Birth Control: Communication
Talking to your Partner about Birth Control
Here are some questions you may want to go over with your partner(s) if you are having sex where there is a risk of pregnancy:
- Are either of us already using a method of birth control?
- Do we want to share the cost of the birth control we use?
- What level of pregnancy risk are we comfortable with?
- What would happen if one of us got pregnant?
- Who is responsible for remembering to use birth control?
These conversations can be short or long, one-offs or ongoing. It’s your choice how you want to handle it. That said, it’s worth remembering too that you can’t make your partner use a method of birth control that they don’t want to use (the pill, condoms, etc.).
If you and your partner(s) cannot agree on a method of birth control, that is a totally normal reason to choose to not have sex or to choose different activities that don’t have a pregnancy risk (oral, masturbation, etc.).
For more info on navigating safer sex with partners, check out the resource:
Telling Your Parents you want to go on Birth Control
There are lots of reasons why people might want to talk to their parents about using birth control. Sometimes it’s just about being open with your parents about what’s going on in your life. For others, even though you can legally get birth control at any age, you may still need to get a parent’s permission, whether that’s just house rules or because you want to use their insurance to pay for it. Some points you may want to cover with parents include:
- Do you need their help getting birth control (paying for it, getting a doctor’s appointment, etc.)?
- Are you interested in any particular kind of birth control?
Ultimately, it’s your choice if you want to tell or not tell your parents about using birth control.
How to Ask Your Doctor about Birth Control
You can get a prescription for birth control from your family doctor, a walk-in clinic, or a sexual health clinic. You can tell the receptionist at the front desk when you make the appointment, or you can just tell your clinician directly when you’re in the appointment with them. Whatever you talk about with your clinician is meant to be confidential between just the two of you.
Some points you may want to cover with your clinician when talking about birth control include:
- Do you know what method you’re interested in? Or would you like information on lots of different methods?
- How are you paying for it? Some private insurance or OHIP+ might have limits on what they cover.
- What is your health history?
Sexual health clinics and some general health clinics sometimes have condoms or other non-hormonal methods available for free.
