“Baby, now don’t get mad…” Brandon said as he lay next to his girlfriend Jessie. “Don’t get mad about what? What are you talking about?” Jessie asked, starting to get upset. Brandon won’t look directly into her eyes. He is embarrassed, ashamed even. “I didn’t make it in time,” he says, his face turning red. “You didn’t make it in time? Meaning you didn’t pull out in time?” Jessie asks, clearly angry now. Brandon nods his head sadly. Jessie wraps the sheet around her and gets up. “You’re saying that you came in me?” Jessie yells. Brandon once again nods. Jessie starts to pace around the room, getting angrier by the second.
Finally after five minutes of unbearable silence, Jessie speaks up. She is slightly calmer now. “Brandon, how did this happen? You’ve always been able to pull out in time.” Brandon hesitates for fear of making things worse. “I don’t know. I guess I got so caught up in everything. It was all feeling so good. I didn’t want it to stop. So, I just didn’t. It was already too late when I realized what happened. I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened.” Jessie stares at Brandon’s face. She can see that he really is sorry but still can’t help but feel angry. Jessie sits back on the bed. She takes a deep breath. “Look, I know you’re sorry. But this isn’t something that should be happening. I could get pregnant. Where would we be if that happened? I’m 17, in high school, no job. You’re 18, getting your GED, working at a garage. We wouldn’t even be able to afford a baby. Besides, it’s a big responsibility. I don’t think it’s something we’d be able to handle emotionally.”
They stare at one another, thinking about the scenario Jessie described. It would be near impossible to manage it all. Most importantly, they aren’t ready for such a responsibility. Only dating for 8 months, Jessie and Brandon are getting to know each other. They are in love, but don’t feel ready to be parents. “We should have been using condoms. That way, there’d be less of a chance of this happening,” Jessie said. “You know I’m allergic to latex. I thought pulling out was our best bet. You didn’t want to get on birth control, remember?” Brandon asked, trying to shift the blame. Jessie stares at him, annoyed he is even bringing this up. “Yes, I remember. I wasn’t convinced that I’d be able to take a pill every day. And I heard those shots make you gain weight like crazy. Anyway Brandon, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. The point is that it happened. The question is: what are we going to do?” Jessie asked, unsure of the answer herself.
Two days later, as Jessie is sitting at home watching TV, she gets her answer. It was a commercial for something called Plan B. It was an emergency contraceptive for when your first method fails. A pill you could take to prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex . This was the answer Jessie was looking for. Jessie wasn’t sure how long she had to wait to take a pregnancy test. Was she supposed to wait until she missed her period? Or was she supposed to take it before she missed her period? It was all so confusing. At the clinic, all her questions could be answered. She called up the clinic she goes to and asked if they offer Plan B. They do and can squeeze her in for that afternoon. Jessie calls Brandon to ask him if he will go to the doctor with her. “Hi Brandon. I saw this commercial earlier on TV about this thing called Plan B. It’s a pill you take to prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex.” “Really? I didn’t know something like that existed,” Brandon says. “I know. Me either. But anyway, I made an appointment at the clinic for four o’clock this afternoon.”
At the clinic, Jessie and Brandon are nervous. Jessie is looking all around while Brandon stares at his sneakers. ‘I can’t even believe I’m here. I don’t want to be here. But if I leave, I might get pregnant.’ Jessie thinks. ‘This is her fault! She should have been on birth control. I can’t be expected to pull out in time every time. And am I supposed to go in with her? What am I supposed to do?’ Brandon wonders. “Jessie? Hi, I’m Dr. Lee. You can come with me this way.” The doctor walks ahead as Jessie and Brandon follow her to an examination room. “So Jessie, what brings you here today and who is this young man?” Dr. Lee asks. “This is my boyfriend Brandon. I asked him to come with me today, if that’s alright.” Jessie says. “Of course. What can I help you with?” asks Dr. Lee. Jessie is hesitant. After a bit of silence, Jessie looks at Brandon and takes a deep breath.
“Brandon and I had unprotected sex two days ago. I saw the Plan B commercial and made an appointment,” Jessie finally says. “OK, I see. Do you and Brandon usually have unprotected sex? Do you use condoms or any other birth control method?” Jessie and Brandon look at each other. Brandon decides to speak. “No, not really. I’m allergic to latex so I can’t use condoms. Jessie wasn’t sure of what birth control to use so I’ve just been pulling out. It’s never been an issue until now,” Brandon tells the doctor. Dr. Lee continues to write in the chart. “OK, I understand. Jessie I’m going to give you Plan B but let me give you some info about what Plan B is and how it works. Plan B is an emergency contraception pill. It is only supposed to be used when a first method fails or partners have unprotected sex. It should not be used as a regular birth control method. Plan B is not a miscarriage or the abortion pill,” Dr. Lee informs Jessie and Brandon. As Dr. Lee goes on about Plan B, Jessie starts to feel more at ease about the whole situation. Brandon is relieved too.
Dr. Lee walks away for a moment. “Here are the pills and some water. I’m also going to ask one of our health educators to speak to both of you. She’ll give you some information and help you explore your choices for regular contraception.”
Rose, a health educator comes out to speak to Jessie and Brandon. Rose extends her hand and both, Jessie and Brandon, shake her hand and say, “It’s nice to meet you,” then follow her into her office. “OK, have a seat. So Dr. Lee filled me in on the situation. Brandon, you are allergic to latex?” Rose asks. “Yeah, I’m allergic. It irritates my skin and it’s very uncomfortable. So, I haven’t been using condoms. I’ve just been pulling out.” Rose nods. “Brandon, I don’t know if you’re aware, but latex condoms aren’t the only kind of condoms available. “ Rose says. “Really?” Brandon asks completely surprised. “There are condoms made of polyurethane which is a kind of plastic. These condoms are suggested for people who are allergic to latex. There are also female condoms made of non-latex material that are a good alternative,” Rose tells them. “We have free polyurethane condoms at the clinic. You can also buy them at the drugstore. If the clinic is closed, you can also buy emergency contraception over the counter but you have to be 17 years old or older and have an ID to purchase it.” Brandon and Jessie look at each other and nod. “I never knew this. This is good to know. We are going to start using those condoms and protecting ourselves.” Jessie said.
“There are many choices when it comes to preventing pregnancy. I have to say that pulling out is not very effective. Even if you do pull out in time, there is still a chance of pregnancy because of pre-cum which is the clear fluid that comes out before the semen. It can contain sperm, so pregnancy can still occur, so it is not a good method to prevent pregnancy,” Rose said. Jessie feels a little overwhelmed by all this new information. “Birth control is a personal choice…” Rose begins. Jessie thinks ‘I’m so glad that there is a birth control method out there for me. I’m so relieved that Brandon and I have found a way to prevent pregnancy that’s right for us. I won’t have to be in this situation again.’
Jessie and Brandon begin to take a more proactive approach to preventing pregnancy. Jessie decides to start taking the birth control pill and discovers it is not as difficult as she once thought. She uses an alarm on her cell phone to remind herself every day to take the Pill. Brandon returns often to the clinic to get free non-latex condoms and uses them every time he and Jessie have sex. Still, it’s not always easy for them. There are times when Brandon or Jessie want to have unprotected sex since it was what they did for so long. However, when they think about how they felt when Jessie had to take Plan B, they decide against it. Both of them feel very lucky that something like Plan B is available. They don’t know where they would be if it weren’t for emergency contraception.
Because of this experience, Jessie and Brandon learned to communicate better with each other which improved their relationship as a whole. They grew closer and now they know that it is crucial to be completely open and honest with each other. Using birth control pills and condoms, Brandon and Jessie are protecting themselves. Jessie feels good knowing she and Brandon are making smart, healthy decisions. They now realize that two birth control methods are better than none.