At the beginning of my sophomore year in college, I began asking myself a question I have never encountered before; how will I protect myself from pregnancy?
The summer before sophomore year, I entered a serious relationship with my current boyfriend. This was my first relationship, and during my teen years, I have never had to worry about the possibility of becoming pregnant. Now this worry, which I have never had to deal with, suddenly became a very important facet of my life.
Having a baby while in college is not what I want for my life, and so before I became sexually active, I decided to dive into a world I have never been in before, the world of birth control. I began researching birth control after birth control and reading about types of contraception that I have never heard of before. My head was floating around with questions, like, “Will I become depressed if I get on the pill?”, or “What the heck is the difference between a Copper IUD and an IUD?”
I was navigating a territory that was completely unknown to me, without any guidance or advice. Asking my mother for help and advice felt terrifying and talking to my friends about birth control and my sex life felt like a task I personally was not comfortable with. Reddit became my best friend. I was searching any and every question I had, in hopes of figuring out which birth control method is best for me.
Although talking about sex, sexual health, and birth control has begun to become less taboo, it is still a topic that many women do not feel comfortable discussing. In those moments of figuring out which birth control method I wanted to try through hours of research, I felt alone. I wanted to talk to young women who understood what I was going through and to hopefully provide some support to me without any judgment and embarrassment. If I feel this way about navigating birth control, I know other women must feel or have felt the same way as me.
I am happy to say that I have figured out the contraceptive method that works best for me and my partner (for now), after having a lot of honest conversations with myself and with him. Through trial and error, I have discovered which method makes me feel like myself.
Young women navigating birth control for the first time should never feel alone in a situation that is a common occurrence for many women. Continuing to have conversations about sex, sexual health, and birth control can help alleviate the sense of being alone for women now and help future generations of women realize they are never in this by themselves.