Birth control is an important topic to discuss amongst women. Many women take birth control, but not many discuss the complications and side effects associated with its use. So here are some things to consider before heading to the doctor's office to grab a prescription!
1. Your weight might fluctuate
Although there’s no concrete, scientific evidence and many doctors deny that people gain weight when they start birth control, there is still a chance that birth control may make your weight fluctuate. From personal experience, I can tell you that it is possible; during my first year at college, I decided to try birth control for the first time and gained 8 pounds in a week without changing anything about my diet. The only cure was changing my birth control to one with a lower dose of estrogen! In addition, several of my friends have had bad experiences with birth control and weight gain, whether as a side effect of appetite increase or just unforeseen weight gain due to the change in hormones. However, I have also spoken to many people who have had no issues starting birth control; it all depends on your body.
2. Everyone's body is different
The way your body reacts to different types of birth control will be different from the way another woman's body reacts to birth control. Everyone is different, so you can't compare your future experience with someone else's past experience. I'm not saying that you should avoid everything you hear about birth control and just go for it and try it out, but keep in mind that just because someone starts PMSing after starting birth control does not mean that you will react the same way. Be open to any kind of birth control and talk to you doctor about all your options, since they're the only ones who know the most accurate information about types of birth control and possible side effects.
3. Birth control can make you prone to UTI's and yeast infections
Yeah, three months. That’s a relatively long time. And, usually, your side effects subsist for the entirety of those three months unless you find ways to cure the bloating, headaches, nausea, stomachaches, and hormonal imbalances. If you take birth control on and off, it may be easier for your body to adjust the second time around, but it takes a while for it to get accustomed to any kind of hormonal changes that occur with the addition of birth control to your daily vitamin regiment, so don’t expect any miracles. However, it is also important to consider that some women may not have the same side effects as other women (again, everyone is different), so don’t put off being prescribed birth control because you’re afraid of the side effects – the benefits outweigh the costs.
4. Explore all options before settling on any type of birth control
Some people simply can't remember to take their birth control every single day at the same time, and that's okay. Although, in today's world, there are many apps and reminders that you can choose to incorporate into your treatment in order to ensure that it succeeds, but if even that fails there are many other options. You can consider the Depo shot, which is given every three months, an IUD, which last from 5 to 10 years and can be hormonal or non-hormonal, or the Implant, which is inserted into your arm and can last up to 3 years. It all depends on who you are and what your body prefers, so don't just settle on the Pill because it is the most common type of birth control. Think about your plans for the future and which options would work best for you!
5. There are still so many benefits to birth control!
If you have awful cramps every month, birth control can really help! PMS symptoms usually decrease while you’re on the pill, and your chances of getting ovarian or endometrial cancer decrease as well. In addition, the hormones in the pill can solve serious cases of acne and make your skin feel amazing. Also, if you’re sexually active, the pill makes it easier to predict your periods and ensure that you’re not prone to a multitude of pregnancy scares and emergency Plan B runs. It can also allow you to skip your period (!!!) if you decide that you don’t want to have it for a certain event or vacation; in order to do this, you simply have to start a new pack of birth control a week earlier than usual (skip the placebo pills which are usually a different color than the regular pills). Yet, the most important thing to consider about birth control is the fact that you probably won’t get pregnant! At this age, that is the most important thing to consider, especially since it could turn your life upside down.
Before you consider birth control, know that there are some costs to using it every day, but that the benefits will always outweigh the costs in the end.