Why I Finally Decided To Stop Taking Birth Control

Adult life is a scary thing. There are so many things that you have to be in control of. You have to make sure that you are paying your bills on time, you have to make sure that your car is running properly, you have to make sure that the milk hasn’t expired in your Fruity Pebbles. It can be exhausting, but you have to make sure that you are staying on top of all these things and remain in the driver’s seat. One of these things is keeping track of your body.

When I first started going to see the gynecologist (I need a glass of wine just thinking about the awkward experience of being there), I rolled with the punches. Whatever the doctor says goes. You have to put tongs in my where? Cool whatever. You have to scrap what? Alright, just leave the rest of the goods where they need to be. I didn’t know what is happening in that region of my body, so I will just nod and agree to whatever she says while she is looking at my “baby making fun parts.”

When she asked me what I was doing for birth control, I said, “Did you see my Harry Potter t-shirt? Not much action happening for this lovely geek.” All jokes aside, she told me that she was going to put me on the pill, to help me to regulate the obnoxious demon that explodes from my ovaries once a month. Rather than ask if it was necessary, what the side effects were or what any of the risks were due to the fact that breast cancer runs in my family (In case you didn’t know, you have a slightly higher risk of getting breast cancer while taking birth control pills), I said, “Sure why not? Girl power. I’m in more power of my ovaries!”. Wrong move ladies.

As I got older and started to take control of my life a little more, I began to question the real reason I was taking them? I’m one step away from joining a convent, so no need to use them for the bedroom fun. Breast cancer runs in my family, so I’m putting myself a little more at risk. Apparently, it is used to help with acne, which isn’t the case for me considering mine had gotten worse, so I did what I thought was best for my body. I’m giving my ovaries a detox and stopped taking birth control pills.

I know what you might be thinking, “But what if you happen to meet Channing Tatum one day and don’t have a condom?!” First off, he is married you home wrecker. Second, I’m okay with letting him down and telling him my ovaries are off limits. My body seems to be doing a lot better without the pills. My face has gone from looking like a sixteen year olds rip in the prime of acne to looking like a baby’s butt. My hunger pains have decreased dramatically and I already feel like I’m losing weight (Yep, did you know that some birth control pills can indirectly make you gain weight?). And my body as a whole feels better because I’m not stressing out reminding myself that if I don’t take that damn pill on time the new coming of Jesus might happen. On top of stressing about all the other side effects that might occur, I’m okay without my birth control pills.

What can we take from this? What has worked for me, might not be the best for you. I’m not a doctor, so please don’t take my word for this and quit taking your medication. I’m just saying that now would be the time to have a conversation with your doctor about your body and what you are doing to it by taking the medications that you are taking. While some will help you, others have risk factors that are greater than the good that they are doing. Be sure that you are doing your research and asking questions before you just start taking a medication. It’s your duty for your body.

Featured image via Simone van der Koelen on Unsplash

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