Health Conditions / Sexual and Reproductive Health / Periods

If you’re exploring different types of birth control methods, you might know that finding one you jive with can take some trial and error. As you go, consider looking into the birth control implant, which is often referred to by the brand name Nexplanon. It’s a 1.6-inch plastic rod that’s inserted beneath the skin of your upper arm. It pumps out small amounts of progestin, a hormone that prevents your ovaries from releasing eggs and thickens your cervical mucus so sperm can’t swim to the egg, to prevent pregnancy (99% of the time!) for at least three and up to five years. Like IUDs, the main perk of Nexplanon is that it’s long-lasting—once it’s in your body, you can kinda forget about it. As great as birth control pills are, you need to remember to take one at the same time every day. It sounds simple enough, but an estimated 50% of people on the pill forget to take it at least once a month, increasing their risk for unintended pregnancies.1 (As someone who failed miserably at taking the pill on a set schedule, I get it. No alarm or pillbox could help me adhere to my medication regimen.)  With Nexplanon, you don’t have to do anything aside from having the device implanted, then getting it removed or replaced when it expires, or sooner if it’s not working for you. Jill Purdie, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in Atlanta, Georgia, tells SELF that Nexplanon is one of the “the most effective reversible contraception [options] available.” Basically anyone who, one, wants birth control, and, two, can tolerate a hormonal option is a good candidate for it, she adds.As is the case with any drug, there are potential side effects that could occur—we’ll get to those in a bit—but most people do just fine after they have the implant placed. Here’s what to expect from the procedure to determine if you want to give Nexplanon a whirl.  How the birth control implant is placedThe implantation process is quick and only takes a few minutes. Dr. Purdie, who’s been performing the procedure for over 15 years, breaks it down: First, an anesthetic will be used to numb the area of your arm where the device will go—which, by the way, is typically the inside of your non-dominant upper arm. Then it’s straight to insertion. The implant will already be pre-loaded into an insertion device, and your doctor will push the tip of the device into your skin until the plastic tube is rooted into the layer of fat just below the skin, explains Dr. Purdie. Then you’re good to go.When you get to your appointment, your health care provider will walk you through this entire process, so if you have any questions upfront, they can answer them right there and then. They’ll also do a urine test to make sure you’re not pregnant, Josie Urbina, MD, an ob-gyn and a complex family planning specialist with the University of California, San Francisco, tells SELF. (You can get the implant placed right after having an abortion or giving birth). Then, it’s on to the procedure. Once the implant’s in place, they’ll wrap your arm in bandages, go over what you can expect in the short- and long-term, and send you on your way. How you might feel after getting the birth control implantYour arm will remain numb for an hour or two after the procedure, though you may start to feel some pain and soreness a few hours later when the anesthetic wears off. Some people will develop a bit of bruising, says Dr. Purdie. The soreness shouldn’t be too bothersome, but if it is, over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen—plus putting some ice on your arm—can help, says Dr. Urbina.

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would outlaw certain conversations about health and wellness for children in fifth grade and below, including discussions about periods. Constituents recently found out just how alarmingly restrictive it could be.A viral video of Florida state representatives discussing House Bill 1069—which would limit all instruction around sex to grades 6 through 12—was taken last Wednesday and shows Representative Ashley Gantt asking Representative Stan McClain, a proponent of the bill, about what it would mean, realistically, for teachers and students.“Does the bill prohibit conversations about menstrual cycles? Because we know that typically [menstruation begins] between 10 and 15. So if little girls experience their menstrual cycle in fifth grade or fourth grade, will that prohibit conversations for them, since they are in a grade lower than sixth grade?” Gantt asks. McClain replies, “It would.”Restricting conversations around menstruation, a normal bodily process, would be incredibly damaging, especially now: Post-Roe, parents, educators, health care workers, and others who work with children and young adults should be overcommunicating about the function of menstruation, Taraneh Shirazian, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn at NYU Langone, tells SELF. “Menstruation is a normal biologic change, and girls and boys should understand it,” she says. “[If you censor conversations around it], you’re going to set up a big problem for young [people] around the issues of pregnancy and family planning.”As Gantt pointed out, simplifying menstruation to a process that’s supposed to start during or after sixth grade will automatically isolate people for whom it starts earlier. “The nine-year-old [who gets their first period] is going to feel stigmatized and alone going to school,” Dr. Shirazian says. And many people start menstruating before sixth grade (at which point students are usually 11 to 12 years old). According to data from the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), up to 10% of girls in the US begin to get their periods by age 10.Regardless of age, implementing this law would send the message that girls’ bodies are unspeakable—which will likely have long-term consequences, Jennifer Lincoln, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and executive director of Mayday Health, a health education nonprofit, tells SELF. “Banning educators from discussing normal and physiological processes like menstruation enrages me as an ob-gyn. We are basically telling menstruators that we can’t talk about what’s happening to their bodies, which implies that it is shameful, dirty, and unnatural,” Dr. Lincoln says. “This sets the stage for a lot of misunderstanding and psychological trauma that will need to be undone. How these legislators sleep at night is incomprehensible to me.”House Bill 1069 would indirectly teach school-age girls that their bodies are somehow controversial when compared with boys’ bodies, Dr. Shirazian explains: “Once you start to set up that dichotomy, we can’t empower girls.” In some parts of the world, this stigmatization comes at a huge cost, she adds: “Globally, some girls are not going to school” because of societal shame attached to starting their periods.

You’re probably well aware of the pill and how it works—but long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), including the birth control implant (a.k.a. Nexplanon), don’t require a daily check on your to-do list.There’s a growing interest in the etonogestrel birth control implant, and its set-it-and-forget-it nature likely plays a role in that. Once the tiny rod is placed in your arm, you don’t have to think about your birth control for years. Couple that with the fact that it’s highly effective at preventing pregnancy, and it’s an attractive contraception option, especially as the right to abortion and other forms of critical reproductive care are threatened in many states across the country.So, how does the birth control implant work? Here’s what you should know if you’re looking to switch to a LARC and want to explore your options. How does the birth control implant work?LARCs, which include the birth control plant and intrauterine devices (IUDs), are the most effective reversible contraceptive methods, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology (ACOG). LARC methods have a high success rate of preventing pregnancy while they are in place, but they shouldn’t directly impact your return to fertility; once the implant is removed, for example, you can get pregnant quickly if you don’t have other factors affecting your fertility, Christine Greves, MD, an ob-gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, tells SELF. The birth control implant is pretty tiny—it’s just under 2 inches long and is about the size of a matchstick. “Nexplanon is a little rod of a synthetic progesterone [progestin] that goes right under the skin,” Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, tells SELF. The implant is inserted into your non-dominant upper arm, where it can stay for up to three years to five years, per the ACOG.1 (Don’t worry, your health care provider should numb the area, so you won’t feel any discomfort during this process.) The way it works is pretty cool: “The implant sends out [progestin] into the bloodstream, which gets to the ovaries to help suppress ovulation,” Dr. Minkin explains. “Also, [progestin] helps keep cervical mucus hostile to sperm—so it helps keep sperm from getting up into the uterus.”Like any form of birth control, the contraceptive implant can come with potential side effects like spotting between periods, longer or shorter bleeding during your period, a heavier or lighter flow, varied amounts of time between periods, or no period at all, according to Planned Parenthood. Other possible side effects include the usual: headaches, breast soreness, and nausea, among others. “As long as you’re okay with the possibility of irregular bleeding…it’s a phenomenal form of birth control,” Dr. Greves says. How effective is the birth control implant at preventing pregnancy?In general, “the implant is a good option for individuals who know they want to delay pregnancy for several years and do not want the hassle of taking a pill every day,” Alexa M. Sassin, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, tells SELF.

Dr. Ahmad has seen many of her own patients take oral contraceptive pills for several years simply because that’s what was recommended and available to them when they first needed birth control. “They just decided to stick with them because it was what their friends were doing and they didn’t consider anything else,” Dr. Ahmad says. “Over time, as they learned about other options, [some of] which don’t require them to take a pill every day, many of them switched.”  Your birth control has failed.A good indication that you need a new birth control method: Your current one has failed you. As in, you were using it and still got pregnant. In some cases, the failure may be due to the inability to take it as recommended; in other cases, failure may occur despite perfect or near-perfect use, Dr. Ahmad says.  Quick reminder—no birth control is 100% effective. For instance, if the pill is used perfectly, it’s 99% effective, but the realistic rate (with “typical use,” or the way that the majority of people actually use it, which can include occasionally missing doses) is more like 91%, according to Planned Parenthood. If you get pregnant while on birth control, have a discussion with your doctor to figure out why it was that the method failed so you can pick a method that’s a better fit for you.Are there any risks of switching birth control methods?In most cases, switching from one birth control method to another doesn’t come with any serious risks. Just make sure your doctor has all your up-to-date health details so that you’re not switching to a method you have a contraindication for. Some side effects, like irregular menstruation, are normal when you switch the kind of birth control you’re taking. They’re simply a case of your body adjusting to the new method, which can take up to six to eight weeks, Samantha M. Dunham, MD, clinical associate professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. If you’re still having side effects after a couple of months, talk to your doc.“The biggest downside of switching too often is that different types of birth control have different mechanisms of action and when switching, there may be a period of time that the new method is ineffective,” says Dr. Ahmad. Some forms of birth control work immediately, like the copper IUD, which can even work as an emergency contraceptive if inserted within five days after unprotected sex. Others take longer to become effective, including the pill, ring, implant, and hormonal IUD, depending on when in your cycle you start taking them. While your body adjusts to a new contraceptive and you adjust to a new routine, use a reliable back-up method, such as condoms, to prevent pregnancy, says Dr. Baick. She adds that, depending on your current birth control method and the type you want to switch to, you may need to start using your new birth control before you stop using the old one. The overlap time depends on the particular type of methods in play—your doctor can tell you exactly what you need to do. What to do if you decide to switch birth control methodsBefore switching your birth control, the most important thing is to meet with your doctor to go over your options. “Make sure your physician has your updated medical history and understands what your preferences are in terms of frequency of use, hormones versus no hormones, and permanent versus reversible/temporary,” says Dr. Ahmad. “With that information, you and your provider can identify the best type of birth control for your specific needs and goals.” There’s likely no harm in testing out a new-to-you method to see if it works better for you and your current priorities, says Dr. Dunham. “The best method for you is the one you’re happy using and will use regularly.” If you want to do some research ahead of your appointment with your doctor, Dr. Dunham recommends checking out Bedsider, an online birth control support network intended to help prevent unplanned pregnancies. Finally, keep up with your yearly annual exams to ensure that you’re still using the method that’s best for you, despite any life or health changes that pop up. Just like any other aspect of your overall health, your birth control is worthy of your attention. Even if checking in just confirms that you’re on the right track, that’s great to know, too.Related:

Every month, for about two to three days before my period, I experience terrible brain fog. It’s similar to the feeling I get when I oversleep: I can’t think as quickly or clearly as I normally can, my memory is a bit fuzzy, and I’m just kind of out of it. Experts use the term brain fog to describe a range of temporary “cognitive difficulties,” like trouble focusing, forgetfulness, and mild confusion. Brain fog isn’t a medical diagnosis; rather, it’s a symptom associated with a slew of health conditions, including pregnancy, depression, long COVID, and, yes, PMS (premenstrual syndrome). The research on PMS-related brain fog is limited, but anecdotally, going through it can be a slog, Jennifer Roelands, MD, an ob-gyn who specializes in holistic medicine, tells SELF. For example, the mental cloudiness and impaired concentration may hurt your performance at work, as SELF previously reported, and research suggests that PMS symptoms, including cognitive ones like confusion, can also impact personal relationships. For me, the easiest tasks—like sending an email—suddenly feel difficult, and sometimes I feel like I lack the wherewithal to navigate even simple conversations. “To deal with that every single month is pretty miserable, but there are definitely things you can do to help,” says Dr. Roelands. More on that soon, but first… Why might menstruation trigger brain fog?I’ve always chalked premenstrual brain fog up to hormonal fluctuations that occur during my cycle. I figured the mental sludge had something to do with cyclical changes in estrogen and progesterone. That’s possibly not too far off, according to Dr. Roelands. Menstruation can cause all sorts of drastic and rapid hormonal changes that are associated with an array of symptoms (a.k.a. PMS), as SELF previously reported. It’s known that estrogen and progesterone also play a role in brain function and cognition, but how, specifically, changes in those hormones may directly contribute to brain fog is somewhat unclear, Cheruba Prabakar, MD, ob-gyn and chief medical advisor for wellness-ingredient company Purissima, tells SELF. The evidence has been mixed: A small 2017 study concluded that there is no relationship between brain fog and the hormonal changes that take place leading up to menstruation, while a 2020 analysis suggests that it’s just too early to declare, either way, if and how menstrual-related hormone changes impact cognitive functioning. Though the research on PMS and brain fog is inconclusive, many reproductive health specialists, including the ones SELF talked to for this story, say that, anecdotally, people commonly report experiencing brain fog both before and during menstruation. The going theory, according to both Dr. Roelands and Dr. Prabakar: The mentally fuzzy feeling is likely due to all of the significant changes in hormones, neurotransmitters, and insulin levels that happen during your menstrual cycle. And there are some data that support this theory: Research shows that estrogen and progesterone influence neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that deal with executive functions (a group of complex cognitive abilities that includes working memory and problem solving). Studies have also linked low estrogen levels to cognitive impairment and higher estrogen levels to improvements in memory and learning. There are estrogen receptors all over the brain, says Dr. Roelands, so it makes sense why your cognitive function is affected by the estrogen dip that happens during PMS. Experts also know that cognitive issues are common in menopausal people who have chronically low estrogen levels. 

As anyone who menstruates knows, getting your period isn’t always fun. At 28, having had plenty of experience with cramps, mood swings, and bloating, I thought I’d learned about most of the unpleasant things that can happen to the body during the menstrual cycle—but a TikTok recently taught me about one I’d never heard of before.In the viral video, Madi Swegle, an Iowa-based nurse, described a recent period that started off normal, but quickly turned nightmarish. “My cramps suddenly got very, very intense,” Swegle, who did not respond to a request for comment made via Instagram, said. She added that she made her way to the toilet out of instinct. “I had a heating pad; I had a bucket in front of me because I felt nauseous from the pain. It was a consistent, severe cramp.” The pain was so bad, Swegle said in the video, that she and her partner talked about going to the emergency room. “I thought it was just an awful period,” Swegle explained. “Then, an hour later, after this consistent, never-ending, extremely painful cramp, something came out of me.”Swegle said she passed something that was roughly the size of her palm and shaped like her uterus—which prompted her to take a picture of what she was looking at in the toilet and send it to her ob-gyn. “It was terrifying to see it come out of my body… because what the heck is this thing?” Swegle said. As it turns out, she said, it was a decidual cast, which is medically known as a membranous dysmenorrhoea, Alyssa Dweck, MD, FACOG, a New York-based gynecologist, tells SELF.A decidual cast develops when, instead of gradually shedding tissue, blood, and mucus as you would during a typical period, your body ejects the entire membrane lining of your uterine cavity—called the endometrium—in one fell swoop, Dr. Dweck says. “Possibly, it has something to do with mucus formation, but nobody seems to understand why this happens,” though people who use hormonal birth control methods may be slightly more likely to pass a decidual cast, she says.The pain Swegle was talking about can be extreme, Dr. Dweck adds: “The cervix will dilate a little bit,” she explains, “and because you have to pass this through a very small opening, it’s going to cause quite a bit of pain.” As Swegle noted in her experience, it’s going to look similar to a uterus. “It looks like a triangle, because that’s the shape of the uterine cavity,” Dr. Dweck says. Swegle’s first thought was that she’d passed a large blood clot, but Dr. Dweck says decidual casts won’t be as flimsy as clots. “Tissue, if you hold it in your hand, is spongy and looks like liver or meat. It wouldn’t just tear apart easily, while a blood clot would disintegrate a little bit easier,” she explains.The good news is, you don’t typically need treatment if this happens to you—once the decidual cast passes through, relief will set in. “People miraculously just feel so much better,” Dr. Dweck says, adding that the pain and cramping should subside quickly.

If you miss one pill but have been consistent previously, you probably don’t need a backup plan or emergency contraception, according to Planned Parenthood. You can simply take two pills in one day to stay on schedule. If you miss two pills, you should take the most recent missed pill as soon as you remember and then continue taking it as normal, but you should also use backup birth control (like a condom), or—if pregnancy is your biggest concern—avoid penis-in-vagina sex altogether until you’ve taken the pill for seven consecutive days.If you can’t ever remember to actually take the pill when you’re supposed to, or are often late refilling your prescription each month, a LARC takes away that responsibility. “A LARC’s main advantage is ‘set it and forget it,’” Dr. Dunham says. “It may require more effort to start up, but requires less effort over time.” Basically, once it’s in you’re good to go. No daily alarms or relying on good memory required.2. You want a little more control over your fertility.Research estimates that LARCs are up to 20 times more effective against pregnancy than the pill. Each LARC method is over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.1 In theory, the same goes for the pill—but only if it’s used perfectly (more on that later). A more realistic figure for the effectiveness of the pill in preventing pregnancy, based on typical use, is 91%, according to Planned Parenthood. In other words, about 9 out of 100 pill takers get pregnant each year.On the flip side, the pill can be appealing if you eventually decide you want to get pregnant, Dr. Dunham says. “It’s easy to stop and doesn’t require a doctor’s visit to start trying to conceive,” she explains.Even if you want to get pregnant in the near future, you can still use a LARC method for birth control in the meantime. “LARC doesn’t affect or decrease your chance of getting pregnant in the future,” Anita Sit, MD, chief of gynecology at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California, tells SELF. The hormonal implant and IUDs require removal at your doctor’s office, but the process is generally quick and easy for most people.When you stop taking birth control, it can take a bit of time for your cycle to return to normal. A 2020 study that analyzed data from nearly 18,000 people who menstruate found that fertility returned quickest in those who had used IUDs or implants; they waited for an average of two menstrual cycles before conceiving, while pill users had to wait for three cycles.23. The pill is too risky for you.Sometimes, your health history or lifestyle choices factor into your choice of birth control. If you’re older than 35 years and smoke, for example, your doctor may advise you not to take the pill due to the changes increased estrogen levels can make to your blood, according to the CDC. The same goes if you have a history of blood clots, breast cancer, or in some instances, high blood pressure, among other health conditions.

Mental health changes: There isn’t definitive proof that using hormonal birth control exacerbates depression or other mental health issues, according to 2020 research, but mood changes are a commonly reported symptom.1 So it’s important to write down any mood-related symptoms right along with your physical symptoms each day and try to name them as best you can, such as feeling particularly emotional at certain times, having sharp swings in your moods, or feeling depressed, says Dr. Sridhar. You should also include references to specific life events or happenings—say, a breakup or a high-stress period at work, or any other impactful life events—that correlate with the time period you started birth control, she adds.Medications or supplements you’re taking: There are plenty of medications that can trigger similar side effects to birth control. For example, some antidepressants and blood pressure drugs can also impact libido. So, make sure you write down other meds you’re taking in your journal (yes, including supplements); add the medication name, dosage, and how often you take it, Dr. Sridhar recommends. It’s not always easy to decipher exactly which side effect is coming from which medication on your own, she points out, so having all this information down can be helpful if you need to have a conversation with your doctor.Diet and exercise changes: If you changed up either of these recently, include them in your tracker, Dr. Sridhar says. For example, if you recently started eating a vegan diet and your mystery symptoms are stomach-related, it’s worth documenting what foods you’re eating and how you feel after to see if there’s any sort of connection. The same goes for your exercise habits: Major shifts in your activity—for example, you start training for a marathon—can also prompt changes in your body, like muscle soreness, headaches if you’re dehydrated, or GI symptoms (runners trots are so real). Basically, write down any workouts that feel especially new to you, says Dr. Sridhar, and note how your symptoms change during and after.3. Take a break to see if you notice any significant changes.If you feel that your symptoms are bothersome and interfere with your normal activities, another way to parse whether your birth control might be causing your symptoms is to stop using that method of birth control, if you can. Keep up with your journal for a good three months after so you can see if there’s a difference, says Dr. Sridhar.It’s generally safe to stop taking birth control pills, wearing the patch or ring, or ask your doctor for an IUD or implant removal at any time. If you use birth control to help manage a medical condition like PCOS, be sure to discuss it with your doctor before you stop taking your birth control, Dr. Kiley notes.And remember to use a backup method of contraception right away, such as condoms or spermicide, if you’re not planning to get pregnant, Dr. Sridhar adds.If your doctor determines your birth control is the root of your side effects, here’s what to consider.So, you’ve brought your robust symptom journal to your doctor, and the two of you end up determining that your contraception is likely causing your symptoms. Now what?

Ah, menstruation—giver of stained underwear, unrelenting cramps, and for some people, migraine attacks. If you feel a vice-grip around your skull right around the time your uterus decides it’s time for a deep cleaning, it’s probably not a coincidence.“Menstruation is a very common trigger of migraine attacks in women,” Addie Peretz, MD, clinical assistant professor in the department of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, tells SELF. Migraine is a complex neurological condition that essentially makes your brain really sensitive to certain triggers, which can lead to painful (and potentially debilitating) attacks. For some people, migraine triggers include certain foods, a lack of sleep, or stress. For others, the drop in estrogen that occurs right before their period starts can bring on an attack, she says.If you have menstrual migraine attacks, you already know they really suck. “Migraine attacks associated with menstruation tend to last longer, be more disabling, and are less treatment-responsive than non-menstrual migraine attacks,” Dr. Peretz says.So, what can you do about it? Menstrual migraine treatment can be broken up into three general buckets: acute treatment, for when you’ve already got a migraine and are trying to get relief; mini preventive treatment, which focuses on preventing a migraine in the days before your cycle; and continuous preventive treatment, which might be appropriate if you have attacks at other points during the month or if your migraines aren’t responding to mini prevention.“The overall goal is to decrease the intensity and the frequency of the migraine attacks so they have as little impact on your day-to-day functioning as possible. That’s a universal goal of migraine treatment, but especially true during the menstrual cycle,” Mason Dyess, DO, a neurologist and headache medicine specialist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, tells SELF.Ready to get some relief? Here’s what you can do—because PMS is already bad enough on its own.Track your menstrual cycle and your migraine symptoms.It’s important to figure out exactly when in your cycle you’re experiencing migraine attacks, how bad they tend to be, and whether they’re also happening outside of your period week. “Being able to pick up on patterns about when your migraine attacks are happening most often during the month is extremely powerful for headache providers,” Dr. Dyess says. “That can help us get a treatment strategy together that’s uniquely crafted to you and your triggers.”Consider tracking your menstrual cycle and headache cycle, whether that’s with a physical calendar, a period app, or the Notes app on your phone. The sky’s the limit for how much information you can record, but there are a few key things to cover. “At a minimum, I would suggest tracking whether you had a headache each day, the severity of the pain, whether you took medication to alleviate your pain, and when your period started and ended,” Dr. Peretz says. This can help you and your doctor confirm if attacks coincide with typical hormone dips during your monthly cycle.If you need contraception, some birth control can help reduce menstrual migraine symptoms.Since a change in estrogen levels can trigger a migraine attack, one strategy is to try to minimize that hormonal dip. If this is the case for you, the pill, vaginal ring, patch, and other hormonal contraceptives may help change your migraine patterns. “Some patients go on birth control to make their menstrual cycles more predictable, or to eliminate them, which can sometimes reduce overall migraine burden,” Dr. Dyess explains.

There’s a lot to love about college: sudden independence, late nights with new people who turn into lifelong friends, and endless opportunities to learn and grow. It can also keep you super busy—a packed schedule probably means that checking out various campus services is the last thing on your mind. But if there’s one service you use, make it your student health center.Not only will it put your health into your own hands (which may be a new thing for you), but it will help you stay on your A-game all throughout college. And if this is the first time you’ve had access to a one-stop shop for all your health needs, you may not even know everything that is available to you. In fact, when the SELF team discussed their biggest health-related college regrets, an overwhelming number of people said they wish they’d taken advantage of their campus health center.So here’s a rundown of the most important services that your student health center has to offer and why you should definitely check them out.1. You’re already paying for these health services.Here’s the thing: The cost of college includes tuition, room and board, and various student fees. Those fees generally include student health services, which means you might already be paying to access those resources. So why not make the most of it?For example, the health fee is mandatory for all students at UNC-Chapel Hill, whether or not they actually visit the health center, Ken Pittman, MHA, FACHE, executive director of campus health services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tells SELF. (Though 78% of students do utilize the university’s health services at least once a year, he notes). Basic services such as primary care visits, gynecology checkups, urgent care, and mental health counseling are covered under that fee, he says—so they won’t be billed to health insurance at all.As for services not covered by the student health fee? These vary at each school, but can include lab tests, like rapid flu testing, X-rays, and some procedures (for example, some campus health centers do IUD insertions and others don’t), says Pittman. These services are billed to the student’s personal health insurance, which may be required at some institutions.Remember, you can stay on your parents’ health insurance plan until you turn 26 years old, per Healthcare.gov, so you might have coverage that way. Many colleges and universities even offer students medical insurance plans, which may be another option for you. To learn more about your school’s specific health care requirements, chat with the folks at your campus health center.2. It makes it easy to schedule regular checkups.When you’ve got papers to write and classes to attend, getting annual checkups can feel like a drag. Besides, if you feel fine (save for the occasional sleepless night), do you really need routine checkups?TBH, yes. Regular checkups are a form of preventive care, which can help you identify or avoid health issues before they become bigger problems that require treatment. This involves services like routine blood tests, mental health screenings, and physical examinations, according to the US National Library of Medicine. Yes, your childhood primary care doctor, if you have one, can perform these services—but thanks to your student health center, you won’t need to wait until you’re back home to book an appointment.