Four in five women don’t feel comfortable talking to health professionals about their concerns, especially when discussing menstrual wellbeing. When it comes to female health, the contraceptive pill is commonly prescribed to patients to solve the problem – Molly Lee details her experience
The contraceptive pill is oddly idolised in healthcare. Heavy periods? Here’s the pill. Painful sex? Here’s the pill. Oh, you think you’ve got endometriosis? Here’s the pill. Again and again, the pill is seen as an almighty solution for any female health problem – and it’s wrong.
At the age of 16, I was put on the contraceptive pill. I didn’t need to prevent pregnancy – if I had a baby, I would have been the next Virgin Mary. I needed answers and a solution to the sheer amount of pain I was in every month.
But it felt like everything was against me.
Seven years later, I have the answers but still no real solution. This is because the contraceptive pill is not the be all and end all.
I have polycystic ovaries and endometriosis. There isn’t a cure. I’ve tried multiple contraceptive pills and painkillers. I’m stuck.
Before I talk about my experience, here is why it’s so important.
Between 2017 and 2018 in England, around 3.1 million women received contraception from GPs or pharmacies, with almost nine in ten of those taking the combined or progestogen-only pill (The Guardian FOI request, 2019). This trend is consistent.
The report does not reveal the reasonings behind choosing the contraceptive but it’s well-known that health professionals prescribe the pill to patients with female health issues.
When I was first prescribed the combined pill (estrogen and progestogen), I was under the impression that all my problems would be solved and that I would be perfectly fine – spoiler alert, it didn’t.
I realised this wouldn’t be the case as soon as I opened the box of medication and the lovely little pamphlet showing all the side effects fell out of the box – high blood pressure, increased chance of blood clots, headaches, nausea and plenty more.
It really did make me question why I should bother taking it? I’m trying to get rid of these symptoms so why take a tablet that can also cause those exact things? Surely it was counter-productive?
After a period of frustration and no improvement, I was given a stronger combined pill. After bleeding for three months straight, I was put on the progestogen-only pill (POP).
When there’s no improvement, it’s hard not to feel deflated. Every morning it felt like I was consuming a sugar pill rather than artificial hormones that were supposed to help me.
So why do they insist on prescribing the pill for those struggling with painful periods?
The combined pill can help regulate and control your periods. But it doesn’t work for everyone. For me and my endometriosis, there’s no magic pill – and it definitely isn’t the contraceptive pill.
For women, research is needed to help those suffering with female health problems. According to Imperial College London, recent statistics suggest that only two per cent of medical research funding is spent on pregnancy, childbirth and female reproductive health.
This needs to change. I might not see it in my lifetime but hopefully women after me will.
Curious about the pill? Here’s how to get it
- To get the contraceptive pill, you can see a GP, pharmacist or someone at a sexual health clinic.
- Contraception is free and confidential in the UK.
- Taking the combined pill usually makes your periods regular, lighter and less painful.
- The pill may also help the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and severe acne.
- To learn more about the pill and other forms of contraception, visit www.nhs.uk/contraception/