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I'm 16 and I want to ask about the contraceptive pill. I have no idea what to say to the Doctor. Can anybody advise me?

Tagged as: Health, Sex, Teenage<< Previous question   Next question >>
Question - (19 April 2011) 3 Answers - (Newest, 19 April 2011)
A female United Kingdom age 26-29, anonymous writes:

I'm 16 and I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to get myself on the contraceptive pill.

Thing is I'm going alone. My cousin had agreed to come with me, but is not now going to come with me. I'm really nervous. What exactly will the Doctor want to know and what questions will the Doctor ask. And will the Doctor have to examine me. I have no idea what to say to the Doctor. Can anybody advise me?

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A female reader, chigirl Norway +, writes (19 April 2011):

chigirl agony auntBefore getting a prescription for birth control pills, the doctor will ask if you are a virgin. They typically do not hand it out to virgins, but only to people who are in a sexual relationship or have sex already. It is weird, I know, because if you plan to have sex you should be allowed to get the pill, even if you are a virgin.

So if he asks about sex, be clear that you intend to have sex, if you haven't had sex already. If he asks about a boyfriend just say yes that you have one.

The doctor will not need to examine you. All he needs is to take your blood pressure, and check your family history of high blood pressure and similar medical problems that could make the birth control pill a bad option for you. You will not need to undress though, the blood pressure test is taken on your arm.

Just be straight forward with your doctor and say you have questions about contraception and would like to get on the pill because you will be having (or already have) sex.

He probably will not give it to you unless you are going to be having sex. I say this because when I was a virgin I wanted to go on the pill because I was planning to have sex. But I wasn't given the prescription simply because I wasn't having sex... yet..!

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A reader, anonymous, writes (19 April 2011):

This is verified as being by the original poster of the question

Thank you so much, I feel so much better now. A wonderful answer, just what I needed :)

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A female reader, k_c100 United Kingdom +, writes (19 April 2011):

k_c100 agony auntYou really dont need to worry, it is very straightforward.

The doctor wont examine you, all he/she will do is take your blood pressure. This is just a routine check, as you need to have 'normal' blood pressure in order to be able to take the pill, but at your age you wont have any problems with this.

All doctors vary in the questions they ask, so I cant say exactly what he/she will ask you. But generally they will ask why you want the pill - so the usual reason here is that you have a boyfriend and you are going to start to be sexually active, therefore you want to be protected. They might then have a chat with you about the different types of birth control (as there are many more options than just the pill) to work out what will suit you best. Once you have decided what type of birth control you want, they will then print out your prescription. After that they might ask if you want some free condoms and might tell you about condoms and why you should use them as well as birth control.

So all they will really ask you is 'why do you want the pill' - and providing you dont say 'because I want to sleep with as many boys as I can' then you can say pretty much anything and they will give you the pill. Doctors want to prevent teenage pregnancies, so they will be more than happy to give you the pill. You only have to answer this one question, and you dont really need a detailed answer as they are happy to give out the pill to anyone who wants to have safe sex. So dont worry - there is nothing to be nervous about! They will be happy to see a responsible 16 year old girl coming to her doctor to make sure she has safe sex in the future, they wont judge you or give you a hard time at all.

It will be a very quick visit to the doctors, it wont take any more than 15 minutes and generally they wont ask many questions at all. You will just tell them why you want it, discuss different types of birth control, get your blood pressure taken and then off you go with your prescription! Millions of women take the pill, it is widely and easily prescribed and doctors dont spend too long on these appointments, so you really dont have anything to worry about.

I hope this helps and good luck!

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