ItsHeatherRose has good advice. If you have insurance, double check that 1) PP takes your insurance and 2) if they don't, double check that your insurance will cover a script written by an out of network provider.

I wonder where you get that information about Pap smears. Since the introduction of the Pap smear, mortality due to cervical cancer has been reduced 80-99% (depending on how you count). 80% reduction in mortality is not "pretty terrible." It's actually pretty fucking good.

Well, you definitely know more about it than the ACOG.

Condoms alone alone are only about 80% effective in typical use (and not holding on to the condom when pulling out is part of that typical use :)). Condoms with spermicide approach hbc in effectiveness. If you can tolerate spermicide, try one of the many vaginally inserted types on the market in combination with the…

Gynos don't always know which ones will work best, either. Besides, the pharmacist is always available. They spend years going to school, and would love to use that knowledge.

Look up the 8 heavy duties of Buddhist nuns some time. It might give you a new perspective.

You know what, $40 bras have changed my life. The bands are made better, and the band is what is supposed to provide the support. I'm especially a big fan of side boning in bras. Skip some nights out, go to Macy's and check out Wacoal bras or Calvin Klein. Do this once a year. You will thank yourself, really.

VS has a bigger range of sizes online than they do in their stores. Of course, then you can't try it on, and it's expensive to buy a bunch up front and return.

If somebody is comfortable without a bra, they are not required to wear one just b/c somebody else finds it aesthetically unpleasing. Really.

Yeah, that's optimism. So far, no drug that has gone otc has gotten cheaper. Price typically goes down once the patent expires.

Well, crap, b/c my consult was $65, and my Nuvaring was $30. I be jealous.

hbc pricing is set individually by the PP in each state. Maybe it's even different in each branch? Dunno. It is definitely by state, though. Just call and ask. You will need to have a prescription consult appointment to get a script from them, just so you know. You can't just bring in an existing script and ask…

It's not a downside b/c those exams weren't needed in the first place. It's an upside b/c it is less wasted time for women and fewer wasted resources for doctors.

Oh, I'm with you.

Honestly, I think it is misogyny. I think there is a view of the female reproductive system as "icky" which causes great anxiety at the thought of it not being carefully controlled. Just look at all the "but wimminz won't go to the doctor!" arguments that get trotted out everytime someone suggests that hbc should be…

How do you get HBC from PP at no cost? Is your local PP just so well funded that they can give free birth control to anyone? I've used PP, and it was sure not free! I was unemployed, so I wish it had been.

There is no reason to have a pap smear tied to HBC as HBC is not tied to cervical cancer. There is no reason to tie HBC to a pelvic exam for healthy women, either. Women who do have reproductive disorders will need the appropriate exam whether they are on HBC or not. The "But ladeez need exams! B/c ladeez have…

Cup sizes are not standardized above a D, either. So some lines go D, DD, E, EE, and some will go D, E, F, ...

Dang. I was just about to visit and check out the veggie options.