Capri’s Story: Birth Control Side Effects

Throughout my life, I have faced challenges with my health as a woman. I started taking birth control when I was 14 years old and it impacted my health significantly. Receiving my prescription from my primary care provider, I was told it was normal to experience missed periods and extreme vaginal cramping. I went from experiencing a regular period with little pain, to experiencing irregular periods with extreme discomfort.

On birth control, I got my period once every 3-4 months and was extremely depressed. My primary care provider was prescribing me a birth control pill that I later learned was not supposed to be taken in women that experience migraines due to increased risk of stroke, which I have been diagnosed with and my provider was aware of.

I am now 23 years old and have been off birth control for 3 years now. I have been in touch with my emotions, and am now experiencing regular periods for the first time in years.

I feel at peace with my decision to get off birth control, but I still face backlash from my primary care provider as well as my OBGYN. They are constantly trying to get me to take some form of birth control, whether it be a different pill, an IUD, or Nexplanon.

Sometimes I get infuriated that safe sex responsibility typically falls on the woman and they are constantly pressured to be on birth control. Where is the standard for men? When can women make decisions for themselves without experiencing backlash from others due to social norms?

I want to see increased awareness and education for women's health in terms of reproductive health, mental health, and health conditions that impact women predominately. I want to see a change in the access to health care for women, especially for reproductive health, and prenatal and postnatal care. I want to see more research done to better understand women's health conditions like endometriosis, postpartum depression, and more for better treatment options and improved quality of care. I want to see an elimination of the racial disparities that exist, of the high maternal mortality and morbidity rates across the United States. We must address the social determinants of health that influence women in these unfortunate health outcomes.