I’ve suffered from very irregular menstrual cycles almost my whole life since first getting my period. I’ve seen countless doctors/gynecologists and I’ve done countless tests, but every time the doctor tells me the same thing- that this is normal and that I should just go on birth control to regulate it. For this reason, I was on hormonal birth control for three years in total. (I went on and off a few times). This past October I decided to finally go off of it for good, and I thought it was extremely important to share with you all why.
I am now completely against hormonal birth control for SO many reasons. First of all, it kills your sex drive, it makes you gain a lot in water weight, it changes your bodies PH and causes a ton of yeast infections, it makes it extremely hard for you to gain any muscle tone, and most importantly, it makes you extremely moody, anxious, and depressed (these are all side effects I personally experienced). I literally felt like a different person on birth control, and it felt like I was no longer in control of my own body; sometimes I literally felt as if I was going insane!
I have struggled with my mental health before taking birth control (I had an eating disorder for several years) but taking hormonal birth control just exemplified all of my anxieties, depression, and OCD related thoughts. It was the last time I decided to go back on birth control about two years ago that I really reached my lowest point physically and mentally. I started getting the worst anxiety and depression I have ever experienced, and I just felt like someone else was taking over my body. Not only that, but I would constantly get yeast infections, it seemed impossible for me to lose weight or gain muscle tone no matter what I did, sex was usually always painful, I would go through periods where I would lose my appetite or suffer from nausea, and emotionally I always felt like I was on a roller coaster !
I was taking the lowest dose of an oral contraceptive possible, and I still experienced all of these crazy side effects. Every time I would go to a gynecologist and try to explain to them how I was feeling, they always just tried to reassure me that I was on a very low dose and that birth control is in no way harmful to my body; They basically never gave me any other option but to take it and told me not to worry.
Luckily, I am now super in tune with my body and I know when something just isn’t right. I tried to push going off of hormonal birth control for a long time because to be honest, it was an easy solution for me to regulate my menstrual cycle and avoid getting pregnant. Not only that, but everyone seemed to think I was crazy for thinking that birth control was wreaking havoc on both my mind and body.
One day I simply decided that enough was enough, and that I was going to listen to my body and my gut and quit hormonal birth control for good; and let me tell you, it was the best decision I’ve ever made! I know it sounds crazy, but I really do feel like a completely different person now than I did before; I feel like myself again!
I think it’s a shame that the majority of women nowadays are on hormonal contraceptives, and that it is seen as normal in our society today. So many women take these synthetic hormones, mess up their bodies, and then take more pills to counteract these reactions, such as antidepressants, which damages their body even more. Anything that is unnatural simply shouldn’t be entering our sacred bodies. We as a society are no longer in tune with our natural bodies and natural selves and this is a huge problem that needs to be fixed!
I wish that somebody would have told me all of this information before I ever decided to go on hormonal birth control, especially for as long as I did; so please, if you are thinking about going on it or are on it right now and experiencing any of the symptoms above, please stay off of it and try to go the natural route!
Much love always
xxx
Rachel
I LOVE this article and I feel the same way! Do you have any thoughts on non-hormonal birth control?
I haven’t tried the non-hormonal IUD so I don’t have any personal experience with it, however, I have considered trying it and I might in the future!
Great article! However, I don’t fully agree with you. I think you’re right about birth control having too many side effects, but I don’t think that only natural things should enter our bodies. My best friend has several mental illnesses, she’s depressed, suicidal, paranoid and she’s scared all the time, but antidepressants have really helped her. It would be great if you clarified that part a little bit 🙂
Hi Larissa,
I totally get where you’re coming from and I see your point. I’ve struggled with mental illnesses myself and I know that sometimes they can be unbearable! Luckily I was able to take control of my mental illnesses the natural way, but it took me years and it was NOT easy. I also believe that unfortunately, not everyone is able to cure or take control of their mental illnesses the natural way, and that pills are sometimes necessary. In this specific article, however, I was referring to birth control, but I can see how you would be confused. Thanks so much for your input! I really appreciate it