Hey contraceptives, it’s me. Back at it again with the birth control content. In May 2018, I wrote about how I’d be going off the pill (government-issue contraceptive) because it was messing with my mood.

Fast-forward to June 2019 and I’m on the pill again.

I really tried, you guys. And honestly, it felt great to be on no contraceptives for a bit. But, at some point, you’ve just got to realise that something isn’t working – and I wasn’t feeling great about myself at all. So here’s why I went back.

Irregular periods

I’d been off birth control for a bit, when my period just disappeared for three months. Just gone, like it never existed. It threw my period tracker app out of sync and while it definitely wasn’t a pregnancy scare, it was a bit scary to just not have one for so long. I didn’t really know when to expect it and kinda forgot I even had one. And who wants a period, honestly? But when it came back I was basically bed-ridden and experiencing the worst cramps in my entire life. It’s a no from me, thank you.

Skin

And then came the skin issues. I had relatively clear skin thanks to the pill I was on. The minute I went off? The worst skin I’ve experienced in about 5 years. I was breaking out everywhere from my chin to my chest. And honestly, it was the lowest I was feeling in a while – nothing fucks up your self esteem quite like “bad” skin. It felt like my progress was ruined in the year I went off the pill. Diet be damned. I struggled with painful cystic acne, whiteheads and blackheads and so much texture that I didn’t want to leave my house. And while it’s not perfect yet – the pill has improved my skin within two months. I’m on the road to getting that no-makeup skin, y’all.

Pain and PMS symptoms

So aside from the irregular period symptoms I would experience over the year I went off the pill, my period sucked. Like the nausea, cramps and ovulation pains would wake me up in the middle of night. I know how to handle pain, folks. I have around 20 to 25 hours of tattoo time on my body. I’ve pierced both my nipples, my nose and my lip. But ovulation pain is actually a demon sent from the depths of hell to finish me off. I’ve woken up and thought “oh well, friends, guess I’m dying”. Thankfully a combo of the pill and painkillers have really helped over the last three months.

Will this be short-lived?

This is not the first time I’ve gone back onto the pill. Right now, I’m on a more expensive version to help clear up my skin. It’s really helped a ton with my overall symptoms – but I recognise that so many people a) can’t afford a pricier option and b) still experience a dip to their overall mental health regardless of what contraceptive they take.

I just thought I’d mention how much it’s alleviated some serious health issues of mine and that it might work for you.

Let me know what you think? I hope this was helpful!

x A