There were a lot of things I didn’t know as an incoming freshman. Where to buy trendy clothes on a budget? No idea. The best brunch spots for a record-topping Instagram? (Does IHOP count?) Or what is game day really like in the SEC? Thinking back, all of those uncertainties didn’t matter, because just like most things in college, I eventually figured it out.
However, not everything comes as easily, like finding the right birth control method. When I first brought up the idea to my mom, she sent me a dozen or so links to websites explaining the different contraceptive methods available and encouraged me to do some research before making a decision. Shockingly, I never clicked on any of the links she sent. My roommate was on the pill, all of my friends from home were on the pill and the more people I talked to about it, the more it seemed like everyone was on the pill. So, when it came time to book a consultation for birth control contraceptives with the Women’s Care team at the Student Health Center, I decided—you guessed it—to go on the pill.
As it turns out, I’m not alone in my reasoning.
“A lot of women come in saying they’d like to try a particular method because it worked for their friend or their sister, and while it’s great that it worked for them, there’s no way to tell with certainty that that exact method is the right choice for you,” said Amy Wooten, a women’s care charge nurse at USC. “We try to be very up front with patients and work with each one individually to find the best option for her, but you never know until you try it.” And that’s exactly what I did; for the following year and a half, I tried different pills, over and over again.
After deciding to go on the pill as a freshman, I felt great. My roommate and I synced up so we took our pills at the same time together daily, making sure neither of us ever forgot. But more than that, everything seemed to be normal. It didn’t feel like anything had changed. Then, after a while, it wasn’t so great, so I made another appointment and decided to switch my pill to one with less estrogen. Once again, that wasn’t the right fit. That process went on for a little bit where we played with the dosage or the pill to see if maybe a different combination would work better. It never did. That’s when I started looking into other options.
I ended up choosing to have an implant inserted in my arm, a method known as LARC or a long acting reversible contraceptive. In addition to getting an implant, other LARC options are progestin IUDs, copper IUDs and the Depo-Provera shot. These methods differ from the pill or the patch because they last longer, most ranging from three to 10 years, and there is a small procedure involved. For those whose insurance doesn’t cover this process, it can become very costly.
“The Women’s Care Unit at the Student Health Center was awarded two separate grants this past year to help women afford LARC if their insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the device or the procedure,” Wooten said. “We received one from the South Carolina campaign to end teen pregnancy that is set aside only for teens and one available to women 20 years and older from Choose Well, a contraceptive access initiative in South Carolina.”
With the help of these grants, specifically the one for teens, about 12 undergraduate women have been able to receive LARC procedures. “Women who were hesitant to get longer-term birth control methods seem much more interested now,” Wooten says. “We’ve found that this increase in interest is driven by word-of-mouth advertising.”
It’s as simple as scheduling a consultation appointment and asking about the different birth control options available to you, because there is more than just the pill or the patch. If there’s one thing you should not be uncertain about in college, it’s the women’s health options available to you on campus.
