The Pill. Side Effects and More
Why did you first start taking contraception? For many, it’s the obvious reason - we don’t want a baby hanging off our boob just yet. But for a lot of women, it’s a quick fix prescription for acne, hormonal issues or irregular periods.
For me, it was to stop my cycle altogether. Or for the four weeks that I jetted off to Africa anyway.
Since I’d noticed those first specks of blood, I’d cringe as each new month approached, awaiting the arrival of paralysing cramps. I took the painkillers. I got through a fair few Dairy Milk. But I’d still find myself doubled over, crying in maths class, with the boy sitting next to me awkwardly asking if I was ok.
When at age 15, my long-awaited trip to Kenya came around, I was terrified at the thought of cramping up mid safari. Bush camping whilst bleeding?! You’ve got to be kidding me.
So Mum took me to the doctor. Ten minutes after explaining to my oh so serious physician that I’d like the pill because - I’m still a virgin! I just want to control my flow! - I was handed a box of tiny tablets and told not to have a break.
Guess what readers. It didn’t bloody work.
There I was, happy as a clam on the oceanfront when ‘uh oh’, I felt the familiar motion deep inside my womb. It was pretty inconvenient, to say the least. As it was again four years later on a trip to Rwanda, and every other time I tried to control something that, well, just isn’t meant to be controlled.
Whilst there are 15 methods of contraception available in the UK, almost nine out of ten women are prescribed the combined or mini pill. It seems pretty clear that we’re not being educated about our other options and that too often it is used as an alternative for areas that could be dealt with in a less synthetic nature.
The most concerning problem arises when you consider the continuous stream of external hormones being ingested. For years I put oestrogen and progesterone into my body on a daily basis. So it’s not surprising that as soon as I went cold turkey, things began to change.
After six years of rising through the combined pill ranks, I was refused my refill following a series of migraines. My female doctor sent me on my way with a few scary leaflets about coils and injections. I felt dumbfounded and let down. I’d only gone in for a check-up, and now I was contraceptive-less.
My mid-twenties became a rollercoaster of mood swings, periods that lasted two weeks, periods that never arrived, stress-induced eczema, a wash of adult acne and a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis. Lovely.
I felt completely out of whack, not knowing how I’d feel from one day to the next. Years of taking the pill had masked a concoction of inbuilt hormonal issues. Many of which I could have dealt with earlier in life if I had known.
And it’s more common than you think.
Not only taking hormonal contraception can act as a plaster over our bodily symptoms, but it can also cause serious side effects. Weight gain, acne, depression, headaches, even agonising back pain - these are just some of the common symptoms associated with contraceptives such as the pill, coil, injection and patch. Many of which women regularly suffer, blind to the fact that they could potentially disappear if only they switched up their contraception.
So how do you know if what you’re experiencing is because of your contraceptive? Or if the option you’ve chosen is right for you?
What we need is a platform that breaks down the barriers of ‘contraceptive talk’. That gives women, and men, a space to learn about and share their experiences of contraception.
And would you believe it, I found one.
A few months ago, while searching for my next contraceptive step, I came across The Lowdown. Known as ‘TripAdvisor, but for the pill’, this contraceptive review platform shares thousands of real-life experiences, submitted by women and men across the world.
Founded on a promise to make the internet less scary, The Lowdown is set to shake up the sexual health industry. A sassy social media presence and informative blog posts cover everything from relatable individual contraceptive journeys to the more taboo topic of ‘period poo’ - something that every person who has one can relate to.
Over 45 brands of contraception are explained in non-technical talk with simple side effect graphs and God honest reviews. Some made me cringe, some made me howl with laughter, and all of them helped me feel less overwhelmed by contraception.
Whilst the pill definitely benefits millions of women, it clearly wasn’t the right choice for me, and if I’d had The Lowdown all those years ago, I would have come to that conclusion sooner. For now, I’m sticking to good old fashioned Durex, whilst considering non-hormonal methods that prove better for the planet.
As I enter my seventh year of being free from hormonal contraception, I finally feel in tune with my body. I’m beginning to understand the seasons of my cycle, recognise why I feel irritable or energised, and control the side effects of my PCOS.
What we know about the long term effects of contraception is still relatively limited. If like me, you find yourself on one method for a while, why not take a break and explore other options?
Find out more about The Lowdown at thelowdown.com and https://www.instagram.com/gettheldown/.
Written by Eppie Shepherd
Eppie is a freelance copywriter and digital marketer in South London, where she lives with her boyfriend and miniature panther, Matilda T-Rex. She is as obsessed with words as she is with anything described as cheesy and is rarely seen without a book on her person.