There are many different motivations for why women choose to use birth control. The primary purpose is to stop women from getting pregnant, but oral contraceptives and other forms of birth control can also be used to treat various problems that affect people’s health.
Many women acquire birth control through their reproductive health care provider, but it can be accessed from other sources.
Table of Contents
- Can Primary Care Providers Prescribe Birth Control?
- How to Get Birth Control From a Primary Care Provider?
- What Kind of Birth Control Can You Get From Primary Care?
- What to Do if You Don’t Have a Primary Care Doctor?
- How Can DrHouse Help You?
Can Primary Care Providers Prescribe Birth Control?
Your primary care physician can frequently serve multiple roles, attending to both your general medical requirements and your gynecological requirements. Even if your primary care physician does not perform pelvic exams, she is still able to write you a prescription for birth control, whether it be on a permanent or temporary basis. However, she will probably require that you visit a gynecologist at some time for your annual pelvic exam.
How to Get Birth Control From a Primary Care Provider?
To obtain birth control tablets, a doctor’s prescription is required.
At your appointment, a nurse or doctor will ask you questions about your past medical conditions, check your blood pressure, and perform any other examinations that may be necessary. In order to obtain birth control pills, a pelvic exam is typically not required of patients. Your nurse or doctor will discuss your medical history with you in order to assist you in making an informed decision about what is best for you.
During your appointment, it is possible that you will be able to obtain your birth control pills immediately. Another option is for the nurse or doctor to write you a prescription, after which you will go to a drugstore or pharmacy to pick up your medication.
What Kind of Birth Control Can You Get From Primary Care?
It is essential to arm yourself with all of the relevant information prior to settling on a method of birth control. This will allow you to make the choice that is most suitable for your needs.
Your primary care doctor will talk to you about the various birth control options available and help you to decide which is the best one for you. These could include:
- Oral contraceptives (the pill): These are pills that a woman takes every day. They might just include progestin, or they might have a combination of progestin and estrogen.
- Contraceptive patch: This is a patch that is applied on the skin of a woman once each week. The hormones are introduced into the bloodstream by the patch.
- Vaginal ring: This is a ring that is very thin and flexible. After inserting the ring into the vagina, the woman will continue to experience continuous hormone release for a period of three weeks. She removes it for the fourth consecutive week, and then after that, it is swapped for a new one.
- Injections: This is a hormone administered intramuscularly to a woman at regular intervals (once every three months).
- Implant: A single, very tiny rod that is inserted under the skin of a woman’s upper arm by a medical professional. It will take place in the office of your healthcare practitioner. The implant has a potential lifespan of four years.
- Intrauterine device (IUD): This is a thin, T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus by a medical professional, usually in the primary care provider’s office.. IUDs can be effective anywhere from three to ten years. Copper IUDs and hormonal IUDs are the two varieties that are available.
What to Do if You Don’t Have a Primary Care Doctor?
Fortunately, you can still access safe birth control even if you do not have a primary care provider.
First and foremost, an OBGYN can prescribe you birth control. If you do not have one of these, there are other alternatives available, such as Planned Parenthood. In some states, a pharmacist can also prescribe you birth control.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to get to see a health care professional face to face, and this is where telehealth services can come into great use. It enables you to speak to a primary care doctor and other health care professionals by phone or video chat, removing many of the obstacles to getting birth control if you do not have a primary care doctor.
Just like with a face to face appointment, you can discuss the different options available to you and get a prescription. This prescription can be either mailed to you for you to arrange yourself, or they can arrange for it to be sent to a mail-order pharmacy, so your birth control is delivered straight to your house.
How Can DrHouse Help You?
DrHouse is here to provide you with a safe and secure service when it comes to getting your birth control. We offer a convenient and fast on-demand telehealth service, so you can get the care and treatment you need without having to leave your house.
We are available 24/7 and you can connect with one of our online doctors in 15 minutes or less.
To receive a prescription for birth control online, all you need to do is create a free account with DrHouse and either select a continuous plan or begin a one-time on-demand appointment with one of our board-certified clinicians.
After that, you may get your birth control prescription. The doctors will evaluate you and then recommend the method of birth control that is most appropriate for you.
Key Takeaways
- Preventing pregnancy is not the only reason that many women take birth control for
- Birth control can be prescribed by a primary care doctor, pharmacist, Planned Parenthood, and telehealth healthcare professionals such as DrHouse.
- It is important to talk to your healthcare provider about the birth control options available to you to see which one is most suitable for you
- Many birth control methods must be prescribed
- It is a good idea to have regular pelvic exams, especially when considering birth control
Sources:
- Your contraception guide. NHS. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/
- Contraception. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/index.htm
- Gossett DR, Kiley JW, Hammond C. Contraception Is a Fundamental Primary Care Service. JAMA. 2013;309(19):1997–1998. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.4262
- Rowan SP, Someshwar J, Murray P. Contraception for primary care providers. Adolescent Medicine: State of the art Reviews. 2012 Apr;23(1):95-110, x-xi. PMID: 22764557.
- Where can i get contraception. NHS. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/where-can-i-get-contraception/
- Jones RK, Beyond Birth Control: The Overlooked Benefits of Oral Contraceptive Pills, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2011. Available from: https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/beyond-birth-control.pdf
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