What I wish I’d known before starting birth control
I made the decision to go on birth control about a year ago now. I was in a stable relationship, and being a broke uni student I decided right now probably wasn’t the best time to have a baby. I went through the normal process when deciding what was right for me, I spoke to a nurse and discussed through all the possible options, which I would of course recommend.
I finally decided that the pill was the best option for me. As expected the nurse explained that there were possible side effects, as with any medicine of course. These were minor things such as acne, mood changes and some nausea, but again these were rare and nothing that I thought I couldn’t handle. The only downside I could see was that I chose the mini pill which has to be taken consistently at the same time every day to be effective, but at least it would encourage me to be consistent. I wasn’t prepared, however, for the symptoms I did get.
The first week or so on the pill was fine, I didn’t experience any unwanted side effects and I thought that my body was getting used to the new drug pretty quickly. Emphasis on “I thought”. About a week into starting the mini pill I noticed, sorry if you’re squeamish, some light bleeding. I had been warned about possible irregular periods by my nurse which was confirmed in the product detail small print, however, my period wasn’t due for another two to three weeks, so I was slightly concerned to say the least. Despite my concerns I didn’t think it was pressing enough for a visit to the doctors, I simply just put it down to my body getting used to the hormones.
Four of five weeks later the bleeding had stopped, much to my relief. That didn’t last long though, as the next two months gave me two missed periods. Oh my God. Am I pregnant? The slight hypochondriac in me convinced me that I was. It was only several store-bought pregnancy tests that convinced me that I wasn’t. It was at that point I finally made the decision to go to the doctors. About time, right.
There, the doctors told me that what I was experiencing wasn’t out of the ordinary, and that everyone, particularly in the first three months, goes though changes in their menstrual cycle whilst the hormones settle in. I couldn’t help but think that would’ve been nice to know before I started. My doctor assured me that my cycle would return to normal when I hit the three month bench mark, and so it did. Much to my relief.
The point I’m trying to make is that everyone’s body reacts differently, and that’s okay. Yes there are some symptoms that aren’t normal and you should definitely get anything abnormal checked out, but ultimately it’s your body, and it can’t be categorised exactly in line with everyone else. I wish I had known that before I started birth control. I, perhaps foolishly, assumed that any symptoms I would experience would be confined to the ones on the label. I wish I had started birth control knowing that it might be more complex than suggested. I wish I had started knowing everything I do now.
