Why I Swore Off Birth Control at 22
Spoiler Alert: It made me want to kill myself (or am I just a massive virgin?)
Before I start, I understand why birth control can be really helpful for some people and that it is an individual’s choice to use it, but I will always be a strong advocate for alternative contraceptives, treatments and male contraception. Coming off birth control is the only reason I am alive at 24, and I mean that literally. I am incredibly grateful every day that 19–21-year-old me was too dumb to die successfully.
I have had issues with my menstrual cycle since the age of 9. I started my periods younger than my peers (9) and was thrown into a world that I did not understand at all. I didn’t even know what a period was. I thought I was dying.
I bundled up my bedding and pyjamas, snuck downstairs and hid the bloodied washing in the machine. I went back to bed and accepted my fate — I would die in a few hours, and my parents would find me when they came to wake me up for school. I have always been one for drama.
To make my hatred for periods more intense, I developed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) as a teenager.
PCOS and PMDD are massively under-researched; I have changed my entire lifestyle over the last three years to make sure I can manage my symptoms…
