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Ashley Smith is a patient advocate from Maine Family Planning.
Since age 13, I have constantly struggled with depression, suicidality, mood swings, food sensitivities, sleep issues, and bloating. These myriad issues stemmed from my monthly cycle. For three weeks each month, I couldn’t function in the world. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t spend time with my loved ones, I struggled to sleep and eat regularly. I was fighting for my life. I knew this wasn’t normal, but I struggled to find a healthcare provider to take me seriously.
At age 30, I finally found Maine Family Planning. They provided comprehensive, compassionate care with zero judgment. My health provider was not only kind and respectful when I needed that most, she was relentless in troubleshooting my unique case and getting to the root cause of my problems.
I ultimately received a lifesaving diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and a prescription for birth control that has kept my symptoms at bay. It has provided me with a level of normality that I hadn’t felt in 15 years. My family, friends, and coworkers can wholeheartedly attest to that.
Contraception is an essential tool that allows people to decide if and when to get pregnant. But birth control can also have a tremendous impact on people with various distinct medical conditions. I literally got my life back because of access to contraceptive care.
Family planning care has been wholly underfunded in Maine and federally. In light of the withholding of federal funding in Maine, we are focused on a state family planning funding bill, LD 143, that passed the state Legislature and is awaiting funding by the appropriators. Family planning isn’t just about contraceptive care. Wellness exams, pap smears, STI testing, breast and cervical cancer screenings are all covered under the Title X program.
As a career server in the restaurant industry, I live in a difficult place; I make too much money to qualify for MaineCare and not enough to afford to buy a private insurance plan. While the industry I work in is the backbone of Maine’s economy, I am left with few viable options for accessing care. For that reason, Maine Family Planning has been my lifeline.
A few years ago, when living in a rural area, a previous partner reached out to let me know they had tested positive for an STI. I knew I needed to get tested, but I couldn’t find care less than 40 minutes away. Then I discovered there was a Maine Family Planning in Norway, just 15 minutes away. It was 2020 and I didn’t have a steady flow of income.
You can imagine the relief I felt at the check-out window when they asked me to pay only what I was able. To not only get the care I needed to treat the STI and not spread it to others, but also to afford that care was critical to my health and the health of others.
I have moved many times in the nine years I’ve lived in Maine. The incredible thing is the ability to visit any of Maine Family Planning’s 19 locations. I’ve received care at various locations, and in some instances, I’ve seen the same provider in different locations. It has been invaluable to have the ability to have a strong relationship with my provider, and I now get annual wellness checks and screenings there. In one instance, a breast cancer screening led to an escalation of care that I wouldn’t have otherwise received.
When I’m not working as a server, I garden, I take pottery classes, I work at a girls’ summer camp, and in the spring, I tap trees for maple syrup. After years of suffering from debilitating health issues, access to contraceptive care, breast cancer screening, and STI testing is how I am able to have these hobbies and live this life.
Sustainable, consistent funding for sexual and reproductive health care is paramount to the health of thousands of Mainers’ across our rural state. I urge our state legislators to commit to protecting patients’ real and ongoing public health needs and fund LD 143.
