![]() In recent years, a cultural shift toward “natural” health and wellness practices has led some to question the safety of using hormonal birth control over the long term, fostered in part by the rise of wellness influencers and people sharing negative stories on social media. Still, “It’s important to recognize that there are a small subset of people for whom hormones would not be a good idea, whether because of their family history or because they just had a bad experience.”īut side effects and contraindications aren’t the only reasons hormonal BC isn’t universally adored. “On average, young, healthy people who take hormones might have some uncomfortable side effects as their body gets used to it for a few weeks, but in general those minor side effects will go away and they will have a good experience with it,” says Raegan McDonald-Mosely, MD, CEO of Power to Decide, a national campaign to reduce unplanned pregnancy which runs, a comprehensive resource for contraception information. I keep hearing about people quitting hormonal birth control and wondering: Wait, should I be worried? It’s not just oral BC: Though it’s less common, some users of hormonal IUDs, implants, and other long-acting hormonal methods also experience side effects they don’t love. The amount of hormones in oral contraception has been significantly reduced since those early versions, but for a minority of users, unpleasant side effects like unwanted weight gain or loss, pelvic pain, yeast infections, or bloating still abound. ![]() The earliest trials for birth control pills in the 1950s had large numbers of test subjects (mostly poor Puerto Rican women who, by the way, weren’t even told what they were taking) drop out because the side effects were so intolerable-so researchers began testing on women they could force to participate, such as residents of a Massachusetts mental asylum and medical students, also in Puerto Rico (sense a theme?), who were told they’d be expelled if they didn’t. ![]() I keep hearing about people quitting hormonal birth control and wondering: Wait, should I be worried?Īfter a little digging, I realized I’m kind of lucky: Hormonal contraception has been causing unpleasant side effects for some users literally since it was invented. In the background of my love affair, though, has been an unsettling feeling that maybe it’s all too good to be true. Me and hormonal contraception: It’s love. As a person with naturally hellish periods, I am so grateful for my hormone-releasing IUD-and the nearly-nonexistent menstruation that comes with it-that I shudder to think what my life would look like without it. You know those bridesmaid-font t-shirts and mugs with sassy slogans like, “Powered by coffee and wine?” If I were a slogan-merch person, I’d add one item to that list: Mirena.
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