Endometriosis patients in Nova Scotia are urging provincial politicians to adopt the federal pharmacare bill once it passes through the Senate.
The bill, if it becomes law, could make contraceptives such as IUDs and birth control pills free to Nova Scotians, which would help people suffering from conditions such as endometriosis with pain management, advocates say.
“Birth control in itself is a treatment for all sorts of pelvic issues, things like PCOS — polycystic ovary syndrome — endometriosis, and other types of menstrual irregularities,” said Abbey Ferguson, executive director of the Halifax Sexual Health Centre.
But whether contraceptives will be covered will depend on how the province chooses to implement benefits on the ground.
In a previous statement to Global News, Nova Scotia Health Department spokesperson Khalehla Perrault said, “It’s important to note that Nova Scotia’s Pharmacare Program currently covers contraception prescription, hormonal IUD, emergency contraception (Plan B), intravaginal contraception (NuvaRing) and injections (Depo-Provera).”
However, people who are ineligible for Nova Scotia’s current pharmacare program and don’t have private insurance are not eligible for coverage. The federal bill is looking to change that.
For those with endometriosis, increased access to contraceptives can be a game-changer.
Nikki Greer has used birth control for more than 15 years to help deal with her pelvic pain.
“The pain could come on randomly, and it was as if something was essentially exploding in my abdominal cavity. That intense pain would generally last for hours,” she said.
Greer went on birth control when she was a teenager. She says it was so effective in minimizing her pain, she didn’t know she had endometriosis until she went off it.
“That is when the symptoms of endometriosis came back full force. It was significant, debilitating pain,” Greer said.
In a way, Greer says birth control was a “double-edged sword” — so effective in masking her symptoms that it prolonged her diagnosis.
Through its Compassionate Contraceptive Program, the Halifax Sexual Health Centre provides free birth control to those in need, but their ability to do so relies on community donations, which Ferguson says isn’t always a sustainable option.
“I have seen in the past, in previous budget lives before I was ED, where we did have to cut that budget, because it was not a financial option,” Ferguson said.
“So, it is one of those easy ones where you can only put aside $200 worth of medication this month, instead of $400, which is an equation we never want to balance.”
Ferguson said some pressure on the non-profit could be alleviated if the province improves access to contraceptives, something patient advocate Maggie Archibald said is desperately needed in Nova Scotia.
“We don’t talk about it enough,” Archibald said. “And I also think there’s always that notion that birth control is just for pregnancy prevention. But actually, there’s other ways of using birth control to help manage conditions.”
According to advocates, the provincial government doesn’t need to wait until the pharmacare bill is passed; it could make birth control free for Nova Scotians at any time.
“I would recommend politicians to not play the provincial versus federal game, which I know is sort of the thing that we all do, and we’re all guilty of,” Ferguson said. “From a government perspective, I think that it’s a great idea to give people the medications that they need.”
For Archibald, having these conversations about birth control access is more important than ever with the pharmacare bill moving through the Senate.
“I think it’s a great step forward and will help so many people who are suffering,” she said.
For Ferguson, access to birth control is not only a province-wide issue but also a question of gender equity.
“This is 51 per cent of the population that is paying for this product, and the other 49 per cent of the world doesn’t even think about it,” Ferguson said.
According to Greer, women’s health is too often put on the backburner and not taken seriously enough, but this bill is an opportunity for the province to take it seriously.
“I would be curious to why a politician would be opposed to this,” she said.
In the meantime, Ferguson said the sexual health centre’s Compassionate Contraceptive Program is standing by to serve the community.
“Just give us a call,” she said. “We can book you a telephone visit and get you hooked up.”