Teen contraception

I can’t see anything saying you have to be over 16 on their site. You have to be over 16 to use the online ones but it says under 16 can go to a pharmacy for it. Contraceptives aren’t age restricted items.

The only age limit is that you must be under 54

Then you wrote another complaint to the practice manager pointing out that their staff is poorly trained.

Autism is not a learning disability. Does she have both?

Was the pill the first thing they tried?
My daughter was put on Tranexamic acid which reduces bleeding and couldn't believe the difference.

Agree with pp, ridiculous attitude, spiteful woman. I'd ask for an appointment with a GP rather than the nurse to discuss it properly and if that didn't work, complain. DD was on the pill at 13 for periods and acne; she got a pcos diagnosis a year later.

The nurse should have been clear for her reasoning and explained it clearly, ideally showing you evidence to support her decision:

Is she taking other medications and its contraindicated?
Does she have other health issues such as migraines/headaches/high BP/strong family history of stroke/heart issues/DVT?
Is that particular contraceptive only licensed for say over 16yrs and prescribing to a 13yr old would be off licence?

I too was going to suggest a family planning clinic, often connected to sexual health clinic. I worked in one (in England) many years ago and they used to run specific under 18yrs clinics. You'd often see a gynaecologist or a nurse specialist. I always found they have far more knowledge of current guidance and options to try. Ours was a walk in service but you could ring beforehand to see if yours does offer appointments or depending on your DD needs, a quieter time to visit.

You haven't said if she is taking a daily pill or using a different contraceptive device. IF she is on a daily pill and has trouble remembering it, there is a contraceptive patch, which stays on for a week. It may not be the same as whatever she is on, but these are things a family planning team could discuss.

Please complain
Judgey nurse needs to get back in her lane
I say this as a nurse of 25 plus years
(The conscience clause in nmc code of conduct only applies to abortion and ivf afaia)
Also I was late diagnosed as autistic in my 40s and had an ED in my teens / early twenties
The trigger?
The sensory hell that was periods
The mess
The smell
The worry of being caught out
Of having to carry pads
I had done in science class that periods can stop if you become underweight
So that's what I did

If there was any medical reason they would have told the OP.

According to the OP, the only reason they have given is that she is too young.

It’s an individual assessment for the pill at this age really, with a few different factors.

Medically speaking there are risk of side effects like blood clots I know are a side effect of my pill, I think that is the case for all combined pills, doctors tend to be more cautious about that and so don’t like to prescribe for younger patients. It wasn’t an issue when I was 13 and started mine but I do know that since then more research has been done and so they are now more cautious. They also consider whether your periods have properly established yet, they don’t like to prescribe a pill that basically changes and sets your “cycle” until they are established because if nothing else the pill masks the symptoms of bigger problems like PCOS.

The one I suspect your GP will argue under though is safeguarding. At 13 the GP has to consider ethically and legally whether the patient is being pressured or even whether they fully understand the treatment, it may be that at 13 and with autism the GP does not feel confident of that and if that is the case they are within their rights to refuse really.

Can’t you go back to your original GP who prescribed it for you and ask for it again ? Or explore alternative pills with the the GP and come up with a plan of treatment together, and/or referral to paediatrics if needed.
a pharmacist won’t be able to issue contraceptives to a 13 year old you need a Doctor.

It’s outrageous that a child should be denied a medically necessary medication because a HCP has made some nonsense, moral judgement. I would not accept this, OP.

My now 16yo has been on the pill since the age of 13 for very heavy periods. I’m not sure what is going on at your surgery, or if there is more to this than you have said so far, but there is no reason for them not to prescribe.

That’s terrible! My DD friend is autistic and really immature compared to my DD she got her period at 9. Her mum took her to the doctor and she’s on medication to stop it because even at 12 she’s definitely not ready for it. I got the pill at 15 I had undiagnosed endo. Xxx

Ah ok nowhere near here then!
I hope you get her sorted out.

Family planning clinic? (If they are still called that).

But also complain - it's shocking!

Which part of the uk are you in?

Complain to practice manager. Quote NICE guidelines or ask them to show you where does it say in NICE guidelines that contraception is contraindicated for 13 year olds. Try a walk-in sexual health clinic but, honestly, a well worded complaint with reference to evidence should suffice.