When did you first start taking birth control and for what reasons? What’s your stand on birth control now?
I started taking birth control when I was 16 to help ease Aunt [name]Flo[/name] issues. I was extremely ill every month, fainting was a regular occurrence and it was having a negative impact on my studies. My doctor recommended a contraceptive pill to “regulate” everything, so to speak. I’ve been taking it ever since and apart from one slip up when I missed a couple of pills last year, I haven’t had any pregnancy scares.
I didn’t need it for actual contraceptive reasons until I was 17-18. I think its an extremely useful thing, in my own experience, it made my life a lot more bearable.
I started taking it when I was 15, partially as a contraceptive but mostly because I seem to have wronged my uterus in a past life. I stopped taking it about nine months ago because (after taking short breaks and changing brands and dosages) I was too much of a psycho-zombie.
It always kind of messed with me - I was more depressed and I couldn’t stand any kind of music and even colors bothered me. My anxiety really peaked… during the monthly, and quarterly for a while, week-long break I noticed that I felt a bit better. I didn’t panic as much, I didn’t think I was dying because of insignificant things that happen to everyone, like being able to feel your heart beating. I didn’t know that was normal and became absolutely convinced that I had a heart condition. I don’t, I’ve been to a few different cardiologists to make sure and every test from every doctor was completely normal.
I’m okay now, though. I still have my moments, but I can at least actually apply the techniques my therapist taught me, none of which did anything while I was taking birth control. I think it’s a wonderful thing for most people, but I’d really rather deal with this Spy vs. Spy type fight I have going with my girly organs than even try hormonal birth control again.
I started birth control when I was 19. I was on it for about a year and a half, until my ex and I broke up. And then I went off it for a couple years and had been on it for 2 years up until a few months ago. I’ve only ever needed to be on the pill for contraceptive reasons and since I’ve been in the Basque Country since [name]September[/name] and my SO is in [name]Canada[/name], I’ve been really bad about taking it this year because I don’t need it.
I really like being on the pill. My periods are easy to deal with, and I appreciate knowing when it’s coming. When I’m on it and need to be on it, I’ve never forgotten to take it, so I feel like for me, it’s a really reliable contraceptive option.
The only thing that freaks me out is that the pill I’ve been on is that it can make your period disappear over time, so last summer I had a major scare, but it turned out fine (ie: not pregnant).
I never took birth control and I don’t now. I don’t think it’s wrong for others to use it, it’s just a personal preference.
The pill messes with the body, and some even have serious risks such as cancer: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives. It’s not natural and I don’t want to mess up my body, but if others want to it’s their business.
EDIT:
I think a better alternative is condoms or NFP. I myself don’t think NFP is safe on it’s own just because I’m a very safe person.
I started taking the pill at 17 for contraception. I took it till I was 21 then got a progesterone IUS instead as it was more practical with a long distance relationship. I had that taken out in February as we are now TTC. I personally think contraception is great, it alows women to take control of their bodies & reproductive rights
I was 17 and I was using it to prevent pregnancy and help manage endometriosis. I’m not taking it now, because I’m still nursing and we are probably going to ttc this year. My husband will likely get a vasectomy after our next child. I am very much for family planning and a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices.
I started at age 17 and took it for 9 years. I took it because of my age, I had a boyfriend and wanted to protect myself if something ever happened (some reason I was worried I would get drugged at a party and taken advantage of and being on the pill made me more at ease). I went through [name]Yasmin[/name] and some other brand that started with an A, none worked well for me (period was never on time, had cramps, etc). I was then put on Minovral (available in [name]Canada[/name]) and it was amazing! Period came like clock work, no cramps, no nothing. I LOVED it. I got a year long supply before moving to the US and when it ran out I was given the generic US version and my body turned on me. What an awful experience! [name]Doc[/name] promised me it was exactly the same but nope. Not at all, I knew it too! I had a conversation with him about the FDA and how the same fodd is diff than other countries than the US and had fears the medical industry was the same. I stopped the pill after 3 weeks because it made me so sick. My head was always spinning, I couldn’t drive, couldn’t think. Gained 10lbs in a week too. I was going to just go to [name]Canada[/name] and buy more but realized we’d be trying for a kid in a few years anyways so decided not to bother… now a year later we are TTC! Off minovral I am moodier throughout my cycle, have longer periods but am fairly regularly, but get back pains and cramps… no fun.
I started taking pills at 17 to aid in menstrual issues.
After my relationship with a long term boyfriend ended last year I stopped taking them because they are a bloody pain(LOL pun intended), but after a month I started again.
I believe that anyone under age 30 should have access to free birth control. I know a number of young girls who stretch out packs because they can’t afford it.
Doesn’t Planned Parenthood give them out for free? I know that’s where my sister got hers behind my parents back. She got into a LOT of trouble. She was underage though.
I took it to prevent pregnancy, and I still do. I think it’s wonderful and important for a woman to have options denied to women in the past, and to be considered significant humans being capable of managing sexual choices.
I took the pill as a teenager to prevent pregnancy. I took the minipill (was breastfeeding) after my first daughter was born. I have not taken any hormonal contraception since #2 was born (2004). My husband and I do not use hormonal birth control. We have three main reasons. 1. The side effects and unknowns on my body… it’s not natural as someone pointed out above and as so many wrote here they’ve had horrible experiences and had to switch brands/dosages. 2. It can lessen the affects of some medication that I take for another health condition. 3. All forms can cause abortion.
I won’t deny that it’s important for a woman to be able to control and make her own sexual choices. However, I advocate abstinence until marriage now and I think we as a society are too quick to prescribe the pill and just blindly take it because it’s the thing to do and considered the norm. What are the long term affects of the pill (or other hormonal birth control methods) on your body? [name]How[/name] does the pill actually work and how often does it fail? (Nothing is 100% effective, even with perfect use- and no one is really a perfect user) If 1 out of 100 fertilized eggs do attach to the uterine wall and lead to a successful pregnancy while on the pill…how many fertilized eggs were aborted?
Then just some philosophical questions about sexual relationships in general. What are the long term affects of having sex before marriage or sex with multiple partners? What are the benefits of having sex with multiple people? What are the negatives or benefits of only having sex with one person?
I don’t intend to make anyone feel bad for their choices about birth control or sex, but I would like to urge you to consider some known facts about the pill and how you personally feel about them. To clarify the #3, because I do realize it’s controversial, I am going to copy/paste a portion of another post I wrote on NB a few weeks ago:
I haven’t read the full prescribing information for ALL chemical birth control methods (including patch, pill, shots, ring, implants), but in my research, all I have read, include this [thinning the uterine lining so a fertilized egg can not implant, therefore the baby starves/dies]as one of the ways the chemical birth control works. The “main” way they work is to suppress ovulation, but it is uncertain how often breakthrough ovulation occurs. Given that the forms are only at most 99% effective with perfect use means that at least 1 in 100 will get pregnant using these methods… I tend to think the breakthrough ovulation occurs more often than your doctor or your friends or the media might like to tell you. I strongly urge everyone to read the full prescribing information, including “how it works” before using any form of chemical birth control if abortion is a concern to you.
From Planned Parenthood website.
Their notes on The Pill - The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.
Their notes on The Shot- The hormone also thins the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.
Their notes on the [name]Ring[/name]- The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.
Their notes on Implants/IUD- hormone in the implant also prevents pregnancy by thickening a woman’s cervical mucus. The mucus blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg. [name]Both[/name] types also alter the lining of the uterus.
I have never taken a birth control pill in my life and I never will. My husband and I do not believe in any form of birth control not even NFP. We are hoping to conceive our first child very soon. Our religion also rejects all forms of contraceptive. We believe that God will gives us children when He wants us to have them and will give us as many as he wants us to have. This is just our belief though and we do not intend to force it on anyone.
I started on a birth control pill when I was 19, a few months into my first serious relationship, before I was sexually active. I knew me and my boyfriend would get to that stage in our relationship eventually so I wanted to be safe and prepared. The sad part was how amazed my gynocologist was that I was 19 and not yet sexually active. She said she had done a pre-natal check-up on a 13 year old earlier that day. We use condoms anyway even though neither of us has ever been with anyone else sexually. We are taking NO chances. I started out on LoEstrin, it made me a crazy person. Crazy as in I was crying one night because Dunkin Donuts was closed and I couldn’t get an iced coffee. I’m on Kariva now and the side effects aren’t AS bad but I’m still not satisfied with how it works for me so I’m switching to the ring after this last pack. My doctor said it should have fewer side effects compared to a pill because the hormones in the ring are localized and you aren’t ingesting them.
I’m on the birth control pill, Yaz to be exact, and have been on it since I was 15/16 or so. I specifically started it because I was sexually active and my mother was very adamant about me being very safe and protected from pregnancy. Being on it isn’t great all the time, it made me gain some weight and can sometimes make my emotions and moods a bit haywire, sometimes quite depressed to be exact. But I do [name]LOVE[/name] the peace of mind and freedom it gives me, I personally am not a fan of condoms also. Plus it cleared up my skin a ton.
Of course, the pill is not for everyone, but I plan to use it until I start trying to have a family (at least 10 years from now).
I’m sorry, I just need to put it out there - I do not believe the abstinence is a realistic option for the vast majority of people. I think abstinence ‘education’ is the biggest reason for our disturbingly high teenage pregnancy rate. Yes, it’s gone down, but it’s still absurd. I believe that sex is a natural and essential part of life and serious relationships.
Abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy. Nothing on the market for home-use provides abortions and all pharmaceutical abortions must be carried out by a physician. The pill does not cause abortion. That’s like saying that not trying to fertilize an egg is abortion. What’s wrong with abortion anyway, if someone chooses it? It’s their uterus and their life. I have fortunately never had to make that heart breaking decision, but I wholly support everyone who has, regardless of reason.
Everyone would answer all of the philosophical questions differently, so I won’t even touch those. I understand that this is not a debate thread. I’m sorry but it just made me so upset, I had to say something.
I’m with crunchymama and dillonsfan01. I have never taken a birth control pill or used any form of chemical contraception, and I never plan to. Condoms and NFP are the only form of contraception I would use. I also strongly believe in abstinence, which seems to have become a foreign concept in today’s world. Personally I think our society as a whole is far too loose, sexually and morally. This is one thing that seriously bugs me about my peer group. If you’re a teenager and not ready to face the possible consequence of a baby, you should not be having sex. That is a subject for a different time, though.
Sex isn’t just for procreating though, it’s also a lot of fun, and perfectly natural.
I think abstinence is regrettably prominent in today’s world. The pill does not cause ‘abortion’. Abortion is the intentional termination of a pregnancy. That’s like saying that not trying to fertilize every egg that’s released, or having a fertilized egg that doesn’t implant is an abortion.
“Not trying to fertilize every egg…is an abortion” is NOT what crunchymama said. An egg is just an egg and can’t be anything else. But a fertilized egg, or zygote, has all the genetic info it needs to grow into a baby. And I believe that taking medication to prevent the blastocyte from implanting is a form of abortion (heard of the morning after pill?), as abortion means to stop or terminate something.