My experience with birth control Part 1- The pill
I decided I wanted to share my experience with contraceptives with this new series “My Experience with Birth Control”. My story is not one that is unique and I hope that in sharing it, others will be inspired to share their own. I also hope this helps bring awareness and encourages young womxn to ask questions, seek all the information thats available, and know ALL the options and can make their own empowered choices.
Hope you follow along, learn, get inspired, and enjoy ✨
Part 1- The Pill: Why I got on it, why I got off it, and what I wish I knew
Since I got my first period at 16, I have had irregular periods. By the time I got to college they were still irregular and extremely painful so I relied heavily on painkillers to get through. I had one of those giant ibuprofen bottles right on my nightstand but I never thought this was outside of the norm. I thought everyone was going through the same thing. Whenever I talked to my friends about it they would all moan the same things:
“Oh yeah my cramps are THE WORST”
“UGH Periods suck! Boys are so lucky”
And then I started to notice the majority of my girlfriends were on birth control (BC)! Wait did they know something I didn’t? They said the pill made their periods more predictable, some said they were shorter and they had less cramps. I even heard a few girls who would trick their bodies into skipping a period if they had a vacation or a date coming up because they “just didn’t want to deal with it”. I didn’t ask any more questions, I just wanted this magical fix. I was SOLD.
So next time I was home from college, I made sure to see my GP to get my hands on this “magical pill”. I asked if it was safe and she assured me it was 100% safe. That was the extent of our conversation. I got a generic type, and THAT WAS IT. But here’s the catch, “safe” is a relative term. These are some of the questions I wish I knew to ask before making the decision to start the pill:
can you explain the different kinds of contraceptives and how they work?
what are ALL the side effects?
can it disrupt other organ functions? how does this affect my hormones?
are there any other options to help figure out whats going on with my body and my period?
is what I am experiencing normal and is getting on the pill the best option?
Over the span of a few years, I tried a few different brands of the pill because each one seemed to give me a weird side effects like unbearably sore boobs, horrible migraines, and weight gain. All on top of getting increasingly emotional and moody. But I ignored all the signs. I understand now that my body was trying to tell me that what I was putting in it was NOT GOOD…but I wasn’t listening.
I finally decided to stop taking oral contraception and got an IUD because I was fed up with the side effects and taking it consistently was not my strong suit. I’ve since removed my IUD which I will discuss in my next post. But lets make something clear, while I DO NOT think I had sufficient education about my body and the risks, side effects, and other contraception options that were better suited for my specific needs, I DO believe that having contraception available to me in my younger years was a good thing. I am not here to demonize hormonal BC or any form of contraception, rather my goal is to help womxn:
Get informed on your beautiful body and all its natural processes (AKA Body Literacy)
Get educated on all the forms of contraceptions and how they interact with our bodies. How do they work?
Pause and consider if your current form of BC is truly serving you. Are the cons/risks worth it?
Challenge the norm if your BC isn’t serving you. Are there better options for you that you’ve learned about?
Now that you have all the info you need, make the best choice for YOU.
Everyone’s life situation is unique and different contraception methods work for different womxn and different life situations (and I support any decision that you make!) but the first thing we need to do is set up a strong foundation from which we make these decisions about our bodies. What this looks like is educating ourselves and young girls on the intricacies of our reproductive systems. Truly learning the processes that are taking place through our menstrual cycles, not just the bleeding part but THE WHOLE process: The engine that is our hormones and the chain reactions they start, how these affect our temperatures, our cervical mucus, our energy, our immune system, our brain function, and so much more. When we understand our bodies and its functions, we can understand the contraception methods we choose and how they interact with these natural processes. Every form of contraception comes with its set of risks so understanding these and understanding our bodies helps us make the right choice for our specific needs. With this information you can make an educated choice of which form of contraception suits your lifestyle, which risks you are willing to take on and which side effects your willing to live with. The bottom line is that I know and trust that a womxn who is educated, empowered, and embodied will ALWAYS make the right choice for herself and her body.
Have you had a positive or negative experience with oral BC that you want to share? What questions have you asked your doctor that have helped you make a decision? Do you want to know more about a specific topic I touched on? Anything you want to add? Id love to chat!
disclaimer: I am not a doctor nor do I provide any medical advice but if you are thinking about getting BC, if you want to switch the type of BC your’e currently on, or if you want to get off it, talk to your physician or OBGYN and come prepared with your body/self understanding, lots and lots of questions, and willingness to have a conversation. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of, I’m your girl! I can help get you the resources you need to make the best choice for you. If you want to talk more head over to my contact page here or click the button below.