My Trip to Planned Parenthood

The month I aged out of my insurance coverage, I found out that I had ovarian cysts.

Thankfully, I did not need any drastic interventions. My current nursing job doesn’t provide insurance, so I couldn’t afford any further care on my own anyways. So I followed basic recommendations and talked with healthcare professional friends to address it as best as I could on my own.

Three months later, I began dealing with pains in my lower abdominal area again. At first, it felt similar to the pains that led me to the doctor’s trip where they found the cysts. Soon after, however, it intensified. I told myself: “maybe it’s all in my head,” and tried going about life normally. But the pain continued to get worse, and then, bleeding began. Because of contraceptives, I haven’t bled for over 6 months, so the fresh, heavy bleeding was especially unusual. I couldn’t afford an uninsured doctor appointment on my own, and did not want to burden my dad with the high costs (despite him begging me to do so), so I waited, hoping it would resolve on its own.

With each day, things felt worse. The bleeding increased, I began to feel dizzy (sometimes even while seated), my body felt weak, my head felt clouded, and my emotions were in shambles. I started to get nightmares about my health deteriorating and the unknowns left me feeling so afraid.

I spoke with my friends about options for care, and one of them suggested a place I had never thought of in this context: Planned Parenthood. A clinic that is well-known for its abortion services, but is rarely talked about for its other care offerings. (Did you know Planned Parenthood offers primary care, women’s & men’s health services, hormone therapy, and more?)

I went to the Planned Parenthood website and signed up for an appointment within the next few days. I got there on the day of and waited, wondering if I’d be able to afford care, if I’d be taken seriously, if I’d be listened to… and I was (for all of it). My care team was patient, attentive, and thorough. They evaluated me wholly, assessed every symptom, and sent for further testing.

I’m still waiting on some results, but, in the meantime, I was able to receive immediate treatment with high-dose hormone therapy. My head feels clear again, my emotions are more stable, the bleeding has stopped, and I’m feeling stronger.

Health and wellness is an ongoing journey for me, but these debilitating symptoms were immediately and effectively treated, thanks to the care of Planned Parenthood.

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Thank you for reading a bit about my recent health journey! Dealing with unknown health issues while being uninsured is scary. I dream of a world where universal, high-quality healthcare is available for everyone, as it is a human right. In the meantime, I hope that sharing my own experience might help someone, even if it may just be in the way of having some new information on navigating a lack of health insurance.

Beyond the services provided at Planned Parenthood, the clinic helps uninsured individuals receive care when they can’t afford it. You could be eligible for free services, or they could help you figure out how to get covered under state programs. There is information on their website, or you could chat with a staff member in-person.

If you’d like to learn more, check out: PlannedParenthood.org