About the contraceptive pill…

The contraceptive pill, aka ‘the pill’, has been around for over 50 years now. When it was first introduced into the NHS, it was only prescribed for older women who had already given birth and did not want any more children; in fact, it was not made available to others until 1974 and even then it was controversial as many believed that it was linked with promiscuity. Nowadays, the pill is a very common and very effective method of contraception, but does it do more bad than good?

There are two types of birth control pill: the combined pill and the mini pill. The combined pill is the most popular and contains both oestrogen and progestogen, whereas the mini pill contains progestogen only and is mainly used for older women, smokers and those thought to be at risk from the combined pill.

Both types of pill are very effective if you take them correctly. The combined pill usually comes in packs of 21 pills that you take around the same time each day and then have a withdrawal bleed (sort of like a period) during your 7 day pill-free interval. This is perfect for those who prefer regular periods as you will get into a routine and know exactly what day you will start and finish your bleed. You can also take a few packs back to back with no break if you want to avoid a bleed for lifestyle reasons, although you may experience spotting after a while.

On the other hand, the mini pill gives you less controllable bleeding. Rather than having a pill-free interval you continue taking your pills instead. This gives you an unpredictable cycle; you could not bleed for months then come on suddenly and either have spotting for a few days or a full bleed that lasts weeks.

This is not ideal for most people (unless you’re happy for it to be blowjob week for ages and take out a loan to cover the costs of the millions of packs of sanitary wear you’ll need) but if you are recommended to take this pill then there’s not much you can do except choose a different form of birth control. Users tend to be women over the age of 35, women who have just had a baby, smokers, women who have weight problems or women who get too many side effects and are seen to be at risk from the combined pill, like me, grr.

The contraceptive pill is known to have possible side effects such as mood changes, change in sex drive, possible weight gain, headaches and on rare occasions blood clots, stroke, and an increased risk of breast cancer. Despite these side effects, birth control pills have been found out to protect against some forms of cancers and diseases and it’s unlikely that you’ll develop any serious side effects from taking the pill. However, if you have any concerns you must make an appointment with your family planning nurse because it’s better to be safe than sorry. You must also remember to take extra precaution for the next 7 days if you have experienced either vomiting or diarrhoea or you’ll soon be shopping for nappies, not pads.

My experiences with the pill have been up and down; when I was a teenager I started with a combined pill called Cilest. It made my skin much clearer and I went up two cup sizes…it’s safe to say I was over the moon! However, a couple of years later my family planning nurse put me on Lizinna which was similar to Cilest but apparently cheaper for the NHS. As soon as I started taking these and reached my 7 day break I got chronic migraines every month so the nurse put me straight on the mini pill Cerelle as apparently due to my migraines I was at high risk of developing blood clots and God knows what else.

I hated the mini pill due to irregular, unpredictable periods so had to fight hard to convince the nurse to let me back on Cilest…and I’m still alive right three months later (hope I haven’t jinxed myself)! From my experiences, the pill has done me good as it cleared my skin and stopped me from being a young mum; however, the mystery of my migraines being either linked to the pill or my low iron levels is enough to turn me into a hypochondriac so I can’t say from my experiences alone whether the pill does more harm than good.

I’d love for you all to share your experiences both good and bad. Has anyone had any major issues with the pill or had any problems with migraines like me? Let’s help each other out! Please comment or tweet us @KirstyW95 @DNSFeed