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| I still cannot believe I took one of these pills everyday for 4 whole years... |
A topic like this is a touchy subject, almost like a taboo but there’s something I want you to know, SEX and CONTRACEPTION are normal and a part of everyone’s life. So, shake off the embarrassment and listen up because I have some interesting thoughts to share with you.
At the age of 15 all I wanted was regular periods and to have the decision of calling halt to my period in time for the pool party. I headed to the GP and 10 minutes later I walked out, pill in hand and a leaflet in the other. I felt like a woman, I felt so grown up knowing I was going to be popping these pills for what I thought would have been the rest of my life.
Haha oh was I so naïve! 4 years later and I decided to say goodbye to my little pill friends and headed in the direction of a post-pill natural life. 10 months later and I am here, talking to you about contraceptive pills (boy I did not think it would pan out like this).
So, as I said I am 10 months into a post-pill life and what can I say, there are ups and there are certainly some downs. I thought I would draw out some of the things I’ve learnt from parting ways with my little balls of hormones.
Positives:
Well for starters my mental health has improved drastically – doctors get all funny when you mention mental health and pills because they don’t believe or well should I say there isn’t any "sufficient evidence" to suggest the contraceptive pill causes mental health issues. But I can safely say that it did for me… coming off the pill has shed light into how anxious and paranoid the pill made me. I feel 1000x better and stable in my mind than I did while I was popping those hormone pills.
The topic of periods might make you uncomfortable so I’ll keep this brief, but since being off the pill, I actually enjoy having my period… I know… it’s crazy, right? But there is this weird sense of naturalness and womanliness that comes with having a natural, proper period. You won’t understand until you experience it but trust me I actually quite enjoy having my period.
Now for the negatives or should I say little hurdles I am having to overcome from those horrid fake hormones I put into my body every day for the last 4 years.
Negatives:
Acne, Acne oh and more Acne. I have never suffered from acne, even way back before I took the pill, 13-year-old me had great skin (I never thought I’d envy my younger pre-teen self but here I am). The first few months when coming off the pill were great, no pimples, spots or blackheads… just clear skin. Until 5 months in and I’ve been cursed with the dreaded post-pill acne all over my neck, chest and back :( I’ve tried everything over the counter and in the shop isles but I can’t seem to budge this bloody acne, someone send help! So off to the doctors I go with the hope of them having a miracle cure to bring back my clear skin… pray for me please!
Irregular periods… although I don’t necessarily see this as a negative really, it is quite annoying. So far, my cycle is anything from 40-30 days, usually somewhere spot bang in the middle but the odd month can put things into a confused state. I realise that regular periods come with time and the more months I spend off the pill, the better they’ll become (hopefully).
It’s safe to say coming off the pill comes with its pros and cons. Either way, it has still been the best decision for me to stop popping those pills and let my body do what it is made to do.
I hope I’ve shed some light onto post-pill living and helped some of you in your decision.
I’m happy to keep you updated with how things go, and hopefully my doctor can improve this bleeding acne situ going on. Grrrrr being a female is hard work.
Love From,
Lou X
4 comments
I'd really love if you guys' left a comment, let me know what you think and/or if this post has helped you in anyway1 :)
ReplyDeleteLou X
Great post Louise! I read it after you commented on my 12 month update coming off the pill. Can totally relate to quite enjoying your period haha, I'm the same!
ReplyDeleteSophie x
http://sophiefbutcher.com
Thank you!! Haha, finally someone who understands me!! its so hard to describe to people about "liking" a period, but yeah i feel like people won't understand until you experience a real natural one after being on the pill for so long haha.
Deletethank you for taking the time to read my post, i really appreciate it :)
Louise xx
Great post - thanks for sharing! I have never been on the pill, but I totally agree that there are cons to it... I am currently trying a natural form of birth control called the Femometer (it uses the temperature method). If you are interested, I am going to have a lot of posts about it on my blog soon. Feel free to check it out :)
ReplyDelete-Jenna <3
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