347 comments

1. It is completely legal for women based in the UK to purchase a repeat supply of their contraceptive pill online. As long as you have had a blood pressure check up in the last 12 months, you can avoid the hassle and order your contraceptive online from a string of UK registered pharmacies like dred and drfelix.co.uk at a cheap cost. You still need a prescription as it is a POM drug in the UK, but atleast will have the peace of mind it is safe and from a regulated NHS pharmacy and not some warehouse in Thailand.

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2. I just saw another disturbing post by a male fb friend. A pic of a woman’s legs up in sturups. With the caption ” you need to clean that junk before you come hear.”. I was so annoyed. This is America and just about every one hear jokes about gynos BC were told that we all have to go. My grandmother even told me that and I told her I was an adoult and not to bring it up again. So rediculas.

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   • That’s pretty creepy. I don’t know when men got so vain about their own stuff- it’s almost effeminate in a way. I don’t think a woman should just blow off bathing or whatever, but the males seem to almost be like women about appearance & being repelled by all kinds of details (really, what is the big deal if the guy’s SHOES are dirty?).

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   • Yeah, I’ve noticed that the subject of gyne exams are often slipped as jokes into some plotlines or scripts on some American dramas and sitcoms like Jane the Virgin (which is now being unfortunately broadcasted in the UK) and Big Bang Theory. I find it quite disturbing and unneccessarily politicised and embedded within a script when there is no need to do this. It is definitely done to normalise these procedures.

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     • Yes that’s how she was impregnated, by going for a pap smear instead accidentally impregnated. She should never have been told to have a pap in the first place. I’m tired of the jokes that make woman feel its just a nessesry evil. I don’t like it one bit. And that other ABC sitcom about that young chef. The first episode she saw a big metal refrigerator and said “I haven’t seen that much stainless steel since I had a PaPsmear”.

     • I think they try to reinforce things like this in America. Look at childbirth- how often do they portray a woman upright (like in a crouch)?

       I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, not even with the historical or semi-historical movies or TV shows. She’s pretty much always on her back & screaming like she’s being cut in half with a chainsaw (stole that from someone).

       It certainly seems to make more sense for her to be upright to facilitate things.

     • Yeah, you are right Alex and what gets my goat is that research shows this crouch position is actually better for women, easier, even less painful. Yet, why is this not shown? Is it about control? encouraging strange ideas about women? I don’t get it.

3. Hi App Queen. I placed a comment this morning but it hasn’t come up yet. I did another two a few minutes ago. My comments are about why its 25 and that the age will soon be 30 with 6 yearly intervals between tests. This is probably not what they want going up. They seem to want the age reduced to 16. I will be surprised if any get passed.

   Hi Kieigh. Its a horrible caption. How disgusting. I’m afraid hatred of women will be with us until forever.

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4. Hi Ap Queen. First, i’m glad you came back. When I was first struck by the fact the NHS had been forcing testing on me I went looking for answers on the net. Your comments and those of the other women who post here were like a lifeline to me at the time. They kept me going until I stumbled on this site and made it my ‘spiritual home.’ I always wondered why you stopped posting and just thought you moved on to other things. Since you left I read everything I could on the subject and became knowledgable and strong with all the arguments. I have bad days tho’ and rely on the support of the women here.
   In my ‘real’ life i’m very eloquent and believable and people rarely challenge me and I have at least convinced my friends to look at the arguments. One of my friends has stopped having the tests but doesn’t want to post here.
   One of the things I love to do is write romance stories. I belong to a local writers club and from time to time I put books on the internet I have written and also those my friends have produced. Once I came here having read the accounts of womens experiences I just knew we could have an impact once they were in book form.
   The first one was a prototype as this was the first time I had put something together like that. I now see some short comings. Despite this it has been downloaded hundreds of times from the free sites and during the free Kindle promotional period. Its a great success. I am deffinately going to do another one and am already working on it. Like the other it will be a collaboration as I simply couldn’t do it on my own, I aim to have it done for 2018 when it will be 30 yrs since the programme began so we have plenty of time. Nearer to the time I was hoping Sue would set up another area on the site for the work but there’s no rush just yet. You can upload anything you want for it. Its up to you what you write. If you want to start on it go right ahead. If you want the project to start and for the others to begin work then I’m sure Sue would be happy with that too. The first one was a bit rushed as I pushed people to get it done for women getting kindles for christmas. I know Kat is very interested to get started. I came up with a working title – ‘cervical screening – 30 years of pap r@pe’ but it might be a bit too much. For the front cover I was hoping Sue would provide a pic of a speculum. I would like the image to be of one all dripping with gloop and blood and looking a bit like the ‘alien’ from the film with the same name (purely for horror).
   Let me know what you think
   Linda x

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5. Hi ap queen, Sue, Linda, ladies… Yes I’m keen to get going! I’ve started with making notes and ideas!! Thinking of u all x

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6. Yes I’d be glad to get involved ☺ If I’m not on this site (as often as I’d like), then you’ll often find me mouthing off on screening articles in the newspaper forums (predominantly the Daily Mail!). I’d be happy to share my email with you all if that makes it easier to keep in touch?
   My email is – apocalypticq@gmail.com

   If any of you want to share any research, documents, any info or just to rant, feel free to drop me an email on the above.

   I still do all I can for the “cause” so to speak in the form of posting and commenting on newspaper forums but unfortunately had a lot going on towards the tail end of last year, lots of changes afoot in my workplace! But it’s lovely to speak to you all again – I must make more effort to post and thank you for your comments Linda, they’re lovely ☺I’m glad I’ve helped, as some of everyone’s posts I’ve come across previously such as Elizabeth’s and Ada have helped me ☺

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7. I am so relieved and delighted to find this blog! I recently moved halfway across the country, and as a moderately healthy, married and childless woman in her early thirties, going to the doctor is the last thing I want to do for something as basic as a birth control pill. I don’t WANT to schedule an exam or submit to the discomfort and invasion of a pap smear, and I don’t believe that my symptoms (ie, being perfectly healthy except for a strong desire to maintain the level of peace and quiet in my home by not bringing children into it) warrant such a painful and time-consuming interruption to my life. I’ve ordered an 8-month supply of pills from Medsmex for around $100 including shipping, after reviewing several of the options presented here (and after a frustrating time trying other sources, such as Planned Parenthood– only available in certain states and with a video conference, umm no– and Project Ruby– they still want to contact “my” doctor? I DON’T HAVE/NEED ONE.). I know I’m several years late to the party here, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate this information. Fight the good fight, sisters!

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   • Hi Tessa
     Welcome to the forum
     My husband and I also decided not to have children, I realized very early on that the Pill was out for me, I didn’t want a fight every time I needed a repeat. I knew I couldn’t rely on the medical profession.
     I used the Billings Method, but it’s great that women can finally get their pills over the internet, the Pill should have been taken off script many years ago now.

     There’s no doubt in my mind the Pill is still on script so doctors don’t lose market share and profits and they want to maintain the same level of control over women. The Pill consult has always been used to take advantage of women, mislead the woman into believing the Pill requires a pap test and/or pelvic and breast exam. None of these things are clinical requirements for the Pill, your medical history, and a blood pressure test, the only requirements.
     It’s disgraceful that women still have to see a doctor to get the Pill, unless they choose to buy it over the internet. I was delighted to see California and Oregon make the Pill available OTC. In Europe, many countries have easy access to the Pill.
     They wonder why so many pregnancies are unplanned but still put barriers in front of the Pill. The AMA here is obviously dead against the Pill coming off script, they justify their position by saying women won’t get preventative care like pap tests and breast exams, they’re rarely challenged though, pap tests have nothing to do with the Pill and breast exams have not been recommended in many years.
     I never hear them say Viagra should not be available over the net because men won’t get preventative checks like testicular exams (not recommended either) or colonoscopies – the old double standard is still firmly in place. Doubt that will change…self-interest is, IMO, their highest priority.

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     • It’s not just self-interest with the AMA, there seems to be outdated thinking at the top, some might say sexist etc. IMO, women are viewed differently to men. I can’t understand why there isn’t more pressure on them to change, why female or younger doctors don’t start stirring the pot.
       I know $$$ is important but surely some doctors find it unacceptable that the Pill consult is still used to pressure and mislead women into tests and exams that are completely unnecessary and expose the woman to risk…and may put her off asking for the Pill in the first place.
       It’s 2016 and our doctors still believe women should see a doctor every 6 months or a year to get repeats. The govt now allow women to access an emergency supply directly from the pharmacist, but they need to do more, much more. (the AMA were dead against that change too)
       The AMA refuses to work with pharmacists and midwives if it means losing power or $$$, they fight any reform they view as bad for THEM, whatever happened to medical ethics and putting patients first? I think the medical lobby is incredibly powerful and influential in this country and rarely challenged, that’s bad for medicine and especially, for women.

8. My 20 year old daughter got 6 months of pills online from super drug (she lives in Wales).she said the consult didn’t ask about smears but then she’s too young anyway. Maybe uk ladies could try?

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9. Anyone has any idea where to get birth control pills when you’re from Europe (but from a country such as Germany or the Czech Republic, where you basically have no chance of getting the pills without these humiliating and often painful exams)? Most of the online pharmacies linked here don’t work anymore.

   The only idea I currently have is to look for various “black markets” where women sell their leftover birth control pills. I also know of one service in my country that offers to provide women with e-receipts (and doesn’t contact your doctor), but because it’s just one site which has a “monopoly”, I’m afraid it’s going to get shut down by the government and there would simply be no alternatives left for us. And what then?

   I want to be in control of my own body and make my own informed choices, thank you very much. I hate that even in the US (with their strict rules in this regard), think are at least slightly changing and moving forward, but almost NOTHING is happening here. We’re still blackmailed and bullied by our doctors. So frustrating.

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   • I know this is an older post, but Spain, Italy, Portugal, Russia & probably a few others are OTC.

     Supposedly, at least in Norway, the prescription that someone “needs” isn’t linked to coercive entry.

     Another thing, at least in the Czech Republic, things can likely be paid a little extra for. What’s he/she going to have problems over? Not being impositional with those dynamics?

     Also, and it would be there anyway, there’s the potential for: “Oh, now I can hire a prostitute with this much instead of this one walking out on me.” As an argument, it might work (not least of all because it probably kind-of-sort-of has a lesbian connection as far as associations go).

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     • Thanks for replying to this old reply, so I noticed this post and can give current information on the situation in Germany: Recently, a law on the so-called “Telemedizin” was changed and allows for doctors to prescribe certain medications online without having established a doctor-patient-relationship in person. Birth control belongs to those medications. For a consultation fee and the price of the product, you can order the pill, you just have to answer the usual questions about general health and blood clots, and supply a somewhat current blood pressure reading. There are a lot of websites doing this since it became legal, fernarzt.com, doktoronline.com/de and many others. “Holding birth control hostage” by requiring paps and pelvic exams is very bad medicine, but I’ve heard from several women doctors in Germany still do that. I’ve never taken hormonal birth control, but I’ve ordered antibiotics via one of those providers I named, and it went very smoothly.

10. Also, I find it absolutely terrifying that we’re not giving informed consent to these exams. Doctors are examining you, putting strange instruments into your body, taking their samples, but unless you specifically ask what’s going on at this step, you have no idea what they’re actually doing down there. They’re just doing… something. And sometimes it’s extremely painful.

    Why isn’t the whole process explained to us beforehand, ideally in writing?

    It’s totally creepy that young, sometimes underage girls are going through this without any idea of what is actually happening. At least that’s what happened to me since I was 16 and then every year. I just went there to get my BC pills and submitted to the exam, where I had no idea what they were doing with me and why.
    And I assume a lot of even older women have no idea about this.

    TERRIFYING.

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11. Interesting piece of writing, only thing I disagree with, cervical cancer was never the No 1 killer of women. (Also the author seems to be unaware of the HPV test and that most women are HPV- and not at risk of cc)
    The article also includes US virtual doctor sites that prescribe the Pill – Lemonaid, Nurx, Virtuwell and Pandia Health. This woman sacked her doctor after she refused to sign off on a repeat for the Pill until she had a Pap test and pelvic exam – coercion! (and serious over-screening, the doctor demanded annual screening)
    Women need to do more of that, walk away, don’t give in to coercion.
    The Pill should have been off script a long time ago – we still have high rates of unplanned pregnancies in Australia, the States and in some other developed countries..and what do they have in common, unnecessary barriers around the Pill.
    It’s way beyond unethical to stand in the way of reliable contraception – it means women may face FAR greater health and life consequences. Demanding a screening test before we could have the Pill was another example of the misuse of power and the unhealthy attitudes of the medical boys’ club.
    https://theestablishment.co/bargaining-with-my-birth-control-2a2de4e49172/

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    • About 25 years ago I was denied a pill refill because I refused a pap. The provider was a female nurse practitioner, so unfortunately the women adopted the same patriarchal attitudes as the men. I believe this still goes on today, and it makes me livid. Can you imagine men being treated this way? It would never happen. Everything is done for their convenience and comfort, including being able to get erection meds online. And some of them are probably old geezers who could have a heart attack if they attempted sex!

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      • I’m pleased to report that things seem to have changed, where I live in Canada, at least (Alberta). I no longer am forced to submit to a pap test in order to receive my birth control prescription. I am not sure why it changed, but I’m so glad. Keep up the good fight, ladies!

        Now if we could get a screening test that’s not invasive to replace it…because they drummed it into my head for so many years, I still would like an assurance that things are fine in that department.

      • There is and add on Facebook for woman to order pills wo a script. I have brought this up before but you should have seen all the push back. I lived 34 years wo paps so I guess I’m not scared of not having them like others who have been getting them sence puberty. I’m so over this obsession called “woman’s health.”

      • Not to blame the intended targets, but men tend to be more aggressive. By “aggressive,” I mean “destructive.” Women are overly social in some cases (ex: not wanting to hurt anyone, just wanting whatever problems to stop).

        Men, frequently, enjoy defeating the other party, because they (and, yes, someone can always argue on the behalf of the instigator/predator- “the intended prey caused the problem by not being helpful to the aggressor, who wanted to prey on them”) started it. Actually, sometimes it’s hard to keep on-task & not make that the whole response!

        What I would suggest is to either look at things as you correcting them & helping them to no make a mistake at your expense or to try to think a bit like a guy (basically, to emotionally shit-can them & make it a general mode for everybody). Probably the first one is better, but some degree of ignoring their drives & concerns is going to be necessar

      • Women enforce perceived norms often far harsher than men. If you look at female genital mutilation – it’s a misogynistic practice, born from the desire to control women and deny them pleasure. But in most cases, who does the actual mutilation? A woman, while the relatives hold the victim down. “Mommy wars” are infamous, women shaming women for their parenting choices. Women “slut shame” worse, in my opinion, than men. This phenomenon probably extends to health care. In some cases, I can well believe there’s a vindictive side to it: “If I had to endure it, she has, too.”

      • That’s all surprising to me. What is all that about? Competitiveness?

        I guess a reply to that vindictive stuff is the fact that she’s reacting to it- if she’s doing something to compensate for it, then it must have been a problem. If she’s trying to inflict that problem, then she’s an actual enemy.

        P.S.- Do things like this never come up in women’s self defense courses or health class? I know that unexpected tactics, along with subtle approaches, are discussed pretty frequently & they went out of their way in school to get across that “no” means “no.”

        Come to think of it, they made a big point about someone’s inclinations (lien if they were gay) were okay- do they not mention someone’s disinclinations the same way?

      • Certainly there’s competitiveness among women but I believe that’s only a symptom of a larger problem. The real issue is that there are many, many things in society designed to lower a woman’s self-esteem and turn us against each other. If we were ever a confident, cohesive unit, we would be too strong, have too much power and effect too much change and people are generally terrified of change. But this subject could be a forum all its own. On the matter of barriers around birth control, I’m heartened to see there is some progress in making it more accessible, albeit with still a ways to go.

12. Alex oddly enough in health/self defense classes it’s typically male on female violence that is the focus. We are taught to be suspicious of men and trust women- female on female violence is rarely discussed. I don’t know if its because men are considered to be generally stronger/more violent? Although women may be less prone to violence they can absolutely be enemies and it’s well known that psychological/emotional attacks can be equally or more damaging then physical ones. I agree that manipulation is still manipulation regardless of who does it and this should be discussed more instead of only focusing on physical attacks. -Emily

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