The low-dose contraceptive pill can do more than help prevent pregnancies — it can help alleviate symptoms associated with heavy menstruation and diseases such as endometriosis.
With a rising number of varieties available, obstetrician and gynecologist Song Mihyon, 49, recommends the pill to help improve some patients’ conditions.
“I want women to know there is a pill available through health insurance and help create a society in which women can make their own decisions regarding their bodies,” said Song, who is the director at the Marunouchi no Mori Ladies Clinic in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward.
Obstetrician and gynecologist Song Mihyon
Obstetrician and gynecologist Song Mihyon | Jiji
Continual use of the pill helps to stabilize the levels of female hormones in the body, suppressing ovulation. Beyond contraception, however, the pill has also been known to alleviate pain during menstruation and the volume of menstrual blood.
The pill can also help address symptoms associated with endometriosis — including mental unwellness, acne and infertility — and it can also help lower the risk of patients contracting endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer.
If a patient intends to use the pill with the goal of preventing pregnancy, then the doctor can decide that the visit should be an out-of-pocket expense for the patient, with the medication not covered by insurance.
Should the doctor deem the pill necessary to help alleviate a patient’s menstrual pain or symptoms from endometriosis, however, then they can prescribe a pill that is covered by insurance.
However, some medical institutions will still prescribe a birth control pill not covered by insurance to someone with menstrual pain and other ailments under the idea they are not illnesses, saying it’s simply to “alleviate symptoms,” Song said.
The thinking is the profit margin of the medical institution rises with every patient paying out of pocket to receive medical treatment, according to Song.
Birth control medication not covered by insurance will generally cost the patient between ¥2,000 ($13.50) and ¥3,000 per month, Song said. Medication that is covered, on the other hand, can run between ¥440 and ¥2,350 per month.
Song said she has seen some cases where patients come to her clinic asking for a prescription for medication covered by insurance after they had a different doctor prescribe only the noninsured variety.
“I think doctors need to tell their patients that a birth control pill covered by health insurance exists,” Song said.
Translated by The Japan Times