WHAT ABOUT THE MESS? – USING CONTRACEPTION (INSTANCE)
Silence. In the background, the practice nurse looked at her watch. ‘My husband and I are no longer together.’ Mrs A. looked quickly at the doctor, and then back at her watch. ‘I’ve got a new bloke . . . don’t know why . . . just felt I ought to have a check-up . . .’ Suddenly, the defences were lower, and Mrs A. was able to talk about the new man in her life. ‘He’s smashing, really nice
. . . [another anxious sideways look] but . . . well . . . he don’t really get on with the sheath, says he never had to use it with his ‘ex’. But, there’s no way I am going back on those Pills!’ ‘Why don’t we get on with the check-up,’ said the doctor. ‘We can talk about it then.’
Behind the screen, although the examination continued as requested, the talk was all of contraception. She had hated the Pill, well, to be fair, her ‘ex’ was an alcoholic, had wanted sex when fairly drunk, incapable of it later. ‘Every time I took that Pill, I felt sick.’ The oral contraceptive pill had equalled anger and humiliation. ‘When I left him, I said, never, never again.’ The doctor commented that the anger at the husband had turned into anger at the Pill, and wondered if it was only the new partner who did not like the sheath. Was sex OK now? Mrs A. blushed. ‘Smashing,’ she said, in an embarrassed way. ‘But it is true, neither of us like the sheath. It seems … a bit cold, really.’ (The pelvic examination was normal, and Mrs A. had been completely relaxed. It was warm and intimate behind the screen.) Had she thought of the cap? ‘It had been discussed, originally, but . . . wasn’t it too messy?’ ‘Well,’ said the doctor, ‘so was sex, come to that.’ Both laughed. A cap was fitted, she took it out, put it in again, ‘It’s perfect,’ she said. ‘I like to be able to do it, and I know he will be pleased. Who would have believed it? Fancy that!’
A cheerful, sexy lady left the room. The doctor looked back at her old notes: ‘Cap discussed. Positively rejected.’
*40/197/1*
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