggling through years of incredibly painful periods, it's the lesser of two evils for me.
FYI- The FDA requirements for certain types of drugs require that females of reproductive age must practice two different types of birth control. See here.
So, your doctor might have just been trying to follow the law (and protect herself from the potential loss of a licence or lawsuit).
It's sad that anyone feels they can give you a hard time about your bc method. Glad you never went back. I don't think family planning is discussed as much as it could be. I really didn't learn much until I talked with you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I do understand the legal issues with the dermatologist's situation, but I still hold that there's a right and wrong way for her to handle the situation, and making fun of my faith-based life choices falls under "wrong". Informing me of the risks and of her situation before she could give me the medication would be "right".
I guess it mostly rubbed me the wrong way coming from a medical professional (even one outside the field in question, like a dermatologist for GYN issues), because that sort of treatment will completely turn some women off from practicing NFP when it could work well for them and not pump up their bodies with unnecessary drugs.
Kind of like when I was nursing Marianne and went in for my first checkup after I became pregnant with Ruth. The nurse practitioner informed me that I absolutely HAD to stop nursing immediately for the safety of the new baby. It brought me to tears! If I hadn't had a lactation consultant and a lot of background research in nursing at my disposal, I probably would have started weaning Marianne that day. Because a medical professional had said so. But the vast majority of other authorities I consulted (including my doctor in that same office) said that I was fine to continue nursing as long as I wanted.
There's a little more of my soapbox for ya'll. Neatly hidden away in the comments so people who don't want to see it don't have to :).
I do agree that a dermatologist making fun of family planning is totally in the wrong.
I was once prescribed a drug like that by a dermatologist, and he made a HUGE deal about the potential birth defects, so I think it's pretty standard to get a lot of quetions regarding childbrearing from dermatologists.
This brings up another topic that would also be a factor in your experience with the looney dermatologist, the idea of "noncompliance." From being a patient to studying the history of disease and medicine, noncompliance is a big issue for doctors. There is usually the assumption that the patient will not follow the doctor's directions, forget to take medicine, take it incorrectly, etc. The idea that anyone could actually follow a family planning method like the one you use (which is more involved and complex than other, prescription-based methods) is probably unbelievable for many doctors. In fact, many drug companies and doctors also assume than many people on perscription form of birth control, like the pill, won't take it everyday. Hence the two different percentages of "failure" rates: ideal and actual. I see this attitude as influencing the trend towards birth control that you can "forget" about: the patch and the Nuva ring. It's a shame that the move towards more convenient methods of birth control are billed as something women can "forget" as if we aren't supposed to be aware of that aspect of our lives. Even though I use one of these newer forms, I like to be aware of my cycle and understand my body and its processes--not just wish it away.
In general, I hate interacting with doctors who assume I'm ignorant and will be noncompliant. If I had happened to choose my form of family planning based on faith, I can see how that addition into the mix would be all the more frustrating for me as a patient.
I got pretty angry about your dermatologist--when someone is presenting their knowledge as a trained professional but they are in error, that devalues their entire profession in a way. Her personal value judgment in no way equates to actual scientific knowledge, but underinformed patients might think she was correct (and miss out on a free bc method that really works for a lot of people!).
Second, the assumption of noncompliance as described by the historian drives me right over the edge. I've left the practices of doctors who treated me as ignorant (my fave was an ob/gyn who said "you wouldn't understand if I tried to explain it--I'll get the nurse to tell you"!) and sought out women-friendly doctors with range of both pharmeceutical and other options. But a lot of women don't have insurance, transportation, time to evaluate, etc. The fact that they're "served" by "providers" who may be hostile to their personal beliefs and to their level of intelligence is enough to make me get on my own soapbox.
"my fave was an ob/gyn who said 'you wouldn't understand if I tried to explain it--I'll get the nurse to tell you'!"
Oh, Heather, did you laugh in her face? I don't know if I could have resisted. The moment that I realized that many physicians aren't actually all that brilliant was an amusing revelation to me.
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