Why I Stopped Taking Birth Control Pills

What a title for someone who is adamant about not having any more children right? But I had come to a point where I just wanted total control of my body and moods….again. I have been on birth control steadily since Joshua was 6 weeks old, he will be 9 on the 31st of August. They started me on a low-dose option first, since I wanted to breastfeed. (I breastfed him for 11 months exclusively). And then I was on all different kinds of pills after that. I stopped taking the pills in January of 2020. Last month, the man that lives in the White House decided that employers no longer had to cover birth control for their employees. He’s on a roll this year 🙄.

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The Unit!

Let’s get a little personal. Birth control pills tend to give you a very low sex-drive. Mine was practically non-existent. Being married for 11 years, sex is important to keep the fire burning as they say. We still do our thing, but it wasn’t always something I was in the “mood” for. Speaking of moods, I felt like I was depressed and anxious, which after some research, can be side-effects of the pill. The depression really got to me, some days I wouldn’t even want to get out of bed. I never knew how much the pills would impact my body, I just knew that after having two kids 22 months apart, I didn’t want anymore, any time soon. The doctors didn’t tell me any of this either. Oh, you want pills, here you go. My mental health never came up in conversation at any follow-up appointments after. Just routine check-ups and refills wrote for me. Why isn’t a deeper conversation had about these effects on women?

Lack of Sleep in Motherhood

While on the pill, I noticed that my monthly visitor came with debilitating headaches. The day before my cycle would start, the headaches would completely lay me out and I would just be useless to the kids and everyone. My OB/GYN said there wasn’t really anything they can do while I stayed on the pill. It is a very powerless feeling to have. I also had extremely painful cramps on the first day and an extremely heavy flow. I thought the pill was supposed to lessen these types of symptoms, not for me.

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As a Scorpio, I am already a typically moody person. On the pill, I noticed that I was moodier, can you imagine? I was irritable and easily set off. It’s not the kind of energy I wanted to keep in my home. Especially for the kids. I would snap for things that were so minute and would feel terrible about it after. I have noticed a drastic change in all things mentioned above, once I stopped taking the pill. I feel so much better on my cycle, the cramps and headaches have damn near disappeared. The heaviness I used to experience has lightened up significantly.

Why I Stopped Taking Birth Control

At the end of the day, I am a firm believer in a woman having control of her body. It seems like society and the government is always policing our choices, our access to healthcare, and more. I made this decision for ME. I didn’t like how I was feeling, my well-being is MY number one priority. With my diet and lifestyle, it also just made sense to not put synthetic hormones in my body anymore. I mean I’m the person who doesn’t take headache meds or any type of medicine at all. I have a visit scheduled with my OB/GYN at the end of this month, I can’t wait to hear her reaction to this news!

Please share your birth control experiences below, I am curious to know the effects it has had on your body and how you cope with it all. Thank you so much for reading, stay chic, and stay safe!

8 Comments

  1. Remi
    August 6, 2020 / 1:17 pm

    I had the exact same experience when I had an IUD inserted. It was inserted 6 weeks after my second. It was the beginning of a shit storm. Initially I had no idea it was the IUD causing the moodiness, depression, anxiety, no sex drive, and long ass heavy periods. I thought part of it was maybe postpartum. Probably was. But that IUD completely F’d me up for almost a year. It was to the point I just stopped working. Like I literally left and never returned. I was super miserable. I found myself crying and having panic attacks until it was removed. NEVER AGAIN! it’s just not worth it for my sanity. Thx for sharing.

    • August 6, 2020 / 1:33 pm

      Wow, first off, thank you for sharing your experience. I am so sorry that we have similar experiences to share. It’s just amazing to me that more often than not we are prescribed without given the details about the side effects. Glad that you made the decision to put yourself first, and do what’s best for your body! Thank you so much for reading!

  2. Kim Thomas
    August 6, 2020 / 5:51 pm

    Thanks for the frank convo. I was feeling all Kinda of ways with the NuvaRing and I was tired of being sickly. I just wanted to feel normal…. that’s when the regret set in bc the following month of me not using it I got pregnant with my 9yo. I breastfed as well but never went back on the pill. Hence the reason I got 50 kids now. 🤣 I decided to get my tubes tied after my last child since “someone else” didn’t want to get his Snipped🤪 I’m glad to not have to worry about it anymore.

    • August 6, 2020 / 9:11 pm

      Girl! You do have mad kids, but that is a blessing. I was scared to tie the tubes and plus she told me I was too young to do it when I asked. My husband didn’t want to get snipped either, smh. Thanks for sharing your story and for reading!!

  3. Quana
    August 6, 2020 / 6:03 pm

    I was on birthday control twice. Both times I was on the pill. The first time was prior to having my twins, which resulted in me gaining a lot of weight, always moody, heaviest of periods, and bad cramps the first and second day. The second time I went back on the pill my libido dropped drastically which was disappointing to me as well as my boyfriend at the time of 2 years. At the beginning of 2016 I stopped taking the pill after doing some deep research. I became more aware of what I put into my body including wanting my reproductive system to work naturally without being fooled by the pill. Four years later, it’s the best choice I ever made

    • August 6, 2020 / 9:12 pm

      I am so glad that I was not the only one experiencing these symptoms. Wow, four years that’s amazing, I’m sure you feel so much better now. Thank you for sharing your story and for reading!

  4. August 7, 2020 / 3:45 pm

    I tried birth control throughout college and it never worked for me. The side effects killed me! I experienced some of the same things you did! I tried a lo dose, high dose, EVERYTHING! It was a horrible experience for me. I have painful periods as far as cramps and back pain is concerned and it didn’t make it any better. I stopped taking them and looked into some natural remedies. Now that I am 35, thankfully I don’t experience as much pain and my flow is pretty regular. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in this. Thanks for shining the light on this subject because it’s not talked about enough.

    • August 7, 2020 / 4:40 pm

      Yes, I am so glad that I opened up and let this much-needed conversation off of my chest. While I hate that we are all experiencing the same symptoms, I also take comfort in knowing that I am not alone. What natural remedies have you been using instead, I would love to hear more about those! Thanks for reading!

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