Warning: descriptions of menstruation to follow. Not for the weak of heart or the male species.
I started taking birth control, but not for reasons you might think. Here’s what it was like for me after I went on the pill.
I always get horrible cramps a day or two before my period starts, at times leaving me breathless and nauseous from the pain. Then, my first day of bleeding would be heavy—definitely not a pleasant sight to see (or mess to clean up).
So one day last July, I asked my mom if we could make a gynecologist appointment for me—after all, I was 19 years old and had never been before. Secretly, I had decided that I wanted to explore the possibility of starting birth control. I hadn’t been sexually active in a couple months since the end of a 2+ year relationship. However, I had been feeling moody and had gone to a couple of counseling sessions, and I had read that birth control could be a stepping stone alternative solution to more drastic medication. I also figured that as a young woman entering her second year of college, why not?
At my appointment, I told the female doctor that I was interested in birth control. She calmly explained the options to me and gave me a pamphlet with images of the different options including an IUD, pill, shot, diaphragm, sponge, patch, and ring. Some I have heard of before, while others seemed completely foreign.
I didn’t like the idea of sticking something up there, so I figured the pill would be the best option for me; I consider myself to be responsible enough to take the pill at the same time each day.
I walked out of the doctor’s office, prescription in hand. My mom was in the waiting room, reading a magazine. She eyed the paper in my hand.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“A prescription for birth control,” I answered.
“Why would you need that?” she asked.
“To…control birth,” I stammered.
A couple hours into the first day I took it, I had a funny feeling in my stomach, similar to cramps. I decided to go to the gym to see if working out and stretching could make me feel better. I saw my ex at the gym and consequently powered through my workout.
I was happy with my decision to go on the pill, and thankful that it was made accessible to me.