Recently, I was scrolling across various social media platforms and came across a comment that talked about how disgusting it was for girls in middle and high school to be on birth control and how they are too young to be using such things.

Newsflash: Birth control isn't just used to prevent pregnancies, and even if that's what someone chooses to use it for, it's still none of your business.

I was young when it was recommended that I start taking birth control due to how irregular and how painful my period was. I was missing school constantly and on the verge of repeating the year because I had missed that much school.

When I sat in the doctor's office going over my options, it was explained why going on birth control would be beneficial and help alleviate the pain and get me regular. Being on birth control truly helped me feel more normal for those first few years until we realized what was causing my issues wasn't related to my period at all. It was something else happening in my body, which had awful side effects on my menstrual cycle.

Now as a 22-year-old female, I haven't been on birth control since I was 15 or 16 years old. My periods have never been better and overall I feel great. So you may be wondering, why I would choose to discuss going back on birth control if everything seems to be working as it should be and I'm not struggling anymore.

The answer is actually quite simple. For the next few years, regardless of if I am married or not, I know what I want and that is to not have any children. I don't want to have children within the next 3-5 years.

While others might feel different and want children while they are in their early 20s, I don't and I don't think anyone should be shamed for decisions made about their reproductive health. Whether you want children now or later, one or a whole baseball team, that decision should ultimately be yours as is the decision to take birth control or not.