To think this policy is a bit bonkers? (MAP)

[ThatchersCold]

I had a contraception failure on Sunday, so went to my local pharmacy to get the MAP. I last needed to get it a year or so ago, when I was taken into a side room and given the pill for free.

This time, I was taken into the side room and asked how old I was (37). I was told that the policy had changed on June 1st, and now only under 25s could get free emergency contraception. We went through a flow chart and the pharmacist said that EllaOne would be most suitable, which would be £35. Luckily I had the money to pay for it.

I understand that I could still get free emergency contraception if I went to a family planning clinic (the nearest of which is 17 miles away for me), or if I got it prescribed through my doctor (getting a doctor’s appointment is not easy here and surely an appointment costs the NHS more than £35?).

I really can’t understand the logic here. For many people, coughing up £35 would not be possible. And with other policies such as the two child limit for benefits coming into force, you’d think the government would be doing whatever they could to make sure people weren’t having children they can’t afford. And as a friend pointed out, abortions are free on the NHS (though they surely cost a lot more than £35), so if people are really hard up they may choose to take their chances if they had unprotected sex, and have an abortion if they do find themselves pregnant.

Maybe not such an issue if you live in a big town or city with family planning clinics around, but for those like me who live rurally, there may not be any other options.

YANBU. That's ridiculous.

That's crazy - so short-sighted.

BPAS have been campaigning against this. The system doesn't work for Women in rural areas.

I paid £25 last time we had an accident almost a year ago. The condom broke and i had been given it free the time before that (a year before from boots). I was happy to pay as i actually didn't think at that time we were ready for another baby. Fast forward two weeks later, i started feeling funny. Sickness, falling asleep really early, very sore breasts. Took some pregnancy tests, all came back positive. So i went back to the pharmacy and told them they had sold me the morning after pill. I had taken it within 12 hours and now was pregnant. He calmly told me 3 things would happen...a healthy pregnancy, a chemical or a misscarriage. He asked me the dates of my last period and how long my cycles where and said it had a 75% of not working if i was ovulating already (which i had been). They asked me that when they sold me it. So they knew there was that chance it would not work. I sadly miscarried but think they should of said before i bought it the chance of it working was that low because i wouldn't of taken it!x

Sorry forgot to add, they were happy to take my money but not happy to explain it too me like they should have done in the first place about the chances of not working x

SamanthaH92, they were negligent in not going over that with you. My DD's friends have had it from Chemists and they have had all of the information needed, given to them.

It probably has been analysed and found to be cost effective for the NHS. The NHS is cash strapped and we will see more restrictions and cutting of free services.

For those saying a termination is more expensive, it's not the cost of one MAP (+pharmacist consulting fee) vs one termination. Many women will pay for the MAP, or access it for free elsewhere eg GUM, GP, or not take it but not get pregnant anyway because it isn't 100% effective. So when they do the calculations prob the cost of many MAP + pharmacist fee vs one termination is in favour of not having it free for everybody.

It's very tough for the women who lose out in these calculations. But the NHS is struggling and increasingly having to make decisions about best allocating resources.

@Birdsgottafly yes they were. I was very angry after the conversation with them and did ask why i wasn't told that. He didn't have much to say to that. I will never take another x

I've taken the MAP six times over the past 15 years (can't take the Pill so have to rely on condoms which split!) and I've never got it for free apart from the first time when I saw the doctor and got it prescribed. I didn't know you could ever get it over the counter for free?

With the NHS under so much pressure, I do think non essential drugs like this should be paid for.

I can understand with the cut backs. But I also think it should be available free to all women if they require it. I have used it once after a condom broke, I got it on prescription after a phone consultation with the gp. We were skint at the time and the £35 would of been a toss up between eating that week or not.

The government can be so short sighted with some things. It's like they literally don't think things through.

I've got the MAP abroad - you go in, ask for it and pay. Nobody explains anything and nobody expects anything for free.

People in the U.K. are very shortsighted about the NHS and completely lack awareness of what a wonderful resource it is. We're too used to hearing it being slated in the gutter press and that's now the opinion of the general public.

@bakingdemon

With the NHS under so much pressure, I do think non essential drugs like this should be paid for.

A quick Google suggests a GP appointment to get it for free would cost £45. I'd guess an appointment with a nurse might be slightly less than that, but it still pushes people to try and get an appointment.

The people who can't afford £35 are probably more likely to claim benefits for any child they have - and if they can't because it's their third child, they'll be poorer and the costs of that are likely to be felt somewhere.

This is one of the problems with the way things are done - great the NHS might save a few quid today, but if the woman is pregnant it may cost more in the long term, and not just to the NHS but to other services as well.

I took it twice within a week a few months ago, had to pay for it both times even though I'm under 25 so £60-70 pounds. I tried a sexual health clinic but there was a 5 hour queue and I had to work so I bought it elsewhere.

I wasn't told how ineffective is would be if I'd ovulated, now I'm 17 weeks pregnant.

I'm in London, there's quite a few sexual health clinics near me but dropping isn't easy IME. In the area of London I grew up in they still do free for under 25s from participating pharmacies.

I'm sure the maths has been done but the mind boggles at charging women for something that can stop them needing hundredsof pounds on abortions, thousands of pounds on antenatal, labour and postnatal care or paediatric care from the NHS

When I took it I was offered two different ones, one was £40 and the other £25. I think EllaOne was the more expensive one. The cheaper one was statistically less effective.

I could afford it so it was fine but if you can't you have to make a choice between one that has a lower success rate than the other one which is just crazy.

Why isn’t any one told of its effectiveness?!!!!

I certainly wasn’t, and my little MAP is having an afternoon kip on the sofa.

Agree it's very short sighted when you consider the bigger picture. I had no idea you could get the MAP for free over the counter though. I've paid £25 for it before there was only one on offer at the time and I don't remember being told the effectiveness only that it wasn't 100%.

Perhaps women are using it too often as a form of birth control rather than its intended purpose?

LifeBeginsAtGin

Perhaps women are using it too often as a form of birth control rather than its intended purpose

Women are using it because they don't want to be pregnant which is the intended purpose

Its up to the consumer to check the effectiveness before purchase.

Really, what woman is stupid enough to be having sex but not know the MAP isn't 100%?

No one expects a pharmacist to go through what chance paracetamol has of ending your headache!

People should be told about its effectiveness, but what difference would it have made to the outcome? If the MAP fails to prevent pregnancy then the outcome is the same whether you were told or not - if it fails and you're pregnant then you either proceed with the pregnancy or have a termination

The alternative would be to get an emergency IUD put in place - but presumably if you don't already have a copper IUD in already, there's probably a reason why that's not likely to be an option? As the failure rate of condoms is so high, that if you really want to prevent pregnancy then a LARC is the way forward