Despite millions of women and people around the world using birth control, the violent side effects are rarely brought to light. Birth control isn’t inherently bad, but the struggles faced because of it often aren’t taken seriously and that needs to change.
After the pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960, many women experienced similar and even worse side effects still felt today, according to a PBS American Experience article.
The symptoms they suffered ranged from depression and mood swings to loss of vision, blood clots and death. According to the same article, 11 women were reported to have died from pill-related blood clots by 1962.
When these women visited their doctors, their complaints weren’t taken seriously or were written off as an exaggeration. Some were even told it was the price they must pay for effective contraception.
This disgusting negligence toward their pain seems barbaric, but it's still a reality for many people today.
I was about to graduate from high school when I was offered the Nexplanon arm implant through a free school program. I was told receiving the implant would be a smart decision because I could go to college without worrying about taking oral pills.
It took me about three months to realize something was wrong with how the implant was interacting with my body. I was sick, continuously menstruating and losing weight rapidly. After great consideration, I decided it was time to remove it and turned to San Jose State’s Student Wellness Center for help.
When I arrived at my appointment however, the doctor told me I wasn’t “sick enough” for her to remove it. I explained my ordeal and said I was desperate to have it removed. Despite my begging, she outright refused its removal.
I went home and cried in defeat.
After eight months on the implant, I finally had it removed at Planned Parenthood. I was so ill by then that my family wanted me to move back home from college. They described me as skeletal and sickly and said I didn’t look like the person I used to be.
I’d lost more than 30 pounds, was sick to my stomach every day and my mental health was in the gutter. This could’ve been avoided if that first doctor had just taken me seriously.
Sadly, stories like mine aren’t uncommon. In a March 1, 2019 HuffPost article, Karine Tessier and several others shared their stories of doctors not taking them seriously when they had complications with birth control.
Tessier suffered with complications from intrauterine devices (IUDs) for seven years before she found a doctor who listened to her and respected her wishes. She endured severe pain, cramps, hair loss and depression throughout her ordeal.
Doctors tried to diagnose and operate on Tessier for endometriosis, a painful disorder that affects the female reproductive organs, despite her asking them to remove the IUD first. She had to switch her gynecologist twice before she convinced the third to remove it.
She said she felt instant relief after the IUD was removed and all of her symptoms subsided within 24 hours.
So many people’s lives are disrupted by birth control complications every day, yet we’re dismissed and made to feel like we’re crazy. When doctors don’t respect our wishes, they imply we’re incapable of assessing our own bodies and that we aren’t in control of what happens to them either.
There needs to be more research on treating or eliminating these side effects and doctors must listen to us. We are the masters of our own bodies and we deserve to be in full control.
