Hey there, ladies! It is not always all about makeup and hair, general beauty topics. Since I have learned a thing or two about our theme today and I know that this might help out both - young girls and ladies who are still debating this decision, I thought that I would share my experience and tell you what I know and remember from my starting days. This IS a sensitive topic and yes, I use the word sex often.
To my latvian readers - I can translate this blog post if anyone would like me to, just leave a comment!
I am in a serious relationship for 4,5 years now. On the pill I am for approximately 3,5 years. A lot of people think that a woman who goes on the pill does it purely because of want to abandon condoms and have `safe sex with the person she is in a relationship`. Honestly, school never taught me anything useful abut sex and let's not even talk about all the possibilities how not to get pregnant and that the responsibility lies on both - woman AND the man. As much as someone would like to completely abandon condoms, at some point you should always have one by you, JUST IN CASE. I will mention why a little later, but for now - the whole intercourse thing is not the only benefit as some would say to being on the pill!
My main reason because I chose to try this method - as a teenager I had really heavy and painful periods. Supposedly hormonal contraception method helps with the pain and may make your period lighter. The reason why it happens is that the period you get whilst on the pill, is technically not a real period, but at the same time it is your blood and your body... To learn more about that, you should consult your doctor, because he/she will explain it better than I ever could.
I never went with a blind request to my gynecologist saying `hey, I wanna be on dat pill, gimme it!`. No. And I suggest you do the same - do your research! I spent countless hours researching whatever information I could get about the pill, about the hormones, about what a lot of people believe could happen, I also spent many, many hours reading through various forum topics and discussions about this small little miracle worker, I knew what I was going after and I knew that I was ready for it.
I was newly sixteen. In this country officially you can have sexual intercourse if you are 16. Therefore, I believe that all decisions you make after that in regards to this situation are only your own and no one may affect them! I made this decision, it was purely mine, no one ever influenced me nor did I ask for advice from my family. Yes, I admit that one of the aspects of this that made my decision easier was the fact that I did not plan on having kids ever, so the possibility of screwing something up with no chance of ever becoming pregnant was not a worry for me. Before you say to yourself - oh yeah, I don't want to have them either!, think twice. I have stood on my decision for many years and nothing has changed after it, but you can never know if you might rethink it, so please consider this as well!
If you are a young girl, do not rush it. If you recently started to be sexually active, learn and research all your options. At this point I would like to say that unfinished intercourse is not a protection. And here again I remind you that the protection is responsibility of two people, not one.
There are many brands for pills, they vary for hormones they contain, about the way they are supposed to be taken, meaning that there are some brands that require you to take pills all month long with a free week not to break the rhythm, there are some that have only 21 pills for the month. When you are sitting in your doctor's office, do NOT hesitate to ask for hormonal tests before you get your signed paper to pick up your first pack if you want to limit the brands that could work for you. The same is with prices - they are very different, most of the time you pay more for the packaging, but do not quote me on this.
Main reason why a lot of women opt out of this contraception is because they fear that they will become fat. My experience - during all these years I have NOT gained weight because of the pills. The first two years I strictly stayed on one exact weight number on scales and it did not matter what I ate. After that my lifestyle changed more, I started to eat more junk food, but even after that I never gained more than 2kg! So, after 3,5 years I still have basically the same weight. The pill on itself does not really make you fat. What it can do is hold in the water in your body, making it seem that you bloat, but even then I would say that 95% of times when a girl gets fatter whilst on the pill is purely based on her lifestyle and what she eats. Work out, keep yourself healthy and blame yourself before the pill, do not choose the pill if you are overweight or close to becoming obese or on the last kilogram of healthy weight.
Overall it takes 3 months for your organism to get completely used to the pill and for you to know if the brand you are using is the right one for you. Headaches, a little nausea is completely normal and mainly expected in first weeks, but these symptoms tend to disappear within the first two weeks. If you feel that the pill continues to make you feel really bad and you are starting to feel discomfort or anything else - contact your doctor. Do not give up on the first try, some women it takes even three different brands to try out to find the perfect combination for them! Yes, I got lucky, I have been with the same brand for all these years.
The pill is 99% effective. Keep that in mind. Be responsible - keep the instruction that came with your pills in a safe place that you can read over when in doubt or you forget what to do. Read all the possible side effects, but this should be talked over with your doctor anyway and no responsible doctor will ever write you the pill before going over the heart problems and everything else that could severely affect your health. If you got only one bar of the pills, ask for the instruction! The pharmacy most likely throws them out all the time, so get your copy. In case it gets lost there is a chance to search for the instructions on the internet.
Here comes the spare condom part - you use that for the first 7 days! After that, whenever you forget to take the pill in time or lose one, be responsible, use a condom for another 7 days if it is said in the instruction. Some pills don't ask you to do that, but you can never really be too safe when it comes to getting pregnant if the baby is not planned. If you are really paranoid or it takes time for you to trust this method, keep using a condom whilst being on the pill. It is nothing to be judged on and if your partner says it is nonsense, you should think twice before laying in bed with him, but that is just what I think...
I myself have gone through different situations through these years. I have forgotten to take the pill in time. In this case you act how is stated in your instructions. I have LOST a pill unfortunately. I have also skipped a free week twice now and changed my rhythm. Yes, you theoretically can do that, but it is not advised. I did it because of a lost pill or because it was the worst time to have a period and I have never done it more than once a year.
My 7 day period at first changed to being light to normal and lasting only 4 days. After skipping the free weeks, period changed as well long-wise. It has jumped from being only 3 days back to 4, but basically never lasting longer than 5 days.
Another thing to be aware of - a little period-like situation CAN happen during the first months of using the pill. It is normal. But, if it happens after regular use, you should visit your doctor for a check up. Do not forget to regularly go for check up at least once a year!
Some believe that it is normal and should be practiced - resting from the pill for a month or more after using it for a month. Not a doctor, can not really comment on this, but I have never done it and my doctor has never made me do it. If you think about it, it is not a toy to play games with, if you stop for a month, it is not OK for your body to suddenly get off the pill and then hop back on it. Consult your doctor before deciding on this.
It is also believed that the pill can affect your sex drive. Before assuming it is the pill that is causing the problems, figure out your relationship. Only then go to your doctor.
If you are worried about forgetting to take the pill... After three months your body should be used to the pill. You can have sex whilst on the free week as well unless your instruction states otherwise. If you think logically, you should understand that by forgetting to take the pill the exact same minute every day does not mean that you will immediately be pregnant if that is what you are worried about, especially if you are using any kind of different protection whilst on the pill. Yes, I have taken the pill 2 hours later, even 6 hours later. I am still child-free and I am extremely paranoid person. 2 hours do not affect anything that seriously, but if you do remember it after 6-12 hours or go a day without a pill, better safe than sorry - use a condom. Do not panic though, even if you had sex on the day you forgot the pill, it is unlikely that the percentage of protection will drop to 5%. In case you ever panic or can not find the answer you are looking for, either call your doctor or consult someone on forums, there are a lot of women that have most likely gone through the same situation you might go through. NEVER whilst being on the pill use Plan B or also called the Morning After Pill.
This whole said, don't say no purely because you think you won't remember to take the pill. We have phones, we have tablets, we have computers nowadays, make a reminder every day at the same time and you will never forget it. Take the pills with you to always be safe or remind yourself to take them with you if you are going somewhere and know that you won't be home at the time you must take the pill. After half a year my body reminded itself to take the pill, because I just got used to the ritual of taking it.
I learned everything myself. Definitely not the hard way, but the reason why I chose to share my experience is that they do not teach this at our schools. The brief look over the sex topic in the beginning of high school is 1% of actual situations and keep in mind, that the information in your biology book most likely is a few years old which means that it is not correct anymore. MY biology teacher did not know 3 additional ways of how to use protection even though she had to know them as a teacher to young adults at the sex-peak age.
The only things that have changed in my body.. I have noticed that whilst I am taking the pills 3 weeks in a month, my normal body temperature is either 36,9 or 37, but I never feel it. I am completely healthy and when the free week comes, I drop to 36,6.
Remember that if you want to try the pill for your own reasons it not being sex, make a decision yourself. If you want to use it mainly as contraceptive option, discuss this with your partner. Let him know, that you being on the pill does not mean that he can now do whatever he pleases and that no responsibility lays on his shoulders now. If you are in a relationship and your boyfriend is the one who suggests you taking the pill, most likely it is because HE wants condom-free sex. Do not let him put pressure on you, it is YOUR body, YOUR choice. Talk with your mom, consult a doctor. This IS a normal topic to talk about and especially your mom should be able to talk to you about it. IF the situation is that your mom strictly says no, she can not forbid you to go see a doctor and if that is the case, this is the time where you take it in your own hands and make sure that you are healthy even if you are not having sex.
To grown females who are still thinking about this - I hope I helped in any way to make a decision.
I THINK I covered everything I wanted to write about, nothing comes to my mind this late anymore, but if I remember something really important, I will let you know and will edit this post in the future.
In case you need to talk to anyone and your family can not help you, you can write me an email and I will try to answer any questions. Leave a comment in case something is unclear.
Good night, dear ladies! I hope you have a good night and next day!
<3
