As a strictly female form of pregnancy prevention, the birth control pill has been a popular yet controversial topic of debate among university students. Canadian women have used the birth control pill for over fifty years, according to Statistics Canada, and although over half of them will use the oral contraceptive, the experience of using the pill has remained two-sided.
“I am on the pill and I think taking the pill is okay…it increases the spontaneity between my partner and me and reduces anxiety,” says Harleen Nijjar, a second year Medical Sciences student at Western University.
On the fiftieth anniversary of the pill in the month of May in 2010, TIME Magazine states, “Sex is now separate from reproductive purposes.”
By creating options like the pill, some women find the choice to have sex strictly for pleasure empowering.
“People have control over their bodies as well as they have control on what they put into their bodies. If someone feels like having sex but they don’t want to get pregnant, the pill is effective. I feel the pill is also necessarily the only way to decrease unplanned pregnancy, just be aware of what you are getting yourself into. But at the end of the day, just do what you want to do,” says Navzab Gill, boyfriend of Nijjar and student at Brock University.
Along with its popularity, the pill remains to be displeasing for many other individuals.
“I think the pill is great at protecting against unwanted pregnancy, but I cannot understand women who forget that it ONLY protects against pregnancy, not STD’s or STI’s. So, I finally got off it because I always use a condom. Anytime I’m with my sexual partner I live by the saying: No glove, no love,” says Emma Howell, a fourth year Geography student at Western University.
As mentioned by Howell, the main disadvantage of the oral contraceptive is that they do not prevent sexually transmitted infections or diseases. Additionally, it must be taken at at the same time every day for maximum efficacy. Therefore, even though appearing as a ‘holy grail’, the pill is more of an extra preventative measure against pregnancy.
“Yes, I have missed the pill sometimes but it really is not that serious for my partner and I as we use condoms regardless…it is more like an extra safe mechanism,” says Nijjar.
Although missing the pill once or twice is okay, being on the cycle on an irregular basis is very unhealthy for the body.
“The more pills that you skip, then the less effective the birth control pill will be in preventing a pregnancy,” said Dr. Andrew Rynne from an interview with Broadly. “The pill, if taken perfectly, gives a pregnancy rate of 0.1 percent. In other words, if taken perfectly, it is very effective in preventing pregnancy. However, if taken typically, that is, missing an odd pill here and there, it gives a pregnancy rate of 5 percent. That is a huge difference.”
There is a 21-day pack and a 28-day pack birth control regime. For the former, you take one every 21 days and then stop for 7 days; your period will occur and then you resume the same cycle after menstruation is complete. For the latter, there are 21 real pills and 7 fake pills. The fake pills are used as a placebos during the menstruation period.
However, one of the most important points is that there should be no smoking while on the pill as it increases the chances of blood clotting, according to Statistics Canada.
The purpose of the pill is to create an environment for partners to be sexually active but also not have the constant worry of becoming pregnant. With that being said, Peel Regional Health states it is only 92%-99.2% effective, and that approximately 7-9 women out of 100 will become pregnant while taking the pill.
When choosing a form of pregnancy prevention, it is important to conduct the proper research and look at both the advantages and disadvantages of each.
“See if the pill works for you for the first 3-4 months, but you need a condom too for contraception! Why would you risk it? If you’re looking to maintain your hormones the pill definitely gets your menstrual cycle on a regulated schedule, but it does not enhance your sex life, if anything I have found it kills my drive”, said Howell.
Despite the benefits of birth control, “Access to safe and effective birth control still isn’t a universal privilege. A report from the Guttmacher Institute in 2012 found that around 222 million women in developing countries want to use birth control but aren’t currently able to access modern contraceptives,” according to TIME Magazine.
Companies such as Sustain Natural provide accurate sexual knowledge to underprivileged individuals, to enhance healthy choices regarding sex.
Regardless of the positives or the negatives of the birth control pill, the importance of proper knowledge of contraception and safe sex is vital in our society today. By discussing safer ways to engage in sexual activities, awareness will increase towards risks of uninformed uses of contraceptives such as the pill.
Let us know your comments on the birth control pill in the section below!
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