Am I wrong in thinking that women are supposed to have a pap smear even before they are sexually active? I thought once you had your period for a while, you were supposed to go?
No the usual recommendation is 21 or when you become sexually active (I believe).
Also, I just wanted to comment about the acne medication. I believe that you are referring to a medicine that has been shown to cause really profound birth defects when used by pregnant women. I believe that the FDA required the pregnancy tests for women in order to approve the use of the drug. I am not sure why one wouldn’t just take the pregnancy tests, knowing that they will always be negative. I’m not sure why a pharmacist would be expected to take someone’s word for it that they are not pregnant in a world where people have been known to lie upon occasion!
Because I was 14 and didn’t want to go in to the doctor every month for a test when I wasn’t sexually active just to get rid of my acne. I could live with my acne but have you ever tried to schedule doctor’s appointments for teenagers during the school year?
I am totally with you all as far as the obnoxiousness of doctors who push ABC on people, or who scoff at NFP or abstention as forms of birth control, or call you a liar if you say you’re a virgin, but I don’t understand why one would take it personally when a doctor needs empirical proof of pregnancy or STDs in order to make a diagnosis or treatment plan. Again, people lie to doctors all the time.