For most, college is the time to acquire a higher education, make life-long friends, discover oneself and date different people while obtaining a degree. But sometimes life can take an unexpected turn and for some female students, this can mean pregnancy.
The Cal Poly Health Center offers help to students who are pregnant, or suspect that they may be pregnant, including free and confidential consultations to help them weigh their options and find the right off-campus resource.
“They don’t have to choose exactly which option because obviously pregnancy is a big deal,” said Mischa Davies, a psychology senior and the Educational Resources on Sexuality (EROS) team coordinator at the Health Center.
“We don’t refer them to any specific place,” she continued. “That is for them to choose.”
PULSE, which stands for Peers, Understanding, Listening, Speaking, Educating, consists of three teams in the Health Center: HEAT, TLC and EROS. These teams are made up of students in all majors ready to provide information and support to students about a variety of health concerns.
EROS covers a plethora of topics concerning sexuality, including information on abstinence and contraception methods. It also provides free condoms, lubricants and latex dental dams to students.
Additionally, students can obtain information about sexually transmitted infections, relationship issues and communication between partners.
A student in this situation can expect to be asked questions about her use of contraceptives, feelings about pregnancy, partner history, support from a partner or family and personal morals.
“You can’t push your own beliefs on them, especially since it’s such a hard thing being pregnant,” said Davies. “It’s definitely important to see what they want to do and what is viable for them depending on their situation.”
EROS presents the options the pregnant student has – whether to continue with or terminate the pregnancy in the event of birth, whether to keep the baby or put it up for adoption.
“It’s definitely better that they don’t have some negative influence on them and push you in the wrong direction because all three of these options can have psychological effects if you don’t feel right with it,” Davies said.
The Health Center, located in building 27 next to the Recreation Center, is a good starting point for students with pregnancy or sexual health concerns. Services include pregnancy tests, Pap tests, sexually transmitted infection tests and pelvic exams. Tests will be performed by a female doctor upon request.
The Health Center does not make referrals but it provides students the information about different clinics and the services they provide. It also offers resources for abortion or post-abortion counseling, prenatal services, sexual health and adoption.
“We feel that that is a personal choice, so we don’t take a position one way or another, unless it’s a health issue,” Director of Health Education Rojean York-Dominguez said. “Different values, different family systems, different lifestyles, career goals and different types of relationships all factor in when looking at a pregnancy.”
EOC Health Services, located on Grand Avenue near campus, is one of the many clinics in San Luis Obispo that offers students a confidential environment where he or she can go to seek counseling and services.
EOC offers pregnancy tests, Pap tests, sexually transmitted infection tests, information about contraception methods and in some cases, free contraception.
“Our goal is to give a nonjudgmental environment where people can feel comfortable asking questions and not feel threatened by the decisions they are going to make,” said Francesca Peterson, EOC Health Services clinic manager. “We just try and give them resources.”
Services provided at EOC are free to low cost depending on family size and income. FPACT (Family, Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment) is a program that assists students in receiving all services at no cost.
“Most students have a very limited income, so based on an income and family size, a vast majority of students we see get their services here for free and it’s paid for by the state program,” said Peterson.
“We would love to see more and more students there,” she added.
Planned Parenthood of San Luis Obispo is another resource where students can go if they are pregnant or think they may be pregnant.
Located downtown on Pismo Street, Planned Parenthood offers pregnancy tests and an counseling session where options such as parenting and adoption are discussed with the patient. They are also the only facility in the county that provides abortion services.
Planned Parenthood allows patients to become a part of a state funding program, which charges on a sliding fee scale based on income and family size.
Choices Pregnancy Resource Center is another center where students and members of the community can obtain pregnancy information and counseling. Services include pregnancy tests, abstinence education and counseling for women who are pregnant.
Though the center will discuss different options with the patient, it is anti-abortion and encourages women to abstain from sex.
“We do not judge anybody about their choices, but we are here to help them with whatever they decide,” said Maria Estrada, director at Choices.
Choices is a non-profit Christian-based pregnancy resource center that receives money from community efforts, fundraising and donations from churches. It is not a clinic, but is currently in the process of getting funding, approval and licensing and hopes to become one.
According to Davies, there was only one pregnancy scare last year at EROS, which signifies that unplanned pregnancy is not a major problem at Cal Poly.
For a full list of pregnancy resources, please visit the Cal Poly Health Center.