I was 17 and had been on the contraceptive pill since I was 15 to regulate my cycle and reduce pain. My routine was fairly stable at the time, and I didn't have a sexual partner. However, when I turned 18, I was in college and my lifestyle changed. I had an irregular schedule, I traveled between family and the campus, and I was also experiencing adjustment disorder. It wasn't unusual for me to forget my contraception. I also suffered from anxiety-related migraines. I also had a boyfriend at the time who refused to wear a condom. I was young and in a toxic relationship, but I didn't know it yet. However, I knew I didn't want to get pregnant. In short, all these factors made me want to try the IUD. I'd done my research and it seemed to be the best method for me at the time. I made an appointment with my family doctor. I realized that she really didn't agree, because according to her, I was too young to have an IUD. Also, she told me it was only for women who had had children. She also lectured me about my lifestyle habits. She made me feel guilty. Nevertheless, I stood my ground, because her arguments were not related to my health, but rather to a value judgement.

I started taking the pill when I was 15. I tried 3 different kinds. It didn't work for me. Heavy periods, unbearable pain, etc. Then I had a Mirena IUD. It didn't work for me. Heavy periods, unbearable pain, blood clots and so on. Not to mention the fact that I've had an unwanted pregnancy with every contraceptive method I've tried... What would make some people happy, made me unhappy. I had a child at 27. I knew it would be the only one. When I was asked about post-partum contraception, I asked for a ligature. I was told I was too young. That it wasn't the right time to make the decision. That my hormones were “too much in the bag” and that I would regret it... Even though it was my choice and I knew from the start of the pregnancy that I wanted the ligature... There was no question of me using a hormonal method or a copper coil. Condom it is....  But I still wanted to have it done... I asked again at all my medical appointments from the age of 27 until not so long ago. Another unwanted pregnancy, I'm 35 and the child is 8. I don't want another child. I knew it then and I know it now. I was finally heard by the gynecologist I consulted for a voluntary interruption of pregnancy (abortion). I was able to have the ligature.... Almost 10 years after my first request! And after an abortion and 3 miscarriages, because I was refused the contraceptive method of my choice on the grounds of my age or the fact that I clearly wanted more than a child...

I left the doctor's office so angry! During my follow-up appointment, I simply asked the doctor to renew my annual prescription for the pill. He immediately turned to my boyfriend and asked him about his life plans. As if we'd never discussed this in our 12 years together. As if the doctor's appointment was my boyfriend's, not mine. As if his health came before mine. I had to persist with the doctor to make the point that I'd made up my mind long ago not to have children and that a few sentences wouldn't change my mind.

I had difficulty getting an appointment for the removal and insertion of an IUD. Also, during the removal procedure, my concerns and questions were not taken into account and I felt judged by the gynecologist. I therefore decided to stop using a hormonal IUD and to withdraw during intercourse, as condoms don't suit us. After several years, and fortunately no accidents, we decided to opt for a vasectomy for my partner. He then had to wait more than 6 months to get a vasectomy.

Since the first time I had COVID, I've had huge hormonal migraines which mean I have to consider contraception even though my husband is vasectomized. Given my age and the migraines, I have a little less choice than before, so I chose nexplanon. Which I can't afford at the moment, as it's $100, which isn't exactly essential in a very tight family budget. I also have to find a place to have it inserted, as my family doctor doesn't offer it. So that's several obstacles to something I need to function. I honestly didn't think I needed to ask myself these questions at 39. Access to contraception concerns us all for different reasons.

I couldn't take any contraception with hormones, as I get migraines quite frequently (super valid!). So, I had the choice between the hormone-free IUD & the injection. I was strongly advised (pressuring) to opt for the IUD because of my excess weight. The doctor prescribed one IUD for 3 years and another for 5 years, since I was hesitating. I wasn't available to pick up my prescription, so I asked my mother to pick up the 5-year one. During the installation, the doctor was cold and inserted his fingers into my vagina without warning and said something like “you bleed a lot” (I had my period during the appointment). I was shocked, because he had just penetrated me without warning and it was very intrusive. When I got home, my mother told me she'd taken the 3-year-old because she was afraid I'd regret my choice of the 5-year-old. I felt so betrayed and I cried a lot. I was 19 at the time and the experience was really traumatic. Three years later, when I had the IUD removed, the doctor (a different one of course!) informed me that my IUD was hormone-injected. I didn't understand a thing. I'm still confused. In short, I no longer use contraception (except condoms), because I don't trust anyone. We have blind trust in our health professionals and I just felt that they had more control over my body and my choices than I did. To this day, I avoid going to see doctors under any pretext. Unless it's a matter of life and death.

It's mostly in terms of information about the choices available. It took me a long time to find a contraceptive that worked. My first family doctor when I was a teenager wouldn't prescribe me a contraceptive, because he said I should avoid taking hormones as much as possible... That was just his belief, because I didn't have any health problems that prevented me from taking hormones. This doctor didn't listen to my needs at all. I wanted a contraceptive to help me manage my heavy, irregular periods, which were interfering with my sport and competitions. He only advised abstinence, even though I wasn't sexually active at the time. Later, my second family doctor gave me very little choice of contraceptive: it was the pill or IUD. Two options that didn't lead to good results. It was only when I met a gynecologist several years later and she gave me other contraceptive options that I finally found a contraceptive method that suited me in the way it was taken and in the side effects that were less problematic for me. 

 My experience with the accessibility of contraception has been mainly from a health point of view. Around the age of 15 I went to a walk-in clinic for another health problem completely, but I took the opportunity to ask the doctor to prescribe me the pill. He gave me a prescription just like that, without knowing my health situation. I took what he prescribed over the next few years, noticing that my health was getting worse, but I didn't see any correlation, until I read in the description of the pill that it could cause the health problem I'd been experiencing since I started taking it. So I stopped, the symptoms subsided and I asked my specialist to prescribe me something else. He told me I would need to see a gynecologist to make sure there were no further complications. This appointment took two years to materialize and now I finally have what I need. I know I'm more privileged than some people, but I think part of the lack of accessibility comes from the lack of knowledge of the doctors who give the prescription, without really knowing if it's the right method for the person. 

I first contacted my family doctor to obtain the birth control pill. I received no information on the brand, it was chosen by my doctor. After taking it once, I spent a day vomiting and suffering a migraine, so I stopped taking it. Then I made an appointment for an IUD insertion. The insertion was very painful, but the following weeks even more so. I had enormous cramps that prevented me from going to my classes. I went to the emergency room three times, and only the last time did the doctors agree to remove my IUD. The others always wanted to wait another week, to see if the pain would subside. No one warned me that the pain could last a few weeks or even months. Afterwards, I tried the pill again, but I got the same results as the first one, with different brands.