Question for those of you on birth control pills

[amynicole]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Sep-13-02 AT 11:39AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi,

I just had my postpartum visit today (my baby is 10 weeks old, I was 4 weeks overdue for my visit) and I am going to go back on orth-tricylen. It was great for me in the past- no side effect other than clearing up my acne (which is a good thing!)

Anyway, I have not been on the pill in over 2 years, and not since I moved to the state I currently live in. My old doctor had me come in only once a year for an annual exam and would give me a year's worth of refills on my birth control prescription.

My new doctor- the one I have been seeing here for 2 years only gave me a prescription for 6 months with 1 sample packet- 7 months total. He said he wants to see me in 6 months. I like my doctor and don't plan on switching but was kind of surprized by the 6 month thing. I asked if it is because this is a new prescription and i have not been on the pill for a while. Or maybe my age? (I am 33) but he told me that it is standard practice to follow up every 6 months when you are on the pill. The pap will only be done once a year though.

I am pretty surprized about the frequency of visits. I like my doctor but no woman wants to go to the gyn any more than they have to! So is this new doctor being overly cautious by wanting to see me every 6 months? OR was my old doctor overly free by only seeing my once a year?

So here is my question: For those of you on the pill, how often do you need to see your doctor for a check-up and prescprition refill??

 

[Debra]

Twice per year. The mid-year visit is just a quick verbal, everything ok? meeting.

 

[rhbrand]

Gee, I only get seen every year.
Of course, I'm an RN, and work with my doctor at the hospital. so he sees me several times a month.
Maybe the fact he sees me, and asks how I am several times a month is why.

 

[cataddict]

I've had the same experience with my dr & I thought he was being overly cautious as well! I don't know that age is a factor in your case, since you are YOUNG!!!! I thought maybe MY age was a factor since I'm 46. I seem to recall getting a year's worth when I was in my twenties. It could be that the standard has changed, or it could be MY age & your recent delivery. He does want to see me every 6 months & that's what the prescription is for (to make me come back!!!)& I figure for me it's probably a good idea since the M word rapidly approaches & peri-M is already upon me but that was another thread!

Leslie

 

[bethmeira]

Currently I see the Dr. once per year, but when I first saw her, she gave me a prescription for 6 months with a short visit to see how I was doing on the pill even though I have been taking Ortho Novum for about 8 years. I guess since I was a new patient for her she wanted to check in.

 

[caricampbellcool]

I'm only seen once a year. I don't think it's an age thing either; I've been on since I was either nineteen or twenty and I've always only been seen once (except for at first; My blood pressure was a little high and they wanted to make sure it wasn't the pill.)
Guess it just depends on the doctor!

 

[kweller]

I only need to go once a year but I seem to always get the mailer at the 6 month point telling me it's time to go in, and so i do, and then my nurse practicioner tells me that I didn't need to be seen for another 6 months. So to answer your question, a year is standard if everythings okay with the person. When I had to have precancerous cells removed from my cervix, I was seen 2x a year, for a year or two. Then we went back to once a year.

To answer your other question, I used to be able to get three months' worht of pills at a time from the pharmacist, but since I switched insurances, I can only get my pills one month at a time. Let me tell you, that took some time to get used to...(I'm a planning-type person, I like things in advance.)
You're lucky. Six months at a time. That's nice.

Kathy

 

[clareMc]

How often you can get the refill may depend on your insurance company rather than your doctor. Check with them to see whether they will allow you a year's supply at a time.

Bear in mind that it can be a good idea to try the new drug out for a 6 month period first, before comitting to a year, just to see how you do with it, even if you used it before the baby. Your body is not the same after birth and as you get older. Your reactions may not be the same.

I would welccome a 6 month visit, simply because the parts of your body that the pill can affect are so major (blood pressure, heart, veins, cancer risks, you know the score), I would want to know that all was well before continuing to take hormones orally. For doctors I have beeen to see, 6 month reviews were standard practice, and my insurance company is a real pain because they will only authorize the pill one month at a time, so you are pretty lucky!!!!

Clare

 

[amynicole]

So I guess that it may not be so strange to go in 6 months. Actually, my insurance company will pay for 3 months at a time and the prescription was for 3 months with refill for a Total of 6 months.

My blood pressure was border line yesterday so maybe that is it? But he said he was pretty sure that was just do to the anxiety of being examined- thats for sure! Anyway, apparently even without the blood pressure thing he said 6 month follow up is routine and not just for new users.

Good points about seeing it as a good thing- hormones do affect everything so maybe it is a good thing to be checked out. His waits are not too bad so it is not a large committment of my time.

I love this forum- where else could I get so many other women's opinions on something on my mind. This is such a cool place. Can you imagine waling through the mall asking women their experince with the pill and dr. visits- not exacly!!!!