www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4023795-GP-cash-incentive-to-promote-long-acting-contraceptives
This thread is interesting. I was forced to accept contraception I didn't want when I attended nurse practitioner appointments and GP appointments for totally unrelated reasons (strep throat, depression, IBS). I had to be extremely strong with several different nurse practitioners regarding not wanting the mirena coil, or indeed any coil. I honestly felt like I was in a timeshare presentation.
On one occasion I was 20, at university and working in health and social care for extra cash. I'd taken an elderly service user to an appointment about her kidneys and a new medical approach that was being implemented. The appointment happened to be with the same man who was MY GP but who I'd only met once or twice. He congratulated me on being "bright" and asked me of my career plans, was I a medical student? I explained I wasn't and told him of my ambitions. "I hope you've got contraception sorted. You don't want a brat ruining your plans, disgusting things!" In front of the service user. I knew a pregnancy would be distastrous at that point in my life, I was working hard and most hours which not much downtime, didn't fancy anyone on my course, worked with women only, so I'd decided to be celibate until I'd graduated. It was the only way to 100 % avoid pregnancy. So I didn't need that discussion. Especially not at an appointment that I was attending as a carer, not for myself. He continued to badger me. The lady was confused and unaware of the conversation or much of what was going on. I eventually said "I'm avoiding all of that until after I've qualified. No risk of pregnancy here."
He replied, "No need for that, here let me write you a script. Take this and you'll be good to go tonight. Enjoy yourself, you're only young once!" and handed me a script (for Microgynon coincidentally).
So inappropriate.
And not the last time, with him and other HCPs.
The mirena coil was pushed on me SO many times. And at inappropriate times. The first time when I was a virgin with no boyfriend on the horizon.
I'm lucky enough to have a friend who's relative is a GP, and when I did need to discuss gynae issues and wanted to feel informed of all my choices, spoke to me off the record and with complete honesty. She told me what the practice nurse would most likely try and push on me. She asked a few questions, made me feel at ease, knew that if I found the right relationship, I wouldn't want to delay TTC and that it was important for me to use something that would lead to a swift return to ovulation and regular cycles. She knew about family stroke risk and a hormonal imbalance (excess oestrogen) that could increase cancer risk and for which certain brands of contraception would pose a greater risk to me and she knew of past abuse and trauma history which would mean the coil would most likely never be appropriate unless I really was insistent it was what I wanted. She actually said she wouldn't recommend the coil to women who hadn't given birth as it was invasive to insert and remove and wasn't always appropriate, unless it was the woman's choice and their preffered form of contraception.
The GP and nurses didn't ask me any questions at all and always made me feel bad for saying "no thank you".