POPSUGAR UK

I Took Birth Control Pills For a Decade, but I Will Never, Ever Take Them Again

17/05/2018 - 06:10 PM

I started taking birth control pills when I was a teenager and for the next decade of my life. I never questioned my choice for preventing pregnancy [1]. Like most women my age, popping birth control pills became part of my daily routine, kind of like brushing my teeth. It wasn't until I got married and went off the pill [2] that I realised how much a hormonal birth control pill had affected my mood for the past 10 years, and not in a good way.

For the entirety of my 20s, I struggled with depression and anxiety [3], for seemingly no reason. Sure, I faced my fair share of bumps on the road of life: an overly demanding boss who was intent on making me miserable and boyfriends who weren't ready to commit. But even when things were pretty good, I always felt forlorn and on edge. I figured these difficult emotions plagued every woman at my stage of life. Plenty of my friends confessed to also feeling down and worrying.

But later, I would realise that most of these friends were, like me, also taking birth control pills. And like me, they noted a marked shift in their moods once they put an end to their pill-popping days. Literally as soon my husband and I were ready to start trying for a baby and I tossed my pill pack, I felt happier, lighter, and less overwhelmed and worried. Things seemed a little brighter, and daily tasks felt less daunting.

That oral contraception can change your mood is a known side effect [4]. But studies conflict over whether birth control causes depression [5]. Regardless, in my mind it makes sense that when you are altering the hormone levels in your body, it has the ability to impact how you feel.

Ultimately, I don't need clinicians to prove a link between depression, anxiety, and the birth control pill. Feeling blue and angsty almost all the time for a decade is all the evidence I need that oral contraception isn't a good fit for me. I haven't taken birth control for 10 years as my husband and I have focussed on growing our family. But now it's time to start thinking about our future birth control plans, and I figure it's his turn. Time to schedule that vasectomy!


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/Does-Birth-Control-Give-You-Anxiety-44852708