More women are turning away from the pill, but the lack of better alternatives is stifling.Â
Last week, researchers at the BMJ, using data published by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, highlighted a recent rise in the number of women getting abortions in the UK. An article published by the BBC linked this to a decline in women using hormonal contraception since 2018, and the increased use of non-hormonal contraceptive methods, such as fertility tracking apps.Â
The BBC article, whilst acknowledging that long waiting lists for sexual health services may be a factor in driving this change, mainly referred to non-hormonal methods being behind the declining use of more traditional methods of contraception, like the pill. The article cites âmisinformationâ spread via social media as well as the influence of TikTok content creators leading women to make the switch. The tone used in many ways alludes to the naivety of women, who are being encouraged by influencers to use less reliable forms of contraception, and ultimately paying the price for this mistake.Â
This narrative fails, however, to understand the reasons why an increasing number of women are abandoning hormonal methods, and the turmoil many women face when the burden (and blame) of contraception falls entirely on them.Â
Anyone who has taken the pill can attest to the array of potential side effects, with the enclosed leaflet in each box opening out to be as large as most peopleâs tables. They list the unlikely but increased risk of cancers and blood clots leading to a stroke or heart attack. The NHS also lists mood swings, headaches, nausea, acne, and weight gain as âcommonly reportedâ side effects of hormonal contraception. Studies have found 44% of hormonal contraception users have experienced mood changes as a side effect at some point. Additionally, researchers have demonstrated a link between all forms of hormonal contraception and an increased risk of clinical depression. Self-esteem issues linked to weight gain or increased acne associated with the use of hormonal contraception may further burden the lives of women taking them.Â
So it is not that todayâs women would prefer to have a pretty app to tell them when they can and canât have sex, it is often due to the adverse reactions to hormonal contraceptives which are both far too common and far too overlooked.Â
As for the main non-hormonal method which has similar reliability to the pill, the coil, most are put off by the horror stories of insertion processes, with the procedure referred to as âbarbaricâ âexcruciatingâ and âmore painful than childbirthâ, with inadequate pain relief offered.Â
It is therefore unhelpful, especially in todayâs climate, to shame for making choices about their own reproductive health. Instead, an avenue of greater concern should be why such few developments have been made regarding contraception methods in the last 60 years.Â
Whilst the pill may have been revolutionary when it was introduced in the 1960s, we should not still have to rely on the same methods our grandmothers used for birth control. Especially when methods like the âmale pillâ, which would create greater equality in where the responsibility of contraception lies, have been abandoned at trial for inciting the same side effects as the female pill has always been associated with. The difference: women are expected to suck it up.Â
Greater investment must be put towards developing contraceptive methods which are more accessible to women without impacting their daily lives. Yet with the huge inequality in medical research, with endometriosis and PCOS being just some examples of other critically underfunded and underserved female health areas, the UKâs gender health gap is far from being closed.