Why I'm Glad I Quit The Pill

The majority of women can say that they have used some form of birth control at one point or another of their life.  One of, if not the, most commonly used forms of birth control is the pill.  When it comes to preventing pregnancies it boasts an average success rate of 91%. There are other benefits to the pill, which is why it is recommended and prescribed by so many doctors. These benefits include the reduction of menstrual cramps, PMS, and the prevention of some cancers. While the benefits of the pill can be significant, the negative side effects can be just as substantial, and many times women are not informed about these.



While I was aware about some of the negative side effects, I found out about many others, some of which I did not know were affecting me, while doing my research for this blog post. The adverse side effects of taking the pill are so many, that it is difficult to go into detail about all in this piece. I will say that they range in severity from acne to breast and cervical cancers. In this article, I will talk about my personal journey with the pill, and why I stopped using them just a few weeks ago.





I was first prescribed the birth control pill in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome(PCOS). The pill regulates your menstrual cycle, and there appear to be less instances of ovarian cancer among women who use the pill. Since then, I have used the pill on and off, despite the possible long term effects. This all depended on if I was sexually active at the time. I just thought it responsible to use multiple forms of protection against pregnancy. Without the pill, I sometimes go months without seeing a period, and it is extremely irregular otherwise. This can make it harder to detect pregnancy in its early stages.



Last March, I began a long term relationship with a wonderful man, and after some discussion, the decision was made that I would re-start the use of the pill in spite of reservations on both our parts. This was after I had not taken it in over a year.



Immediately upon starting to use the Microgynon Ed, which comes under the category of the “everyday pills”, I began noticing changes. I had never experienced, or perhaps had never noticed, these side effects when taking this pill before. The first things I became aware of were the sore, heavy breasts. My boyfriend was concerned, and told me to stop.  Seeing this as a  small and short term sacrifice in the grand scheme of things, I continued. This was definitely not a good decision. The consequences of this choice were crushing and overwhelming.



Along with the sore breasts, some of the other minor side effects were an increase in acne, bloating, and melasma, which is a dark pigmentation in the face.  While not ideal, these can be controlled and lived with. The mood swings and depression, however, became unbearable.



One thing we need to know about those suffering with depression, is that they can be extremely high functioning, and you may never know. In my case, I was able to interact with clients and get work done, I was posting and interacting on social media, but there was no passion. It was like I was just going through the motions.   When at home, I spent the majority of my days just laying in my dark room. I was not even really talking to friends. I was not honing my craft, developing my knowledge base, nothing. I also felt really angry all the time, and almost every week I had a migraine.



This was my life for almost a year. My boyfriend and I were in a new relationship, so really he had no past behaviour to compare to. And of course, I never said to him “I’m depressed“ or “I’m spending all day in bed when you’re not around”. I myself did not even know I was depressed until around February of this year. My mom was constantly telling me I need to get out of the house, and my excuse was I’m introverted.



I had endured depression before, and it runs in my family, but at this point I still did not label myself as depressed. I had lost my full time “9-5” or in this case 10-6 job last June, and was in the process of trying to rebuild a client base for myself.  Losing my job  was really painful, especially when it became evident that finding another job would not be easy. I also deeply regretted that for those two years, I had let my business suffer while I focused on my job to “pay the bills”.  In addition, I began eating my feelings, and gained a lot of weight. I had to stop doing many of the things I did for and with my daughter, due to a lack of finances. I was unable to do my hair, after being used to a new style every month. This last one may seem minor but they say a woman’s hair is her crown, and this in conjunction with everything else was too much. Of course my boyfriend helped a great deal with finances, but as I am not one to ask for help usually,  knowing that I had to accept help to do basic things only made it worse on my psyche.



Besides “sleeping” all day, I was not talking to the majority of my loved ones, and  I was being cold towards those with whom I could not avoid conversations. I even occasionally shouted at my daughter.  My boyfriend told me I had a chip on my shoulder because every discussion we had was peppered with my dislike of those in a better position than myself.



In late February I became tired of having migraines so often, and started to think of what could be the cause. I remembered that migraines were a side effect of the pill.  In fact, as a person with a history of migraines i should never have been on the pill.  I had read this, several times, but had ignored it, because in my mind avoiding pregnancy was most important. I had a discussion with my boyfriend, and we came to the conclusion that I would quit after that cycle. As I thought more about it over the next few days, I remembered more of the side effects.  Weight gain, mood swings, depression. It was then i realized my actions indicated depression. I decided to quit then and there.



Almost immediately, I began to notice differences. After a week my skin was clearer, my appetite was down, and I was “feeling myself”. I began to have that old need to get out of the house again. In two weeks, I started feeling happy, and my anger subsided. My boyfriend even recently told me he has seen a very noticeable change in my overall demeanor and mood. I haven’t had a migraine since. I re-started my workout routines, started blogging again, and doing additional research to improve my services.  I was even told I’m speaking louder.



So, in essence, I am back! Of course, I must as usual add a disclaimer here and say that not everyone has the same experiences with birth control.  Nor is it my intent to tell anyone they should or should not use the pill or any other form of birth control. This is a chronicle of my experiences only. That said, I am glad to be rid of the scourge that so horribly affected me  both physically, and mentally. I can safely say that I will never be using birth control in any form again.



In my case I was able to beat my depression simply by quitting the pill and talking to people I love. If you or someone you now is experiencing depression, you should seek help immediately.



What have been your experiences with birth control? Comment below and let’s discuss it.