Birth Control Stories: Why I Chose the Pill
This blog is a personal account from Eve Was Framed Co-Founder Stephanie Majercik (@stephmajercik). Share your birth control story and send us a message on social @evewasframed.io.
Choosing a birth control method can be overwhelming. On one hand, there are so many options, which means you can find a method that is going to work the best for you. On the other hand, there are so many options and sifting through the pros, cons, and what you actually need birth control for can cause decision paralysis.
I, Stephanie, am on the pill. Always have been, and at this point in my life, probably always will be. My initial decision to get on the pill was a relatively easy one. In my late teens/early 20s I struggled with terrible acne and after trying every method under the sun to get rid of it, my doctors and I finally agreed that it was time to go on Accutane. As someone who can get pregnant, there’s a requirement that you have to be on birth control for a month before you can start the medication (as it is very important that you DO NOT get pregnant while taking it) - and you have to report two forms of birth control the entire time you're on it. The pill was the easiest one to onboard on to and as someone younger who wasn’t very sexually active at the time, it was also the most flexible.
In the years following my stint on Accutane, I’ve been on and off birth control. But every time I get off and feel the need to go back on, I always go back to the pill. Here’s why:
It’s one of the quicker ways to get started on birth control, if you time your appointment to be close to your next period you can start immediately. It’s also easy to get off of…just stop taking it when you’re ready to conceive or if you’re transitioning to different form of birth control
It’s the only form of birth control that helps with acne (a must for me)
It’s painless. Even if you hate swallowing pills, birth control pills are so small you don’t even notice them. None of the discomfort that comes with an IUD insertion or regular shots
On the downside, I’m not always great about carrying my birth control with me, so if I’m not careful, I’ll miss my recurring window – which for me leads to spotting or just early periods – on top of the paranoia of an unwanted pregnancy if I happen to be sexually active at the time.
What birth control do you take and why do you love it? If you’re on the pill like me, what keeps you on it?