Diaphragm, A.K.A the Never-Ending Story – Part I

For those unfamiliar with the #diaphragm, it’s a silicone dome that is vaginally inserted with spermicide. It’s like a female condom, also made from plastic, but you can reuse it after a proper cleaning. On the Maccabi website, it says that it is 92-96% effective for preventing pregnancy. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The sort of thing you could find at the pharmacy, a non-invasive and inexpensive contraceptive method, and, most importantly – that does not require the intake of hormones. Splendid.

But as simple as the diaphragm sounds, acquiring it in this place and time is extremely complicated. Even though it is an old-school contraceptive method that revives steamy memories for most women over 50, our current generation hardly knows anything about it. This is for two reasons:

1. Although the diaphragm was the most used contraception method in the West in the 1940s, since the invention of The Pill in the 60s and then the IUD, women preferred the new methods that have higher success rates and require less effort in real-time (the diaphragm needs to be inserted about an hour before having sexual intercourse and should be taken out when finished).
   

2. The diaphragm is not more effective than condoms and does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. So, most will opt for a condom and not the diaphragm (and rightfully so, in most cases).

So, why am I interested in the diaphragm?

As someone who has lost confidence in condoms, I would like to try using both, securing an extra barrier between the sperm and the egg. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Responsible of me. Silicone-made peace of mind. So, how do I get it?

The first stage requires a fitting of the cervix to know the size of the diaphragm you need. It isn’t like a condom that you can just buy and get a ‘feel’ for your size. You need to go to a gynecologist who will do a finger examination and then fit you with different-sized diaphragms until you find the right one.

This itself was challenging. I went to two gynecologists who laughed in my face. “We don’t do that in Israel,” the first one said, snickering at my outdated request. She immediately proceeded to inform me of different pills and IUDs. At the second gynecologist (an appointment I waited two months for), I ranted about how absurd it is that I am bombarded with hormonal and invasive options, yet the un-invasive, more simple option is hard to find. “You’re right,” she said, “but I can’t help you.”

I started to investigate and ask around. I found two Maccabi gynecologists that do fittings and one in Clalit (the details are at the end of the post). I made an appointment with Suzanne Warchaiser (her clinic is in the Habima area), and I waited another two months. When we finally met, she fitted me and prescribed me a diaphragm, spermicide, and vaginal sponges (which she personally recommends). Before making the prescriptions, she said she doesn’t usually recommend diaphragms because it takes a lot of effort to get one, and ultimately 10 percent of women suffer from UTIs (urinary tract infections) as a result. I said I was still willing to give it a try. On the back of the prescription, Dr. Warchaiser clipped on a medical approval note saying I can use the product even though it is not registered in the medical institution and sent me out to the pharmacy.

I went to five pharmacies, all over town, including the Maccabi pharmacy. The young pharmacists were gob-smacked, having never seen a prescription like this before or ever heard of the diaphragm. One said I need to take the prescription to a different Maccabi-pharm branch (either Yigal Alon or Hashilo), there the diaphragm will be ordered from abroad and will arrive within 2 weeks. It was at that moment that we noticed that my gynecologist forgot to sign the approval note.

I decided to make one more attempt, and in the last pharmacy I tried, the pharmacist was more senior. Finally, I thought, someone will know what I’m talking about. She took one look at the prescription and said that they have no such thing. I stood there in disappointment, and then she said, “I’ll tell you what, go to the Shor Tabachnik (private pharmacy).” I decided to call them to save myself another disappointing trip, and they said that they are out of stock, but I can call the import service and order it myself from abroad. I did, and they said that they don’t distribute diaphragms.

In the meantime, the pharmacist found me two different products: Safe-T sponges and VCF, both contraceptives for women that can be bought without a prescription. I bought them both and intend to report about them in future posts.

I hope that in my next entry and will be able to say I have found a place that sells diaphragms or that I have ordered one, and it is on its way. Until then, here are the details of the gynecologists who perform fittings.

Suzanne Warchaiser (Maccabi) Dizingoff 14 03-620-1438

Ronit Ben Eliyahu (Maccabi) Tel Aviv/Gan Yasha

054-447-2413

Yael Yairir (Clalit) 054-4472413

Know of any other gynecologists who do fittings? Have any leads on where to find diaphragms?

Comment below 😊