How Long Is Too Long?
9 years ago by
The longest relationship I’ve ever been in is the one that I have with my birth control…
Yes, even my best friend and I haven’t known each other for that long! The pill and I are going on 11 years together now and I must say I’ve been pretty happy. I’m still on the same pill I started with, I didn’t gain any weight when I went on it, I haven’t had any weird mood issues, and my period still sucks is manageable. But I don’t think I’m the only person who’s a little freaked out about being on the pill for such a long time.
No, I’m nowhere close to being ready to have a baby and, now that I’m single again, I think there’s even more reason to stay on it (sex! liberation! freedom!), but I have wondered if it’s not healthy for me to be on a hormone like this for such a long time. Then I read this article on The Cut a couple of weeks ago which kind of calmed my fears. I’m feeling a little better about it, but it still just seems weird to me to be on it for forever, especially knowing how hard it is for so many people to get pregnant these days… And this is just one article citing two doctors…
Ok that whole birth control rant was just to ask you—are you also freaked out about this? Or am I just driving myself crazy for no reason??
You may also like
Beauty
Why You Need a Scalp Detox
Beauty
Getting Clean
Beauty
A Core Shift
Beauty
Gut Feels
Features
The Power of Plants
En effet ça fait bien flipper car la pilule est un médicament et le prendre pendant des années tous les jours provoquent chez certaines femmes des effets négatifs mais je dis bien certaines femmes il ne faut surtout pas se comparer en écoutant les récits de chacune mais savoir s’écouter. C’est très important !
Chaque femme est différente c’est pour cela que la communication sur ce sujet est (encore/toujours) touchy. Me concernant la pilule ne m’a jamais réussi, j’ai du en prendre une dizaine avant de réaliser (qu’enfin un bon gynéco me dise) que ce moyen de contraception ne me convenait pas.
I have been on mine for over fifteen years, at least. I got off it to have two kids and went on the low dose verison. I loved that pill, no moods, weight gain or skin issues. Then my insurance refused to pay for it and I had to switch, I’m on my second brand and I don’t love it.
Because I’m married and had my kids I wish I had gotten my tubes tied or just gotten off it. Still debating.
But if I were still single I would probably stay on it. I trust my Doctor.
I stopped taking mine because I was getting weird mood issues. Also, yes, I was freaked out about the pill putting my hormones off balance. Could have been triggered because of the emotional side effects.
http://imyownmuse.blogspot.com
This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time… I just had a conversation with one of my best friends and it came out that I’ve been on the pill for the past 11 years and she kind of freaked out and said, “So, you don’t even know what your body’s capable of, then?” So since then, I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not it’s been a good thing…. besides having to get it and pay for it, I really enjoy the consistency and all of the other perks. I kind of always assumed I would just be on it until I decided if I had a kid at any time, that would be OK. Although some friends aren’t on it at all with regular sex lives. (??)
I’ve been on mine for the past 15 years, and every time this kind of thing comes up, she just says that as long as I don’t have any changes or negative side effects, there’s nothing wrong with staying on it. As long as your doctor is fine with it, and you’re not dealing with any problems, I’m guessing it’s fine. Though I guess if you want to see if you can fix those “manageable” periods, it might be worth talking to your doctor about that – birth control can be a wonderful help with those!
Listen to your body, listen to your doctor, and the rest is all just talk. ;-)
You’re right to question this. Thousands of women die every year because they’re taking birth control without knowing they have a genetic blood disorder that makes birth control deadly for them. (I was lucky: I “just” ended up in intensive care with four blood clots in my lungs, rather than dropping dead as happens to thousands of women in the US every year.) If you have Factor V Leiden or another blood disorder, birth control can kill you in a heartbeat (even if you’ve been taking it for years without incident). I think it’s scandalous that women are given the pill without much investigation into whether or not they have any potential health hazards that make it dangerous – I was put on the pill at age 14 without much hassle, no checks into whether I had a blood disorder. Definitely do your homework and don’t assume it’s safe just because a doctor gave it to you. Sadly, that’s no guarantee that it won’t kill you.
Me too. Luckily for me, I was only on the pill for a few months before getting off it b/c it was causing me major mood swings. Then a couple years later I ended up in the ER with a blood clot while pregnant, and later found out I have a clotting disorder. I absolutely agree with you– women should be tested before being prescribed the pill.
For anyone wanting to get off it, the book “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” really helped me.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot over the past year since I’ve now been on the pill for 10 years now and I wonder the same thing about having difficulty getting pregnant later on, plus the general thought of being on hormones for that long. My doctor has reassured me it’s fine, but then you hear about blood clots after long term use and how it can take a year or 2 to get pregnant when you actually want to, so I’m still on the fence. I’ve thought about an IUD, but that kinda freaks me out a little bit too…wish it was an easier choice!
I also realized I’ve been on the pill for a long time, but when I wanted to fine another kind of contraception not involving hormones (I’m in a long time relationship but we agree to wait a little bit longer before having kids), I realize that almost every other option is hormonal, except the condom, the diaphragm (that I find not practical) and IUD (that is recommended only if you don’t plan to have kids in the next 3 years…)… And I don’t trust the natural way that my grandmothers used, so I decided to stay on my pill and the fact that my elder sisters managed to get pregnant with the same history with pills reassures me…
I never heard before that IUD are only if you don’t want children in the next 3 years. I have had mine for 2 years and as soon I decide to remove it, I, theoretically, can get pregnant right away. It is not the pill, or the IUD that limit our chances to get pregnant…it’s the age! We wait more and more to have kids and then wonder why. I understand it, I am 30 and single and absolutely not ready. But I know that if I am ready in 5 years, my body might not be. And it won’t be because of the birth control. We still feel young after 35, and we ARE, but to make babies, not so much, that’s the big unfairness of nature….
I used to be! Really to the limits. I was on a pill for quite a long time but didn’t feel too good on it, so I quitted. And then I had many situations I freaked out (if you know what I mean!!) and at the age of 29 I got mature enough to have a baby, and now that I’m almost 32 I’m waiting for my second baby. I’m the happiest person in the world. Don’t worry, if it’s meant to be you’ll get there, if not it’ll be okay too :)
http://lifestylebyola.blogspot.com/
After 10 years, I took myself off of it voluntarily. I too am single, but it had starting causing issues for me (read: no period), and while I’m not ready to have kids either (read: single), I had started to worry that it was going to be difficult once I was ready/attached.
I don’t regret it, going back to the all natural route. The periods are heavier yes. But I can rest assured that the only hormones in my body are the ones I’m producing myself (hopefully!).
I have happily been pill-free for two years now :) I had been on the pill for 12 years, since I was 14 years old! I never had issues from those hormones until my mid-20’s, then my hair started to become much thinner. I didn’t mind initially, I had insane thick unruly hair so it was suddenly more manageable, but after a few years it just continued to thin until it looked.. thin. It took a year for my hormones to go back to normal and my hair is much better now. But aside from the reason that compelled me (vanity), there are other good reasons to get off those synthetic hormones, aside from risk for deadly blot clots http://www.larabriden.com/how-to-come-off-hormonal-birth-control/
If you’re worried about hormones try a non-hormonal IUD.
Exactly. Non-hormonal IUD. Amazing.
YES. this. I couldn’t stay on the pill for long because of my reaction to the hormones and switched to the non-hormonal IUD. I feel much better, and since it was entirely covered by my insurance at the time, I’ve probably saved hundreds/thousands of dollars by not buying pills every month.
I’m surprised that none of the people who wrote a comment mentioned their libido. I was on a pill for 6 years and my libido was really down. I had read some articles about women re-discovering their libido after stopping the pill and so I stopped as well. And I’m happy. I feel more me.
Anyone else who stopped and noticed a change with their libido?
Same here! 10 years on the pill and a few months after I stopped taking it my libido went up (like a lot!). Because I started taking the pill in my teens, when I had no idea what an orgasm was, I wasn’t aware that my libido was low. I am also a social smoker and that increases the risk of blood clots, another reason why I stayed off the pill.
Same here, I started the pill at an age where I had no idea what libido was and when I changed pill… Well, things changed for the better. It’s a pity though, I wish I had been told at the time (things would have been way more fun!).
The libido of course! :)
Pareil, la libido!!!!!
J’ai pris la pilule pendant 7 ans, les effets négatifs sont arrivés au fur et à mesure, insidieusement. Maux de tête, perte de libido, sautes d’humeur, nervosité. Et puis j’en ai eu marre d’être sous hormones, j’avais envie de retourner à plus de naturel et j’ai arrêté. Et là ça été la libération, surtout au point de vue de la libido. Comme beaucoup ont dit, je me sens plus moi. Je ne retournerai pas en arrière, c’est certain! Mais j’hésite pour un stérilet au cuivre…
I tried the pill and it was so bad for me. Never again.
http://hashtagliz.com
I’m so happy we’re all talking about this! And I feel better knowing that a lot of you are having the same thoughts I have.
What I think is interesting about that article on The Cut is that one of the doctor’s mentions that your risk of some of these clots is actually higher when you’re pregnant.
My other fear is other medications making it ineffective…So many questions!
I have never been on the pill. I was scared of the mood swings , weight gain and the long term side effects. When having sex I use condoms plus I always felt if you told a guy your dating that you’re on the pill they’re les likely to want to use a condom. I know condoms break but I would rather have to deal with having an abortions than with AIDS or HIV.
Why women need take pill? Why man have to do nothing to their hormonal system? It’s really convenient situation for man. I am not on the pill. It made me feel terrible – all different kinds. Now when I(we) want to have a child I see that actually it is not that easy to really make it happen. Just a thought.
I was on the pill for four years. It was perfect, no sideffects whatsoever. But my doctor advised me to go off the pill every 2-3 years for 3-4 months just for a break. So I am on a break right now and planning to go back to taking the pill.
Salut garance, alors si ça peut te rassurer, j’ai pris la pilule sans discontinuer de 17 à 34 ans, pas toujours la même mais 17 ans de pilule tout de même. Sans me poser de question ni penser bébé, rien de tout Ca.
Et puis…
Il y a 18 mois, j’en ai eu ras le bol. J’étais célibataire, et hop j’ai arrêté. L’an dernier j’ai rencontré mon amoureux, pas envie de recommencer le cirque pilule.
Résultat on a tellement bien fait attention, a l’ancienne, que je suis tombée enceinte très vite !!!
Je suis à terme dans deux mois et quelques maintenant.
Et tu sais quoi ?
Tant mieux, parce que vu comme j’étais partie, j’aurais continué la pilule encore et toujours.
Finalement, je suis très heureuse de l’avoir arrêté. Sinon cette petite fille ne serait pas en route :-) je vais avoir 37 ans, It is Time for me !
I’ve read about this hormone free birth control. Actually it’s not really birth control in the traditional sense. Apparently your body temperature changes when you are fertile/ not fertile. It’s called Natural Cycles. So the birth control just consists of you taking your temperature with a special kind of thermometer and putting the data into an app which gives you green or red days (= when it’s safe to have unprotected sex). No hormones no nothing… The best thing about it, you can switch if you are trying to get pregnant, so that green days mean fertile instead of not fertile. To be honest, with all the ups and downs I’ve had with my pills, I think I might give this a try. Someone mentioned low sex drive on the pill, and I definitely have that… However, the pill is great for people who have seriously bad menstrual cramps….
@Chloe: it’s a huge issue for a lot of people as far as I know. Recently I read an article about BC on Jezebel and there were hundreds of comments mentioning either decreased or non-existent libido due to oral BC. I had the same problem. My pills were amazing – no mood swings, no weight gain, but my mojo was gone, zero, not there. Got off the pill several month ago (switched to non-hormonal IUD) – it got back slowly. There are so many other concerns regarding this that many doctors simply don’t mention this to clients (because to them blood clot issues or other health related questions and concerns are more vital than women’s libido, which is a pretty subjective issue).
@Emily: from pregnancy standpoint being on the pill has its advantages because your body doesn’t produce eggs all the time you are on the pill. And technically, your body’s egg production ability is not so, say, “exhausted” by the time you decide to finally use it. Unlike men (who still have literally millions of sperms in every ml of ejaculate even in their later years), we have a limited amount of eggs to produce. So, by the time you decide to have a kid, you have an advantage compared to another woman of your age, who was not taking pills all these years and produced much more eggs than you.
I’m sure you knew that already, but maybe someone reading this doesn’t. Best of luck and no worries!
Unfortunately, the idea that the pill increases fertility at a later age is not true. Although the pill does work in part by suppressing egg release from the ovaries, most egg loss due to age is not because the eggs have been released. Egg cells simply die over time within the ovary — at puberty, girls have around 500,000 eggs, and at menopause, women generally have around 1000 eggs. During that time, only about 500-1000 eggs would have been ovulated, so any suppression of ovulation would have an insignificant effect on the remaining number of eggs, if those eggs survived at all. It’s also not clear that the remainin
I stopped taking the pill in my early thirties, after using it for almost 10 years… Even though I was a happy single at that point in time, I realised that I was fooling my body for such a long time and that I couldn’t even remember how it would feel like not being “fake pregnant”. And guess what… Best decision ever! If you believe you are hardly noticing the effects of the pill: you will only know for sure if you stop using for a while. As for me, the benefits of stopping were tremendous. Never ever using the pill again. So many birth control methods that don’t impact your body!
I have the same worries. It’s been seven years that I’m on a pill. The main advantage for me is that I don’t have that important iron deficiency when I’m on it
Most likely I’m older than a lot of you responding to this because I’m already through menopause (huge fan of Garance). So happy I don’t have to deal with the whole period thing anymore and I feel great! For years I was on the pill, had no issues and never took a break, but I also saw my doctor regularly. My husband and I knew we wanted two kids and were lucky/blessed to have two wonderful healthy boy. We knew that after the second was born, he would be off to the doctor to have a vasectomy. It’s simple, easy recovery and most women don’t realize that having your tubes tied is not 100% plus there can be complications. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done.
I have the Paragard copper IUD and I love it. I never have to remember the pill, it has 0 hormones, and it is 99.9% effective–better than any other bc out there. And it’s cost-effective, because it can last for 10 years! Some people get more cramps and heavier periods, but I have not had that experience. It also didn’t hurt when I had it put in which is apparently uncommon for women who have never been pregnant, so I think my body is just super happy to not be pregnant. ha! when I was thinking about getting the IUD, the website IUD Divas was super helpful.
I’ve had the non-hormonal IUD (“copper T”) for almost 10 years, and like it so much better than the other forms I used (pill, condom, and a brief and unpleasant encounter with a diaphragm). I’d also like to point out that IUDs are more effective than any of those methods (yes, even the pill).
@Submareen, I’m pretty sure that there’s no medical reason to avoid an IUD if you want to have children in less than 3 years. I think what you heard was probably a cost judgement — since getting an IUD is a one-time but relatively expensive thing (depending on your insurance, could be free to high hundreds of dollars I think, for me it was $100) if you have it for a shorter amount of time it costs more per time. Still cheaper than the pill for most people, though, I think!
I was freaked out too, so I asked my naturopath about it and she said you should think of the pill as a punch card with 10 years. Use them how you want, but she didn’t recommend anyone stay on the pill for more than ten years total. :/ I went off a few years ago and I’m so happy with my decision, but then again, the pill made me moody and gain weight.
I have been on the pill for about 4 years until ? decided to stop taking it for the same reasons you wrote. However my mood was down and I became less tolerant and more angry. Plus irregular periods and some skin problems. Then I decided to talk to my doctor and he told me that irregular periods may cause the thickening of the uterus wall and therefore trouble in getting pregnant and his advice in my case (irregular and heavy periods) was to continue. Now I am back on the pill and all the problems with the mood issues skin problem etc have stopped. I am now happily back on the pill. But still I would advice to talk to your doctor or maybe try stopping for a while to see how it affects you.
what an amazing timing!! i just got of the pill a month ago. had my first *real* period in 6 years. the reson i got of is because it stoped making sens. i’m perfectly helthy, so why the medication? plus i’m in a really good, stedy and equitable relationship and it just dosn’t feel right that the responsibility and price should only be mine. you no what i’m saying? so i just stoped without knowing what to do and what will happen (no, kids are not the plan). Meanwhile- we’ve been carfull AND i got my mojo back. i didn’t realize how much i was missing out. AND i found out about this methode someone already mentiond- the old getting-to-know-your-body thing. taking temprature and being a bit more aware of basic stuff. and i found this youtube_ https://youtu.be/-IEf73_l7Yo _ and through that the cool app KINDARA that have nice design and it simplifys things. i have much to learn but it feels like the right thing to do.
I hate being on hormones. It really reduces my sex drive, and I definitely believe it affects who you’re attracted to. Everyone tells me I should consider getting an IUD. Anyone else considering this option?
I went off the pill last January after being on it for 11 years. I had been feeling not myself and didn’t even remember what myself should feel like. I felt much better mentally, libidinously (spell check says its not a word but I’m using it anyway!), everything after stopping. I also got pregnant three months later when we first started trying to conceive. This book is really great at explaining all the factors required (temperature is only one aspect, there are others) to naturally track your fertility to either conceive or avoid it, highly recommend. Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler http://www.amazon.ca/Taking-Charge-Fertility-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060881909
I was on the pill for about 16 years and then went off of it because my mail order refills didn’t come in time for a last minute international work trip. When I went off it my libido went through the roof! It was sort of insane. I relied on condoms but them my periods starting getting really heavy around the time I turned 34 and I had a terrible day on vacation where the bleeding was out of control. I’ll spare everyone the very gory details, but it was BAD. I went to the doctor for a full exam and there was nothing wrong, just mid-30’s hormones, so he suggested the Mirena IUD.
The Mirena is hands down the best thing I have ever done for myself. I was a bit crampy at first, but that has gone away and now my period consists of very rare spotting that doesn’t even merit a panty liner. I was worried about the effects of hormones, but apparently they are very low dose and localized and I have not felt any difference. I won’t have to worry about birth control for 7 years, and it is one of the most effective forms of birth control out there, along with the implant. If I decide I want a baby before the 7 years are up, I can take it out and it won’t have long term effects on my fertility. The IUD is even approved for use in teens, with many doctors suggesting it as a method to get before you go off to college.
As someone who works in reproductive health and family planning, I just want to note that withdrawal and the calendar methods are NOT reliable forms of birth control; if you really don’t want a baby, use a condom or go to the doctor. There are a ton of different hormonal and non-hormonal methods, and there really is something for everyone. If your doctor doesn’t want to take the time to talk to you about all your birth control options, it is time to find a new doctor.
I was on the pill for about 13 years before going off at 30 when my husband and I were ready to start a family. I, too, had a great relationship with the same birth control….regular (but light) periods, solid libido, etc. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about our breakup. My reproductive system didn’t know what to do on its own….my hormone levels (particularly estrogen) were low/off, I was not ovulating or getting a period, and was only able to get pregnant after over a year of fertility treatments, including hormone injections to facilitate ovulation and implantation. Thankfully, my pregnancy was relatively smooth and we now have a beautiful daughter. However, it appears my hormones, etc. still have not regulated as I am undergoing fertility treatments again as we try to conceive baby no. 2. Of course, there is no way of knowing for sure if the pill is to blame and some women have no troubles at all after going off it. BUT, I will say that I had fairly regular cycles in high school before starting the pill and many of my friends also dealing with infertility were on the pill continuously for 10+ years. I will never take it again. We are really the first generation to be on birth control pills for such extended lengths of time and I just don’t believe there is definitive/conclusive research at this point on the long-term effects of such hormones (which stop women from ovulating) on fertility ????
I stopped taking birth control because it made me weepy, not because I was worried about long-term effects. I tried three kinds and all of them gave me the permanent period feels! If it makes you feel better, my mother was on it from age 18 to 33 and had very little trouble getting pregnant with me and my two siblings.
If you’re considering a non-hormonal birth control, I would say be VERY careful with a copper IUD. About a year ago I moved to Europe, and before I left, I got an IUD to make contraception easy! and carefree! (ha) The insertion was long and uncomfortable because I’ve never had children and my cervix was clamped shut, but it worked and it wasn’t the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, and I had minimal cramping and bleeding afterward. I even got hit on in the parking lot after I left, so that had to be a good sign! (The office was in a bigger complex so it’s wasn’t eminently clear I had just left the lady doctor…)
BUT after a couple of weeks I developed a really bad bacterial infection — probably the bacteria was introduced during the long insertion — and after two weeks of medication the infection was better but the pain remained. The doctor did an ultrasound to see what was going on, and it turned out the infection had caused massive internal inflammation, perhaps due to a benign cyst on my fallopian tube that I didn’t even know I had. The device had also shifted, although the strings were still in the right place. I had to have the IUD removed, which hurt even more than the insertion. All told it was $500 to insert and $400 to undo all the damage (two doctor’s visits, medication, and ultrasound) — so $900 and 6 weeks of crippling pain later, I was back to condoms. I was so traumatized I wouldn’t even consider getting a new one. But at least I tried and know it’s not right for me :)
I guess my point is that lots of people have really good experiences with the IUD, of course, but if something goes wrong there’s a foreign device in your uterus, it’s not immediately clear what the problem is, and you can’t get it out on your own. I think IUDs were unfairly maligned for so long that now there’s a bit of an over-push for them. Everything I read and everyone I talked to seriously downplayed the risk of infection, and nobody warned me that if the IUD moves it has to be taken out. I’ve met two other women in the last year who had to have their IUDs removed for that reason.
“…how hard it is for so many people to get pregnant these days…”
that’s really a issue I had to learn long before the age of 35: that pregnancy can’t be planned and managed like a business career. The pill is the smallest reason in this matter.
There is no common judgement to case on pill. In trustful cooperation with a gynecologist every woman has to have a look at her individual constitution, living conditions and habits (smoking i.e.). What is a perfect choice for my best friend could be worse for me.
So talk to your gynecologist in details.
A couple of years ago I started questioning the benefit for my health to feed my body with hormones that it didn’t really need… I had been on the pill for 10 years, I had gained (some) weight, and I was feeling generally blah around that time of the month. So I decided to switch to a non-hormonal IUD, which was rather painful at first to be honest, but it’s so much more comfortable on the whole that I’d never go back to the pill. I feel so much better :)
Don’t panic ! You’re not driving yourself crazy for no reason… BUT… i’m taking the pill for… i don’t know, maybe 12 or 13 years without any real interruption, and nothing bad happened to me.
Just as you said, you found your balance with this pill (for me, there’s nothing more important than this!), and that’s why there’s absolutely no reason to stop it know.
Taking the pill for years doesn’t mean that, later, you won’t be able to have a baby, whenever you’ll be ready for it. Believe me, I’ve seen many women being pregnant just a few days or weeks after they stopped taking the pill. And, on the contrary, the friends of mine who didn’t manage to have a baby weren’t necessarily taking the pill for years… there were other reasons that explained there difficulties.
So, listen to yourself. If you’re okay with your pill, there’s no reason to stop ;-)
And if one day you want to try something else, just try ! There a so much possibilities for women today :)
If you are single and on the pill, you will end up choosing the wrong mate for you. This is scientifically based. It’s explained here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/birth-control-pills-affect-womens-taste/
Something to think about!
YES. I got married, stopped taking BC, got divorced 6 months because I was completely unattracted to him anymore!
Something about my body knowing who would be the right person to raise a family with.
After 15 years taking the pill, I got pregnant 2 weeks after I stopped it ! Same with my second child, 2 years later.
Je suis pas docteur hein, mais la gyneco m’a toujours dit que la pilule n’avait pas d’influence sur la fertilité. Mais le problème m’a-t-elle dit réside plus dans le fait que la pilule donne l’apparence de cycles normaux et réguliers et ne permet pas de détecter d’éventuels problèmes avant le jour où on l’arrête
Moi j’ai décidé de ne plus la prendre pour les raisons hormonales. Je n’ai jamais réussi en trouver une qui me convienne à tous les points de vue. Et en plus je l’oubliait tout le temps…alors c’est protection à l’ancienne et j’envisage le stérilet mais ça me fait un peu flipper..
I’ve been pill free for nearly 2 years now, and I’m never going back!
I was feeling depressed after 8 years of taking it… now I’m listening to my body, I feel so much better, and let me tell you something: I rediscovered sex! Your body is an amazing machine, and it’s been made that way for a reason. I am not against it, but for me it just didn’t feel right in the end. x
Well, I’m not a doctor, but my grandmother breast cancer professor begged us not to take the pill. She said – we plead to all that would listen, we know the breast cancer statistics, but the gynaecologists prescribe them anyway… So I would never use them. Orgasm, sex and kids are great, so we all should be more creative in the way we get satisfied in bed :) and if a random guy is not willing to cooperate so that there is no risk for pregnancy whatsoever without pills, he does not deserve to get laid. It is that simple.
Dieu merci, il y a la pilule et les tampons! Heureuse d etre femme au XX – XXI siècle????
Some recent studies have shown that the brain tissue of women using long-term hormonal contraception is different from those without it.
I’d love to be on low-dose birth control to manage my periods and obviously, not become pregnant. My blood doesn’t coagulate all that well and I’m a bloody mess for a week. That includes my bedding, towels, panties, trousers.. With regularly changing my cup and pads, sigh. Sadly, no version works for me. I either get depressed or get vertigos and migraines. The pill impacts my skin and weight nicely, though. In the end, I hope that male contraception (injection vasectomy) is available soon, and I’ll simply live with bleeding like a stabbed pig for a quarter of the next 20 years.
why don’t you just ask the guy to use condom instead? it’s never good to take pills for that long!
The interesting thing to me, is that all the side effects are usually played down by doctors and ads, then one something happens they ask you if you ever took the pill. It happened to a friend: she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the first thing she was asked – by multiple doctors – was if she ever took the pill and for how long. It made me think.
Don’t worry I was on the pill for about 15 years and went off of it after getting married and deciding to have children and got pregnant right away. I was really surprised and excited all at the same time.
This might be the most interesting subject written about on the blog for a long time, thank you Emily. Firstly, because it touches to something that is part of our modern occidental definition of women (liberated, free, self-sufficient, working women). Secondly, because it about a medicine that can cause side effects that too oftenly are still referred to as a ‘women issues/problems’ and doctors have a tendency to see them as ‘normal’. Thirdly, because I am convinced that this issue is not enough discussed as a serious thematic from the societal and medical point of view. After 10 years with my pill, I decided it was time for a break. It seems to me that I never had any side effect and therefore I saw it as a great experience, however I felt it was way too long for a product that was not organic. I have been off for a year and half now and have never felt better. I had never realized the perverse effect of it neither the fact that my mood for the past years was not part of myself! I was a different person! Also I have an auto-immune disease and it seems that the effects are much less prominent without it (I will not add that I lately noticed that my particular disease is listed as one of the very rare side-effect of my pill….). It looks like we don’t have enough statistic yet on the long-term effects of taking the pill without any break.
The good new is, thanks to this beautiful invention, you will be enjoying much more your return to the single world (well lets say the ‘infinity of possibilities’ world!).
There is so much anecdotal evidence out there (especially on the internet) about the benefits and consequences of birth control that it almost makes one want to just swear abstinence and not have to worry about it again. Some people have zero issues, others have horror stories. It makes you question the medical industry and what the hell they REALLY know about women’s bodies. As for me, I was on three different kinds of pills for 2 years and finally made the decision to stop. The first gave me migraines, the second lowered my libido to nothing, and I suspect the third gave me anxiety and panic attacks. Plus, nobody is perfect, and no matter how careful I was, I would end up missing pills and it would throw me into panic for days or weeks until I got my period. It just wasn’t worth it. Now I have the Mirena IUD and it is THE BEST. I feel more in control of my body, and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, it was completely covered by my insurance.
I was on birth control age 16-22. It was MAGIC how I got SO MUCH MORE IN TUNE WITH MY BODY AFTER I STOPPED TAKING IT, with lust, with my libido and all that. Feeling In tune with that natural cycle, the feminine cycle. I am 30 years old now, most of my friends stopped taking birth Control after I told them about how much better I felt ever since I stopped. i promise you one thing: all of my friends had the same result. If I’ll ever have the Gift of a daughter ill definitely advise her not to start with it at all. Boys/man have to learn how to control themselves and actually: the good ones will or already do!xx
I’m no expert, however, my mother was on it for 10 years and got cervial cancer. Whether that was related or not was never quite officially determined. Nevertheless, it always made me wary. In my personal experience, I went on the pill for about a year to curb severe monthly pain. It didn’t work, so I took myself off it and then got my period for a month. Following that, I didn’t get it for a year and then sporadically after that. It took a number of years until I was regular again. The process of menstration does not properly take place whilst on the pill, so simple common sense would suggest that if you alter your natural bodily processes over an extended period of time, then there is a higher risk factor in experiences negative repercussions.
I’m so glad to read this, because I was thinking the same thing the other night! I’ve been on the pill for 10 years. I found a great pill, but to avoid the generic they changed it to a chewable pill. The other night, when I was chewing it, for the first time, I recognized just how toxic it smelled—and wondered–is this safe?
Oui!!! cela me fait flipper de temps en temps, cela fait 5 ans que je la prends, mais en mm temps je ne trouve pas une solutions qui soit meilleur, et en plus, je ne crois pas que ca soit juste la pilule la seule et unique cause des problèmes avec la grossesse……
I have been on the pill for 8 years when I decided to stop. The reason being I finally figured out why my hair gotten so thin and damaged. Over the last 8 years my hair started gradually to fall out and change it’s texture, but because it happened gradually and not immediately after I started taking the pill I never really made a connection. All the doctors I have been to didn’t say anything about me being on the pill for that long. But once I have gone back home to Ukraine and visited a doctor there, I was shown SHIT LOADS of evidence on how damaging the pill can be over years (you see the pharmacology industry is very invested in the pill and it brings them a lot of money, so in Europe and US they tend to ‘bury’ the evidence), on top of losing my hair I have also developed varicose veins (at 26!!!) and my legs are covered by popped blood vessels. I have been off it for a year and my hair is slowly getting back to normal (although immediately after you stop the pill it starts to fall out more, it’s natural and lasts for about 2-6 months), but it will be a much longer process for my legs.
Yes, some people are very lucky and never develop any problems, but is it worth the risk? I have spoken to dozens of my friends since stopping the pill and almost ALL of them realised that they have been having the same problems. Essentially, by using the pill you are blocking the natural hormones your body should produce. How can you guarantee that after YEARS of suppressing it, you will be able to jump start it with ease? After all, it is not just pregnancy that they influence.
I hope my story will help somebody.
Alyona
http://www.7moreminutes.com
I live without anticonception 4 years, and I feel free in the end…. :)))))))
Birth control is essential to keep my sanity. I’m taking birth control (first Implanon, and pills nowadays) since 2004. Not willing to quit. Four years without menstruation, that’s great!
Uffff… I just started taking the pill hoping it will end my severe acne problem, but your comments are a little worrying to me now…
Moi J’attribue ma fibrome utérin a la pilule (consommé pendant 2 ans). Apres la opération chirurgicale j’arreté de le prendre…6 ans déjà