I can’t believe the letter I’ve just had from my doctor’s surgery, I am furious. I have suffered from severe migraines for years, and have had one stroke already. (people who get migraines are 3x more likely than the general population to have a stroke.) I’m at risk of another stroke. I’ve been prescribed a drug called topiramate for a while now, to reduce the frequency and severity of the migraines.

I’ve just received a letter from the doctor’s surgery saying that, due to new guidance, as topiramate can cause birth defects, all women of childbearing age who take it MUST be put on birth control, regardless of whether they are sexually active. Which, as I’m sure you can tell from my username, I am not. I don’t want to be pressured and bullied into taking contraceptives. Hormonal contraceptives have a lot of side effects, including increased risk of stroke. Apparently the wellbeing of a foetus who will never be conceived is more important than the wellbeing of a woman who actually exists! Even non-hormonal contraception is something I don’t want, most of it involves embarrassing and painful procedures that I do not want to be subjected to. And quite frankly, it’s the principle of the thing.

So I am going to have to stop taking this migraine med, which will be awful for me, because all the other migraine meds either don’t work for me, or are unsuitable for stroke patients. I’ve even had nerve-blocking injections in my head from the neurologist which only worked for a couple of weeks, then my migraines came back with a vengeance. But no, a hypothetical foetus matters more. Is this not blatant sexual discrimination? I am so angry.

EDIT: You know what is extra infuriating? The letter didn’t even offer the option to choose to come off the topiramate, or keep it and take the contraception. The letter just demanded that I go on contraception immediately. No “if you’d like to keep taking the topiramate please make an appointment to get contraception,” just a very rude and authoritative demand that I make an appointment to be put on contraception immediately.

EDIT2: I’ve just read the letter more thoroughly. It says the problem with topiramate is that the babies of women who take it while pregnant are at a higher risk of ADHD and autism. Just think about what they’re saying. They’re saying ADHD and autistic people are so unwanted by society that it’s better to force women to go without medication they need, or force them to take meds they don’t want and that could have detrimental side effects for them, than let more autistic/ADHD people come into this world.