I didn’t mean to stop using birth control, but I lost my insurance and I’m not sleeping with anyone, so I figured I might as well. I was curious to see the effects on my body. After being on it for fifteen years straight with no breaks, my hormones are seriously out of whack. Here are just a few of the unfortunate side effects I’m experiencing:
- I’m moody AF. It’s bad. Really bad. I’m fine, and then an hour later, I’m in tears for no reason. I can’t figure out any sort of pattern or reason for my moodiness. I can tell that I’m more irritable and less patient than usual, and I don’t like it at all. I feel oddly unlike myself.
- My PMS is even worse. I knew that it’d be bad, but I didn’t know it’d be this bad. My body hurts. I’m exhausted. I can’t get anything done. I get super depressed and all I want to do is sit on the couch and eat ice cream and cry like a bad stereotype. It’s terrible.
- I’m tired all the time. I’m used to being tired, but now I get physically exhausted for what seems to be no reason at all. I just can’t do a damn thing some days. As someone who’s quite active and always on the go, this is very frustrating for me.
- I can feel my period coming on. This isn’t bad, just weird. I forgot what it was like to feel the workings of my body as they’re going on inside me. I can tell now when I’ll be getting my period in a couple days. It’s kind of cool and also kind of creepy.
- My boobs hurt like crazy. In the week leading up to my period, my boobs now get super sore and heavy. They’re more swollen and so tender that I wince if I bump them into something. I did not miss this side effect of life off birth control.
- I’m super unpredictable. One minute I want to go out and conquer the world; the next I hate everyone and want to curl up in a ball in bed. It’s confusing, and it tires me out mentally. I don’t understand what’s going on, and I guess I can’t because my crazy hormones are to blame.
- I miss sex even more. I missed it already, but now that my hormones are free to rage, I’m super horny. It’s terrible. I feel like jumping any guy who even glances my way. Strangely, though, it doesn’t seem like my newly released pheromones are helping me out with the dudes at all.
- I have to wear feminine hygiene products again. I was very spoiled while I was on the pill. I barely got my period at all. I mostly wore pantiliners and nothing else. Now it’s back to tampons, and I have to change them way too often. I didn’t miss that one little bit.
- I’m smellier. Now that my natural hormones are no longer suppressed, I notice that I have more natural odor as well. I hardly ever had to wear deodorant before, but now it’s a necessity. It’s taken some adjusting because I don’t usually realize that it’s me who smells! I never did before.
- I retain more water. Oh, the joys of bloating. This is probably my least favorite of all the side effects I’m experiencing. No one likes to feel bloated and gross, and I definitely feel it… especially when I’m PMSing. As if I don’t feel bad enough already!
- I’ve gained weight. I haven’t changed anything about my diet or exercise routine, yet I definitely feel stockier. My muscles don’t look as defined, especially in my stomach area. This problem alone is enough to make me seriously consider getting back on birth control. I’m not happy about it.
- I’m paranoid about safe sex. Sure, I’m not having any now, but what about later when I meet a guy? I’ve always been on birth control and I still made guys wrap it up. I am way too paranoid about unwanted pregnancy to use condoms alone. It makes me want to stay away from the headache of sex with a new person altogether.
- I feel like it’s futile. Yeah, it saves me money to discontinue the pill since I don’t need it right now. On the other hand, I don’t really see myself staying off birth control if I get into a new relationship. I don’t trust condoms – or men. Why bother going through all this if I’m going to hop right back on the pill eventually? With the way I’m feeling, I might get back on it ASAP.
