There are two kinds of young women when it comes to their relationship with birth control. The ones who don’t think about it and whether it could be beneficial or not, they have easy periods and refrain from sexual activity, so they don’t seem to need it. Yet there are others who want to go on birth control or are to by advised by a doctor for many different reasons, painful periods, abnormal bleeding and sexual protection are just three of many. There are girls who go through painful or abnormal bleeding and are unaware of the benefits of birth control.
The spectrum with girls and their relationship and experience with birth control is wide and I believe girls like my sister Saige, who goes through abnormalities in her bleeding cycle, should be educated more on her options. Many girls go months and even years with difficulties that could easily fixed by birth control and I don’t think it is talked about enough. I believe being prepared for what your body goes through once starting birth control is also something to be educated on as a young woman. There are many ins and outs of birth control that aren’t talked about. Knowing the benefits and side effects are extremely important.
So, I have a friend, and her name is Sydney. Growing up she had a few issues with her acne, as well as abnormal bleeding so when we were 16, she talked to her mom about setting up appointments with a Gynecologist and her Dermatologist to see what was up. Both doctors had suggested to get on birth control, so she went on it! She had finally felt hope in what felt like forever and started to stop stressing about both issues, knowing there could be light at the end of this tunnel. She started taking the birth control and her acne began to clear up, and it brought her so much happiness! Nothing had worked, no medications, no serums and the birth control finally did the trick.
But as she took it for longer, there were symptoms of mood swings and emotional stability that her OB-GYN did not say anything about. She was an emotional wreck. It started with her family complaining about it, and it got to a point she was even noticing a difference in her own behavior. She never spoke with a doctor though. She just took the pills and adapted to her knew feelings. And as I scroll through twitter and social media every day, I read similar stories on girls experiencing similar if not the exact same symptoms as Syd, and what being on birth control was like for them and I wonder why we all don’t know why. Why they are experiencing these changes, or why that some say it even changed the way they’re bodies looked and felt. I’ve even known some friends that got off birth control because they said it even made them depressed.
I think these are some side effects that doctors should definitely be disclosing more upfront when discussing the benefits of birth control. I wonder why so many of us are left to wonder about these side effects. Just like some of us are blind to its benefits and stay away completely. I believe getting more information from your Gynecologist as a young woman seeking benefits or information on the side effects from birth control is the most important thing to do. Being educated on what you're putting into your body and what it can do to it, is huge. I believe there’s only more to know about birth control, and it starts with healthy conversations with your Gynecologist.
I agree with everything you are saying and I hear you—finding the right birth control is hard. I am an Ob/Gyn and it took me until medical school to figure this out. In order to give you more of the information that you want, I am going to break down what you are saying into parts: first, let’s talk about the definition of “birth control”, and then we will talk about the types of birth control, what you can use them for besides pregnancy, and what the side effects of them are, since it sounds like you and your friends are really worried about those. Whatever you end up choosing, make sure you use it properly so that it prevents pregnancy and treats your symptoms.
I think that when people say “birth control” what they really mean to say is “the birth control pill.” The “birth control pill” is a pill you take every day that has hormones in it and is usually used to prevent pregnancy, although sometimes it can be used for other things related to hormone imbalances. We will talk about those more later. But just so you know, “birth control” is actually a group of treatments intended to prevent unwanted pregnancy, such as pills, vaginal rings, injections, implants, intrauterine devices, and condoms.
The Pill
Okay, so now that we know what “birth control” is, here are some more specifics about each type. We can start with the original “birth control pill.” Almost every single birth control pill is basically the same: it’s a pill with a combination of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone (let’s call them E&P). E&P do a lot of things in your body, and the balance of the two is changing all the time; E&P going up and down is how your body gets the message to cycle and get periods. But E&P do a lot of things in your body besides cause cycles—they affect your skin, your bones, your mood, and your appetite. When you take a dose of E&P every day in your pill, it can sometimes change how you look or feel, just like how it can make your skin better but make your mood worse. It can be associated with depression and energy or weight changes for some. The annoying part for both girls and their gynecologists is that, since everybody is different, it is pretty hard to predict what side effects you will get, and there are a lot of them. There are also tons of brands of pill, so sometimes fixing the problems you don’t like is as easy as trying a different pill—it is helpful to have a gynecologist you can call to switch them up. If that doesn’t work, you don’t have to take pills forever (it’s hard to remember!), and you can try something different! So, keep reading.
The Ring
Next, is the birth control ring. This is like a small, bendable jelly ring that goes in your vagina. Instead of having to take a pill with E&P in it, you absorb the hormones straight through your vagina for 3 weeks and then take it out for a week. You use a new ring every month. Sometimes it helps people with bad side effects because the hormones go through your vagina directly into the bloodstream instead of through your stomach and then into your bloodstream. Doctors will use both the pill and the ring to treat acne, heavy and painful periods, and bad PMS. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
The Shot
There is also the birth control shot, sometimes called “Depo”. It is a progesterone shot that you get every 3 months. It works very well to prevent pregnancy, but a lot of people don’t like it because it can possibly make you gain weight and have unpredictable periods. It can also be hard to remember to go back to the doctor for a shot four times a year. I think that is way too much work for a teenage girl, so unless you really want it, I think there are better choices.
Implants - The IUD
My favorite kinds of birth control are the ones that work the best to prevent pregnancy and heavy periods and are also the easiest to remember. These include a birth control implant, which is a tiny plastic matchstick with progesterone in it that goes under the skin of your arm. It doesn’t hurt to put in, and it lasts for three years, which is nice. However, sometimes, like the Depo shot, it gives people unpredictable periods. In my opinion, the best birth control that I recommend for preventing pregnancy, as well as painful and heavy periods, is something called an intrauterine device, or IUD. It sounds a little scary, but I promise it isn’t—it’s what most Ob/Gyns use! It is like a tiny little plastic T with progesterone that goes into your uterus (where a baby would grow) to prevent pregnancy. They are safe to use for almost every woman and girl, no matter whether you’ve had babies or not. A gynecologist has to put it in, and it can hurt for a minute or two, but then it stays there for 3-5 years if you want and you don’t have to think about it. About half of women stop getting periods on it, which is very nice, and the rest generally have lighter ones. They can be irregular sometimes, so if you don’t like it after a few months, you can take it out, as it is totally reversible. There is also a type of IUD made out of copper, but that can cause heavy periods and a lot of young women don’t like it very much.
The last thing I want to say about birth control is that NOTHING I have mentioned so far will protect you from getting an STD like gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, or herpes unless you use a condom! To prevent STDs you need to physically put something between you and your partner.
I hope that this helps and that you find birth control that does its job and makes you feel your best.
-Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald
Thank you to Dr. Danielle Prentice and Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald for being guest bloggers for this series of blogs, Things Teenage Girls Always Wanted to Know About Gynecology. For birth control services and to learn about the type that best suits you, make a virtual appointment with our Las Vegas OBGYN Specialist.
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