With new administration, new concerns about birth-control access
An IUD is a T-shaped piece of copper or plastic that's placed in a woman's uterus to prevent pregnancy. It's a long-acting, reversible birth control that can last up to 12 years.
But now Chavez, like many other women, is changing her mind. With a new president-elect and the potential for a new agenda in
An IUD might be the best option.
"I don't know if I'd be able to afford it ... I like the pill, but I guess I'd have to weigh my options," Chavez said.
As President-elect
Since
A more distant concern also looms: Trump's stated intention to nominate
In the face of uncertainty, some women are taking matters into their own hands. Their solution: request long-term reversible options like IUDs, before the new administration comes into office.
Since Trump's election, national reports abound of women seeking long-term contraceptives.
Some health care providers say they've heard the concerns in
The office has received an average of five more phone calls a week asking to either volunteer at the clinic or offering donations, she said.
An anonymous envelope was left in the Keene Planned Parenthood mailbox two weeks ago, with money in it; Potter didn't say how much.
"It goes to show people really do care about
The IUD made her periods heavier, caused cramps and was uncomfortable, Dougherty said, but it was better than the pill, which made her migraines worse.
"I had to drop the hormones," Dougherty said, talking about how her copper IUD is hormone-free.
She explained that the IUD was a better choice for her, but she fears many women will rush into the decision to get one without considering if it's the best option for them.
"I'm one to chirp IUDs," said Dougherty, of her support of the birth control option.
"But it isn't for every woman, and it's scary that so many women are turning to it just because it's the longest lasting."
Libby, a Keene State freshman, who declined to give her last name, said she isn't comfortable with an IUD, but would consider getting one if she couldn't afford her birth control.
If women's insurance plans didn't cover
Some local gynecologists are hearing the concerns firsthand.
"Younger women are especially worried about the possibility of repeal of the contraceptive legislation of the Affordable Care Act," Pattinson said.
Other physicians said they hadn't heard direct worries, but understand them.
Bay said she hopes Trump will show flexibility on the contraceptive provisions of the Affordable Care Act once he "looks at the numbers."
"Taking away birth control adds unplanned pregnancies and children without parents," she said. "The more access we have to birth control the more women are having planned family structures, the better it works out."
"The long-acting reversible methods of contraception are very effective, very safe. They're a very good value," said Vergo, who is also a midwife. "So, from a practitioner's standpoint, we do encourage their use for women for whom that's an appropriate choice.
"Personally, I've heard, from having conversations with patients in the room, some concern about (access)," Cushing said. "But teenagers might not be aware of those changes, so (they) may not be as cognizant of needing or wanting to be worried, or having that worry."
Cushing added that for those concerned, "there should be nothing stopping them from coming in soon to get (a long-term option)."
The concerns come in a state where contraceptive services are relatively easy to obtain.
The clinics appear effective: In 2010,
Results like those have made mandated contraceptive coverage popular among many Americans, and have spurred national organizations to defend it.
"Prior to this enactment, a lot women found access to birth control to be cost-prohibitive," George said, citing costs for oral contraceptives in the hundreds of dollars monthly. "We saw a lot of women not able to have a continuity in terms of accessing or continuing their birth control."
The new law has ushered in a positive phase for that kind of care, George said, but any attempts to roll it back could have calamitous effects. Removing insurance mandates and cutting funding for Title X agencies could deprive women of basic services beyond just contraceptives, including counseling, she said.
"It's important to recognize that birth control is healthcare, and that's key," George said.
For her part, Dougherty agrees.
"This is women's health," Dougherty said. "And it's important."
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