I said goodbye to birth control approximately three years ago. Previous to permanently ending my relationship with the contraceptive capsule, it was consistently inside of me (IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN) for five years straight. It was not my decision to break-up with my old pal BCP. I was instructed to do it by my family doctor. I had recently started getting migraines with aura, which is a visual disturbance that typically shows up around 30 minutes before the headache hits. If one has aura migraines and is on birth control there is a higher risk of stroke, thus my doc was all You don’t want to have a stroke so… condoms? Or a copper IUD? Or a progesterone only pill? The non-stroke options are ENDLESS?
I picked the first option: the classic, less satisfying, but totally necessary bag of latex. I attempted the progesterone only pill (sidenote: estrogen is usually the cause of the stroke risk factor) but it resulted in leaking and mood changes and acne and I am not a fan of any of those. I turned back time and started purchasing Trojans like I did in my early twenties, and since then, my life, my attitude, and my bodice has changed quite a bit. It’s amazing how much artificial hormones pumping through my system could affect me. Like, I knew it could, but I didn’t really, also. I mean, look at how different present me is from past me!
I’m hornier and have more interest in sex generally
Seems that the pill was super stifling my libido’s want to spread its labia wings and fly away. As soon as I tossed the packet in the garbage I was humping every human, chair, and wall I came into contact with. These days I gotta change the batteries in my vibrator a hell of a lot more often.
I’m more aware of what my body is doing
Birth control also tends to regulate EVERYTHING which is great in some ways and not so great in other ways. The not so great part was that I wasn’t really paying attention to how the insides of me were functioning, but now I’m confronted with it non-stop. It’s kinda nice how unpredictable things are, yet simultaneously frustrating. The human body is COMPLICATED.
I’m getting to know my period better
And one area that is for sure not regulated anymore is my menstrual cycle. When I was on the pill it was short, on time, and I could even skip it if I chose to. Now, it arrives when it wants to, it’s crampy, heavy, and the only reason I would skip it is because I was preggers which my uterus is not interested in. Again, I’m not more aware of my menses now though and I can notice each development rather quickly which means I can affect those developments.
My skin is more unpredictable
I have suffered with acne since my teen years and I will say my skin was clearer on the pill, BUT it’s only a bandaid solution. Now, I know what actually triggers my acne and I’m able to prevent it to an extent. My skin is not perfect in any sense but I’m glad I’m finally finding permanent solutions to the issue instead of just letting estrogen cover it up.
I’m less moody
I’m a Cancer and with that comes emotional turbulence at every corner. I also suffer with anxiety. I am capable of stressing myself out over absolutely nothing at the drop of a hat. But, I have noticed that my feelings are less erratic since I stopped ingesting tons of hormones on a daily basis I am not crying randomly on buses or screaming at pigeons or being fearful of the outside world as much.
I get less headaches
I have had intense migraines for my entire life and I did notice they became more regular when I was on birth control. Therefore, of course the best part about going off of it is that my noggin is hurting a lot less and if you are a fellow migraine sufferer who was previously on the pill you will know what I mean. It literally decreased ˜em by 75 percent and my head could not be happier about it.
