All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
Contraception is not one decision — it is a decision that changes as your life does. Tap each one.
Four things worth thinking about
Do you want to stop thinking about it entirely? Keep your periods? Stop your periods? Something you can stop yourself at any time? Something with no hormones? The answers point to quite different methods.
“Here's what matters most to me.”Mood changes, bleeding, weight, headaches, or simply forgetting to take it. All of that shapes what is worth suggesting next, and none of it is a failure on your part.
“I tried something before and here's why I stopped.”The implant and the IUD are considerably more effective than the pill, mostly because they do not depend on anyone remembering anything. Plenty of people have never had them properly explained.
“Can you talk me through the implant and the IUD?”If children are on the horizon, this becomes a preconception conversation — folate, immunity, existing conditions, medicines. That advice is more useful before you start trying than after.
“We're thinking about trying in the next year or so.”Open any of these for what it involves. Every option gets explained, not only the ones that are quickest to prescribe.
Contraception
What happens A conversation about your health, your history and what actually matters to you — then the options that fit, with honest information about how well each works, what it does to your periods, and what the downsides are.
There is no best method, only the one that suits you at this point in your life. That changes, and revisiting it is entirely normal.
Some methods are not suitable with certain medical conditions or medicines, which is part of why this is a conversation rather than a menu.
Long-acting
What happens Your GP explains what the implant and the IUD involve — how they are fitted, what to expect, how long they last and how they are removed — and arranges it where that is what you decide.
Both are more than 99% effective and neither depends on remembering anything, which is why they outperform the pill so decisively in real use.
Both are reversible, and fertility returns quickly after removal. Where fitting needs to be arranged elsewhere, your GP will organise it and explain what to expect.
Emergency
What happens Emergency contraception is available directly from a pharmacist without a prescription — do not wait for an appointment. A copper IUD is the most effective option and can be fitted for several days afterwards.
The sooner emergency contraception is taken, the better it works. A pharmacy is the fastest route and no prescription is needed.
Book with us afterwards to sort out ongoing contraception and testing, which is the part that stops it happening again.
Preconception
What happens An appointment before you start trying — folate, immunity to rubella and chickenpox, existing conditions, medicines, weight, alcohol and smoking, and anything in your family history worth knowing about.
Some of this only works before conception. Folate matters most in the first few weeks, often before anyone knows they are pregnant.
If you take regular medication, this is the appointment where it gets reviewed for pregnancy safely and in advance rather than urgently afterwards.
Fertility
What happens Initial fertility assessment for both partners — history, examination, blood tests, cycle tracking and a semen analysis — and referral to a fertility specialist where that is the next step.
The general guidance is to seek advice after twelve months of trying, or after six months if you are over 35. Do not wait longer than that hoping it resolves.
A good deal of the initial work-up happens in general practice, which saves time and cost before any specialist is involved. Both partners are assessed, because roughly half of the findings are on the male side.
Every method works. What differs is what it asks of you and what it does to the rest of your life. Tap a card.
The implant and the IUD. Fitted once, effective for years, nothing to remember.
The pill, the ring, the injection. More flexible, and more dependent on you.
Condoms are the only method that also protects against sexually transmitted infections. Plenty of people use them alongside something else, and that is a sensible combination rather than a redundant one.
What actually happens when you come in to talk about contraception. Tap any card.
Ask for a long appointment if you want to talk through the options properly. If you already know what you want, a standard one is fine.
Flip backMigraines, blood pressure, clots in the family, smoking, medicines you take. These genuinely determine which methods are safe for you.
Flip backPeriods, hormones, convenience, reversibility, cost. Say what you actually care about — the right answer follows from that.
Flip backExplained properly, including the downsides. If a method has been oversold to you elsewhere, this is where that gets corrected.
Flip backChecked where the method requires it. A quick measurement that rules a couple of options in or out.
Flip backYours. Your GP's job is to make sure it is informed, not to make it for you or to steer you.
Flip backA script the same day, or an appointment booked for fitting if you have chosen an implant or an IUD.
Flip backCome back if it does not suit. Changing method is ordinary, and nobody expects the first choice to be permanent.
Flip backTap whatever applies and print it. It turns a vague conversation into a specific one, which is how you end up with the right method.
Ask for a doctor of a particular gender when you book if that makes it easier, and ask reception which of our GPs provides the option you are interested in.
Our GPs hold general registration with AHPRA. Areas listed are special interests within general practice rather than recognised specialist registration. Where an option needs to be arranged elsewhere, or where a specialist is the right route, your GP will organise it and explain what to expect.
Pick your situation and what you're coming in for. We'll show you what to expect before you book.
What are you coming in for?
Figures shown are what you pay at the clinic for the appointment itself. Medicines, devices, imaging and specialist fees are set elsewhere. Reception will always confirm the cost with you before anything goes ahead.
Yes, on weekdays, with a valid Medicare card. What you pay at the pharmacy for a prescription is separate and set by the PBS. Devices such as implants and IUDs have their own costs — your GP will explain what applies before you commit to anything.
The long-acting methods — the implant and the IUD — because they do not depend on anyone remembering anything. In real-world use they outperform the pill by a considerable margin.
Your GP will talk through what each involves and arrange it. Which of our doctors provides fitting varies, so ask reception when you book and they will book you with the right one.
No. Fertility returns after stopping any of these methods. The contraceptive injection can take longer than the others for cycles to return to normal, which is worth knowing if a pregnancy is on the horizon.
Go to a pharmacy — it is available without a prescription and sooner is considerably better. Then book with us to sort out ongoing contraception and any testing. A copper IUD is the most effective emergency option and can be fitted for several days afterwards.
Book a preconception appointment. Folate, immunity to rubella and chickenpox, medicines, existing conditions and cervical screening are all easier to deal with before than during — and folate in particular works in the first few weeks, often before anyone knows.
Twelve months, or six months if you are over 35. A good deal of the initial fertility work-up happens in general practice, and both partners should be assessed.
Yes. Some methods are better suited than others while breastfeeding, and your GP will explain which. The six-week postnatal check is a natural time to sort it out.
Yes. A young person aged 16 or over can consent to their own medical care and it is confidential. Younger teenagers are assessed on whether they understand what is involved, with the same care about privacy.
Come back and change it. That is entirely ordinary — nobody expects the first choice to be permanent, and there is no shortage of alternatives.
Book a long appointment, say what actually matters to you, and go through the options properly. And come back if it does not suit, because changing your mind is entirely normal.
Every option is explained, including the pill, contraceptive implants, IUDs and emergency contraception, and implants and IUDs can be inserted and removed in the clinic. Ask reception which GP to book with.
We are in Salamander Bay Shopping Centre with free parking, and patients come from across Port Stephens and the Tomaree Peninsula, including Nelson Bay, Corlette, Soldiers Point, Anna Bay, Lemon Tree Passage and Medowie.
Book online with HotDoc at any hour, or call (02) 4008 4400.
From the health journal
