CONTRACEPTIVE CARE OF THE OLDER PATIENT – THE END OF CONTRACEPTION (INSTANCE)
Mrs E. had always used a diaphragm successfully. She went through the menopause at about 52 years with few problems, her periods stopping within about six months. A year after they stopped the doctor explained that she was now free to stop using her cap, and was therefore a little surprised to find her still collecting supplies six months later. Mrs E. looked defensive and uncomfortable as she explained that she had always felt con-traceptively secure using her cap but at the same time she had seen it as a safeguard against cancer. She accepted that she did not need it for contraception but could not relinquish its use as a protective for the cervix. She was afraid that the doctor would prevent her getting more supplies as she no longer needed it for contraception. She also admitted that newspaper articles about the cost-effectiveness of the NHS made her feel uneasy. Talking about these feelings with the doctor, and being given some explanation about the causative factors involved in carcinoma of the cervix, has enabled her to look forward to lessening her attachment to the cap. Meanwhile she continues to use it, collecting supplies with the doctor’s blessing and looking happy again.
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Tags: Allergies