Birth Control pills are offered at the University Health Center.
Whether you are a woman who is considering birth control or someone who wants to know more about it, the University Health Center provides resources to help you make the best decision.
The health center’s contraceptive options include free male and female condoms, birth control pills, the shot, as well as the patch and the ring, said Jenna Beckwith, the health center’s sexual health program coordinator.
“Anyone who is thinking about birth control, considering birth control, not quite sure what they want, have a lot of questions, not ready to make an appointment yet, but kind of want to talk it through, they can meet with me individually for free,” she said.
Freshman Amelia Hurley-Novatny said it’s great the health center provides different birth control options so people can have their choice when it comes down to choosing what works best.
“What’s best for you depends on what kind of person you are; like, someone who’s forgetful doesn’t do well on the pill,” the bioengineering major said. “I like the pill just because I don’t have to be stuck with anything, but I have friends who are kind of forgetful, so they do the shot.”
The center now offers Mirena and ParaGard as IUD options for students, but only to those with the school’s student health insurance plan, Beckwith said. The price of the devices can be high, and the health center must be certain they will be fully reimbursed by the school.
But the health center does not offer Nexplanon for students — the implant option of birth control — because of a lack of demand, Beckwith said.
Students who are ready to choose a method of contraception can then make an appointment through women’s health, and the prescription can be written and filled in the pharmacy.
Many students’ insurances cover most, or sometimes the entire cost, of their appointment and birth control. But for some students, this isn’t an option.
“We do have some students, I will say, who are not able to use their insurance because they’re worried about billing home. … They can meet with me and I can talk with them through what those options look like,” Beckwith said.
Sophomore Monique Parker said she received birth control pills through the health center last year after going there for a consultation.
“The process was great; it was easy,” said Parker, a public health science major.
Parker said she also uses condoms as a contraceptive, adding that a lot of people she knows — herself included — like the extra protection that birth control provides.
Hurley-Novatny also stressed the importance of birth control in preventing unwanted pregnancies for students in college.
“I think it’s really important because it’s definitely not financially responsible to have a child when you’re not ready to,” she said. “It’s not emotionally responsible; it’s not responsible for your future.”
Beckwith stressed that students know that the health center provides as many resources and as much support as possible when it comes to decisions, questions and concerns about their sexual lives and can serve as a “one-stop shop” for choosing birth control options.
“We communicate to students [that] finding a method that works for their lives and their personal needs is the most critical for success,” Beckwith said. “We have a dedicated staff here at the health center to help students make more informed decisions about their sexual health and well-being.”
