I first began birth control at 19. I hated the idea of putting hormones into my body. I asked for an IUD off the bat because I would never remember the pill and it can stay in for five years. Was told no because I don’t have any kids so insertion would be painful. (Even though NOW everyone I know has a frickin IUD) so began my 5 year self Guinea Pig test beginning with depo. Which made me more emotional than I have ever been and also caused lactation. Do that for a year bc that’s the minimum. Move onto nexplanon for the next three years… Hoping everything would level out eventually. Never did and I enjoyed spotting everyday for a year. Reluctantly I get on the pill at 23. It’s not the worst but my skin is still breaking out and I’m not losing any weight. November 2017 my husband gets insurance through his work.
February 2018 I’m officially covered with insurance the first time in my life. I ask my primary gyno (who’s really a mid wife) for a tubal. She is surprisingly supportive (I’m 24 and married with no kids living in a red state)!! The first physician she has me meet with denies me and says I will never find a doctor to perform the surgery on any woman under 30! As if woman can’t make rational life decisions until their 30s! I storm out. A few days later my gyno calls and said SHE found a doctor willing to do it if I still wanted to! The morning of my surgery they do a routine pregnancy test.. it comes back positive. I break down. I have worked so hard to get to this point that many women have been denied. I’m so scared and my husband is mentally checked out. We don’t want kids. There are no abortion providers in our state. This is a Friday… Easter is in two days and his brother’s girlfriend just gave birth to twins on Wednesday. We drive 600 miles to terminate on Monday morning. Emotionally and physically I feel fine. Really more annoyed at these hoops I am forced to jump through. After an abortion the pregnancy hormones takes a while to disappear… Some women still test positive after two months! I think, I can’t wait TWO months for my surgery! Four weeks go by and I finally test negative. I reschedule my tubal ligation for May 7. It’s successful. And to think all of that could have been avoided if doctors would just listen to their female patients.
