What Birth Control Is Right for You? (it made me lose my mind)

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By KatieCohen

Let me say before I launch into all of this that everything I say is from personal experience and from my own research. So take what you want from this but it is going to be really personal and honest.

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Condoms

So you are wondering what kind of birth control will work best for you right? I will just be the girl to say it, condoms suck! Especially those cheap ones they dish out like candy on Halloween atplanned parenthood. I mean you can't feel anything and you worry it will break, its so uncomfortable.. do I really need to continue?

Birth Control Pill

So whats next? Well usually girls go for the birth control pill. Seems like a great idea, it will clear your acne, make your periods lighter, cramps lighter, and all you have to do is take this magic pill. So I did that I went and got the pill and took it, well you have to take it at the same time every day, oh and with food, otherwise you will feel incredibly sick. Oh and speaking of food, did I mention you will be eating a lot more of it now? You know why? Because the pill makes you crazy hungry, and most girls end up gaining weight.

So now you have to take the pill everyday at the same time, with food.. You are gaining weight, oh and your sex drive has changed. Did the doctor warn you of any of this? I remember talking to a woman who was a councilor for a nutrition business. We were talking about birth control pills one day, I don't know why really, and she told me about how she lost her mind on the pill. Apparently it made her flip out at her 5 year old son for telling her he was hungry. She locked him in his room and then curled up in the fetal position and cried. She had no idea why but she just wanted to cry all the time.

The depo shot

So a lot of you might know the pill and its drawbacks. So do you come to the next thing I did? The depo shot? I thought about it had a higher pregnancy prevention percentage, Come to find out the only reason that it is considered any better then the pill is because most people forget to take it at the same time everyday. If you do take it like you are supposed to it has the exact same amount of effectiveness. The drawbacks on the shot are way worse really, you gain more weight, more mood swings, and even bleed for weeks. I heard at least 4 accounts of people I know personally who got the shot and was told that their "spotting" all month was normal. One of them had to spend 3 months straight wearing a pad.

That is not counting everything I have read about it online. I mean is it worth it? The shot last for what 3 months? I would be terrified after how I felt on the pill.

Nuvaring

Now it to the worst one of all. Nuvaring. Let me just tell you about this thing that almost ruined my life. So like I said I went through all of these options, I even had the printout they give you at planned parenthood. It tells you all the different pros and cons of each birth control. Well me thinking I was all smart made a good ration decision based on what they showed me to start on nuvaring.

Well that is when it started. I wanted to die every single day, the depression was horrible. I would fight with my boyfriend over every thing you could think of and cry constantly even if I had no reason. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally one day my boyfriend suggested thatmaybe it was the nuvaring. DUH. The nuvaring is so convenient you don't even think about it. It is a glow stick thing you stick inside you and forget about until 3 weeks later, take it out have your period.

Well did some much needed research. Turns out all I saw were testimonies after testimonies of people saying things like, "YOU AREN'T CRAZY ITS THE RING!!!" What a relief! It was until I kept reading. So apparently it takes months for these hormones to leave your body. I only had the ring in for a month and its been a while now and I still am not sure if I feel normal yet. What a way to really mess with your body!

Mirena


Now there are some other things out there, there are things like mirena but you usually have to have had a baby to get that. Also that is 5 years and I can only imagine the negative effects that would have on you.

Patch

The patch is about the same as the pill, but iv heard nothing but bad things about it, for example IT FALLS OFF! I mean some of these choices seem like jokes. Maybe I am being overly critical but until the constant "teen pregnancy" exploitation BS stops I wont stop. Everything I just said is the reason girls are getting pregnant. Birth control sucks! Yes there are other contributing factors to teen pregnancy but I know that iv bought myself and other scared girls pregnancy test for all of these reasons.

Now after saying all that, not everyone has these negative effects, blah blah blah. The thing is no one will even tell you about their possibility until its too late.

So what is the answer? I really don't know. I guess condoms for now huh. Happy safe sex hunting :)

Comments

gr82bme profile image

gr82bme 16 months ago

katie, I got pregnant while on the pill. Great info for someone considering birth control.

KatieCohen profile image

KatieCohen Hub Author 16 months ago

@gr82bme

That is so scary! Most girls think they are invincible on the pill.

yenajeon profile image

yenajeon 15 months ago

I also had some strange reactions on the pill but ironically it made me NOT hungry at all. I never wanted to eat. I lost like 8 pounds which is alot on my small frame. And I hated losing the weight too. It was an awful experience. 24-7 moodswings and random crying outbursts. Rated up and useful!

KatieCohen profile image

KatieCohen Hub Author 15 months ago

Everyone talks about the pill like it is a god send or something. Really its awful and not worth the trade off. Anything that messes with your body in a way you have trouble controlling should be considered for a long time before just jumping into it. But every girl it seems like makes this mistake.

prasetio30 profile image

prasetio30 Level 8 Commenter 15 months ago

Nice information, Katie. I just know condoms and birth control pills. Rest of them I never knew before. I learn much from you. Thanks for writing this. Take care!

Love and peace, Prasetio

Nicole Winter profile image

Nicole Winter Level 3 Commenter 15 months ago

KatieCohen: First things first, if you're young and not in a monogamous relationship condoms *are* your only choice for protecting against STD's. That said, though, I enjoyed reading this article, a lot of useful information here. I like that young girls can see a condom, feel that it's on and know that they're protected against STD's and pregnancy. I've been in a monogamous relationship for a few + years now, though, so I once again began the great birth control quest. I ended up getting a non-hormonal IUD put in... It'll last up to 12 years, doesn't mess with my hormones and is as effective as condoms against preventing pregnancy. I honestly *love* it. There's nothing like taking charge of your own sexual reproduction that is so empowering for a girl.

KatieCohen profile image

KatieCohen Hub Author 15 months ago

I had heard about that before. I just recently looked up the IUD without hormones. It looks like the only negative side effects are heavier periods and cramping at first. Thats nothing! Now that you said something also I am seriously going to consider it. Thanks :)

Tinsky profile image

Tinsky 15 months ago

Unless you take the pill at the same time everyday the risk of getting pregnant is increased. Guess how many girls are going watch the clock and have their pill ready? I believe a condom plus other contraception method is best for avoiding unwanted pregnancies as you can never be too careful. (I found a pill type that not only cleared up bad acne, but I lost a lot of weight with the help of regular exercise. Great Article.

KatieCohen profile image

KatieCohen Hub Author 15 months ago

I would trade acne for losing my mind though lol. Mood swings etc.

ed77burns profile image

ed77burns 15 months ago

Informative hub.

graceomalley profile image

graceomalley Level 4 Commenter 15 months ago

Condoms protect against most STDs, but not HPV. A person can get HPV not just from genital contact, but from contact with skin around the genital area. This means you don't even have to go all the way to contract HPV, you can get it from contact with the area around the genitals. There is a shot which will protect you from HPV, but you must get it before you are 26. I have taken my teenage son to get the shot, and will get it for my daughter in the next year.

HPV (Human Papillomavirus) can be silent, with no symptoms, for life. It usually is in men, and so they often have no idea they have it and are spreading it. In women it can also be silent, or it can turn cancerous. Current estimations are that about 90% of cervical cancers are related to HPV.

Very unfortunately, the HPV shot has become political, with people speaking against it, urging abstinence instead. This is so misguided I don't know what to say. Maybe I should write a hub. For one thing, 1 in 3 females has nonconsentual sex at some time in her life. Approximately 50% of the male population is beleived to be infected with HPV. You don't have to be good at math to put those numbers together and see that many girls will contract an incurable disease which can turn into cancer during a sexual assault. How wrong to deny them an innoculation that could prevent that cancer b/c of political beliefs.

I am on my soapbox here - HPV can be gone in a generation the way polio was - if everyone gets innoculated.

For all other things, condoms are very good. There are "natural" condoms made of lamb skin (lamb intestines really) that may feel better than the latex variety. I don't like them myself - but some do.

Nicole Winter profile image

Nicole Winter Level 3 Commenter 14 months ago

graceomalley: I don't mean to be argumentative, (especially since this isn't my hub!,) but FYI, lambskin condoms are *highly* unreliable! If you're allergic to latex, the only feasible alternatives are polyurethane or polyisporene condoms. Lamb skin condoms do not work. Everyone, men, women, children should receive an HPV immunization, though, in my opinion.

KatieCohen: Before you get it done, realize the price tag is incredibly steep at five hundred dollars. Make sure that you ask about a drug that they can prescribe that will, uh, dilate your cervix, before the procedure is done, especially if you've never had kids. Also, be sure to take 2-3 ibuprofen about an hour or so before you have it put in. It's painful, but done within a minute.

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