Hello everyone!! I was struggling with what to write about for this post, but I decided to talk about my experiences with birth control. It has been a hot topic in conversations with friends and family lately and it really made me think about how little I knew about birth control when I started taking it 8 years ago.
So let's rewind back to me at 11 years old when I first got my period and had no trouble at all with it. No cramps, no pain, just surprise it's started. It went on like that for a few years. Then at about 16 years old I started to get really bad cramps, pains, diarrhea and usually vomiting (I know TMI). I didn't really know about tracking my period or know what I could do about all of it. I was too scared to talk to my mom or friends about it. So I thought it was normal and that's what everyone dealt with. At 20 I started to be more open with friends about what was going on and they said birth control might help. At that point the only thing I knew about birth control was that it stopped you from getting pregnant and that I would gain weight and possibly go a little crazy. I think for the most part I only heard the negative things that were a possibility with going on birth control. But I started going to my doctor and talking about it. Only my doctor was away so I went to the doctor who was taking over their clients while they were away. This doctor would only prescribe me stronger and stronger pain killers and wouldn't even consider birth control an option. That went on for almost 6 months. Finally my doctor returned and no questions asked prescribe me birth control. They explained that it can help with cramps and painful periods. That for some women birth control is enough to deal with the pain and that I could try it out to see if it helped.
So I started taking it. I didn't know at the time, but feeling nausea wasn't supposed to happen, but again I didn't say anything. So for about 2 months I kept getting more and more nausea and all the while thinking that it was just what I had to deal with taking birth control. Then on December 24 my mom took me into emergency. I had been throwing up and having diarrhea for 12 hours and couldn't even keep down water. It being Christmas Eve and a small town only the hospital was open. So early in the morning we went in, me holding a bucket and they gave me IV fluids and gravol. The doctor that was working the day shift said it couldn't be birth control, it wouldn't have that affect and it was fine to take my next pill. I was sent home in the afternoon and went to sleep for a bit, but when I woke up an hour later I was back to throwing up. So back to the hospital we went. Luckily the evening doctor was my family doctor. They said it might be the birth control because it's the only thing that has changed and said to stop taking it until my next period then try it again. If it makes me sick then make an appointment. About a week later when I started the pill again, same feeling. I went to my doctor and they put me on a different kind of pill. I have now been on that brand for about 8 years. My doctor had never seen anyone get to sick from that brand of pill, as it was the lowest dosage form. Anytime I have gotten a new doctor they have the same reaction. That they have never heard of anyone reacting that way to the pill.
Since then I have been much more open to talking about birth control with anyone. There are so many different forms of birth control and it can be really hard to decide what is the right kind for you. I was not aware of this when I started and still wasn't really aware until a few years ago when I started to do my own research. Like with any research, it's important to look at credible sources and know that what you want to find you will. If you want to find all the articles, books etc on how bad/good birth control is for you that's exactly what you'll find. With that in mind I tried to look at first hand accounts from people, articles from medical journals and books. I wanted to know more about potential side effects, what are benefits/drawbacks of different forms, and just general information. And yes I did read the info package that comes with each box of my birth control.
I found that I wasn't alone in the feeling that birth control isn't talked about enough and that in some places it's almost impossible to get or the cost is too much. For me, when I lived in Alberta birth control was covered by my insurance, but when I moved to BC the my personal coverage doesn't cover it. I had many conversations with them about why I thought that was ridiculous but they never changed it. Anyway... I found that there are so many different benefits and drawbacks from all different forms and it's really up to personal choice what you want. Something that I learned from my research was that various forms have different levels of hormones in them and trying different forms will help you to find what works for you. I think the most important thing I learned from all my research was that I need to be vocal with my doctor about what I want and not assume that they know exactly what is best for me. That it is good to ask questions and take some time to make a decision.
I'm definitely not an expert on birth control, but for my own health and decisions I feel like I am better equip at knowing what is good for me. I think it's also very important to share my experiences because the friends, family and doctors that I have talked to have never heard of someone reacting the way I did.
With all that being said it is important that you talk to your doctor about what your options are. And also find a doctor who you trust and feel comfortable talking to.
Take care everyone!!
Find me on Instagram @exploringwithsarah_blog
Song of the Day: Folklore by Taylor Swift (the whole album, I couldn't pick one song!)
No comments:
Post a Comment