A 19-year-old requests a prescription for birth control pills at the student health center. She tells the nurse that she wants to take birth control pills to decrease the pain and headaches she has during her menstrual periods. The most appropriate response by the nurse is,

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Oral contraceptives decrease dysmenorrhea and are appropriate for the patient's symptoms. Sexual history is not relevant when prescribing birth control pills for this purpose, and the patient is not required to provide this information. Other techniques may be tried, but oral contraceptives are a possible first-line therapy. The nurse should not appear to indicate that the patient's problems are not serious; in addition, the side effects of birth control pills are minimal for most women.

A 19-Year-Old Requests a Prescription for Birth Control Pills at the Student