Making Birth Control Easier for Military Women
The men and women of the military make some very real sacrifices for the rest of us. Of course, risking injury and death in combat zones and being separated from loved ones for months on end are the big hardships they sign on for in defense of our country. But there are less known challenges too—like access to birth control. Our patients who are in the military or are married to service members share with us that it isn’t always easy to get birth control on a base, or when you move frequently and have to find a new doctor at your latest location.
“I’m active duty Army which means I move when it’s time, not when I want. My birth control was running out and I couldn’t get a new doctor’s appointment for over a month. As someone with PCOS and Endometriosis, being without is not an option for my hormones,” says A, a Nurx patient, making the point that many military women use hormonal contraception for health reasons.
As this article in the Atlantic makes clear, getting your period is approximately a million times more of a hassle when you’re deployed to a combat zone, and military women deserve easy access to birth control so they can skip their periods, or at least lessen the severity of menstrual symptoms—but getting contraception while on active duty often isn’t as straightforward as it should be.
The wives of servicemen can face a different type of barrier to birth control access. Military spouses sometimes tell us that the attitudes of military medical providers can be old-fashioned, and they don’t always have the option to find another doctor.
“I got birth control through the doctor on base, and it was not great. My doctor would sit there and say ‘Well I don’t know why you want to get on birth control-—you’re married. Why does it matter if you get pregnant?’,” says C, an army wife and Nurx patient who doesn’t want to use her full name. “Military doctors and spouses will assume that you’re cheating on your spouse because you want to get on birth control [when your husband is deployed].”
Nurx hopes we can make this one aspect of military life easier by connecting women in the armed services and military wives with expert, sensitive medical providers — hopefully taking some of the hassle out of frequent moves. Here’s what a few of them have to say:
“I had been pulling my hair out just trying to get my birth control refilled with Navy medical services. With Nurx I was able to get approved for my birth control and get it shipped to my house, in as little as 3 days!” says S.
“I went with Nurx because they deliver to APOs (Army Post Offices) and it’s more private . . . without Nurx it would take up to a couple of months to get prescribed birth control, during which I would suffer from my PCOS with painful periods,” says C
“Living in NC on a military base I had to jump through hoops to get birth control,” says a military spouse Mary. “Then comes along Nurx and I thought it was too good to be true! No hoops to jump through fast affordable and such nice people!”
Are you in the military or living on a military base and interested in learning more about Nurx? We’d love to answer any questions. Just read our FAQs about how Nurx works or reach out to us at [email protected].
This blog provides information about telemedicine, health and related subjects. The blog content and any linked materials herein are not intended to be, and should not be construed as a substitute for, medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any reader or person with a medical concern should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other healthcare provider. This blog is provided purely for informational purposes. The views expressed herein are not sponsored by and do not represent the opinions of Nurx™.
