Here's Why Young Women Are Turning Against The Pill

Ayla started taking the pill on November 25, 2023, encouraged by peers to alleviate the discomfort of her menstrual periods. However, distressing symptoms surfaced by December 5, manifesting as severe headaches and vomiting toward the week's conclusion. Ayla's condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to her family seeking medical advice. Jenna Braithwaite, Ayla's aunt, detailed the harrowing events that followed. Despite Ayla's acute distress and continuous vomiting during a GP visit on December 6, she was only prescribed anti-sickness medication, with the GP attributing her symptoms to a stomach bug and advising hospitalization only if the condition persisted.

By the evening of the same day, Ayla was in excruciating pain, described as being "all over" her body. The situation turned dire when she collapsed at home. Her family, realizing the urgency, rushed her to the hospital in Grimsby, a short drive from their home in Immingham. A CT scan at the hospital revealed a blood clot in Ayla's brain, leading to her immediate transfer to Hull Royal Infirmary in Yorkshire for surgery.

The medical efforts to save her proved futile; on December 12, 2023, doctors declared that Ayla would not survive. The following day, she was pronounced brain-dead and subsequently passed away, marking a profound loss for her family, especially poignant as it occurred close to Christmas and followed closely on the heels of another family bereavement. The family's grief is exacerbated by the sudden loss of a young life full of promise – Ayla had just embarked on her college journey and secured employment. The discrepancy between the initial dismissal of her symptoms as non-urgent and the subsequent catastrophic outcome has intensified the family's anguish, rendering Ayla's death not only a personal tragedy but a stark reminder of the potential dangers of the birth control pill. 

A New Era in Birth Control Accessibility 

In a historic decision in the summer of 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the over-the-counter sale of Opill, a daily oral contraceptive pill. This significant move paves the way for Opill to be readily available across a spectrum of retail outlets, including drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, and online marketplaces. Opill, which comes in tablet form, is distinct for being the first nonprescription daily oral contraceptive to be offered in the United States, marking a new era in contraceptive accessibility.

Patrizia Cavazzoni, the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director, highlighted the importance of this approval, stating, "Today's approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States." She emphasized the safety and expected efficacy of Opill when used as directed, noting its potential to be more effective than other nonprescription contraceptive methods currently on the market in preventing unintended pregnancies.

One survey found that 58% of pill users take it for a reason other than pregnancy prevention.

Developed by Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Perrigo, Opill is categorized as a "progestin-only" pill. This means it utilizes a synthetic form of progesterone, a key distinction from most other birth control pills that typically include synthetic estrogen as well. Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, President and CEO of Perrigo, celebrated the approval as a landmark moment for women's health, highlighting the significant impact on enhancing access to contraception for women nationwide.

Opill will be available in 28-day supply boxes and will hit the shelves this month. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $20 for a one-month supply and $50 for a three-month supply.

Many women celebrated this news, especially considering the fact that the pill is more popular than ever among young women. While it’s primarily known for preventing pregnancy, it’s often administered for a variety of reasons unrelated to contraception. Women take it to help with severe acne, irregular periods, heavy bleeding, etc. In fact, one survey found that 58% of pill users take it for a reason other than pregnancy prevention. We’re hearing more stories of 15-year-old girls who are going to the doctor with complaints of heavy, uncomfortable periods, only to leave with a prescription for the pill. 

The problem is that the pill halts a woman’s natural hormonal cycle, blocks ovulation and menstruation (you get a withdrawal bleed, not a real period), and pumps the body full of synthetic hormones that have a completely different effect on the body than natural hormones. This information wasn’t widely known for a long time – until now. More women are starting to understand what the pill actually does to their body, and that’s why they’re choosing to leave it behind. 

Why Young Women Are Turning Against the Pill 

TikToker Katie Snooks shared her experience of being on the mini-pill for more than 10 years. It gave her the “worst acne of my life,” and every single time she asked her doctor if the birth control could be giving her this horrible cystic acne they said no. She also said the mini-pill caused an extremely low libido. She thought she was just someone who wasn’t that interested in sex. But her sex drive went through the roof as soon as she came off birth control. Katie also shared that she was struggling with anxiety and stress, so much so that she went on antidepressants for a period of time. Coming off the pill allowed her to handle stress much better and feel more in control of her life. 

“Hormone [sic] contraception just does not agree with me,” she said. 

Many women in the comment section came forward to say that they too have had similar experiences. One person said she had constant spotting on the pill, another said she bled for three months straight on the pill, and someone else said she felt liberated and happier than ever after she gave up the pill. There were also many other people in the comment section who were grateful for this information because they had felt skeptical and hesitant about continuing hormonal birth control for a long time, and Katie’s video gave them the push they needed to seriously consider giving it up. 

At 25, Chancey Sessions shared a candid revelation on TikTok about the severe aftermath she faced after discontinuing her birth control pill, challenging the common assurance many women receive: "Birth control doesn't mess you up that bad..." Despite what she was led to believe by healthcare professionals, Chancey experienced devastating side effects from her contraceptive regimen.

After deciding to stop her birth control in November, Chancey's situation took a drastic turn within just two months; she began losing her hair in substantial clumps, leading to noticeable bald patches across her scalp. This drastic change forced her to resort to wigs for concealment. Her TikTok displayed a stark contrast between photos taken before and after ceasing the pill, with the latter showing significant hair loss, underscored by images of her holding copious amounts of shed hair.

Chancey was on a high-dosage birth control pill, recommended for her notably irregular menstrual cycle. Contrary to the reassurances she received about its harmlessness, her experience proved otherwise. She described the subsequent months as an excruciating ordeal, during which she developed alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition inducing hair loss, triggered by the hormonal upheaval from stopping the pill. However, Chancey's narrative takes a turn for the better. Six months post-birth control and three months into efforts to stabilize her hormones, she began to see her hair regrow, restoring her confidence. 

Stories like this help women understand that the synthetic hormones found in the pill can have detrimental effects on their physical and mental health. Because your body doesn’t ovulate on the pill, it can take a long time for your system to learn how to ovulate on its own again, which can cause many hormonal issues for women and of course make it difficult to get pregnant if that’s their goal (which is a common reason why women go off the pill in the first place). 

Lauren, a family nurse practitioner known on Instagram as @naturalnursemomma, has taken to social media to share her critical insights on the adverse effects of birth control pills on women's health. Lauren argues against the notion that birth control pills are a harm-free solution for non-contraceptive issues, such as menstrual irregularities. She emphasizes that these pills disrupt the natural communication between the brain and the ovaries, leading to a cascade of negative systemic effects. 

She highlights the classification of the pill as a Group 1 carcinogen and outlines its association with a series of health complications. These include chronic gut problems, increased risks of heart attacks, blood thickening, liver tumors, a 300% heightened risk of Crohn's disease, a 23% increase in antidepressant prescriptions, and the depletion of essential vitamins and minerals critical for mood regulation, fertility, and menstrual cycle regularity.

Lauren also discusses the clinical patterns she's observed in patients on the pill, such as deep-rooted fungal infections and conditions exacerbated by the pill's side effects, including blood circulation issues leading to chronic health problems like headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, weight gain, diminished libido, and mood disorders. She points out the disconnect between the reassurances given by many Ob-Gyns regarding the absence of long-term side effects, including infertility, and the reality supported by research and clinical evidence.

Closing Thoughts

Because this type of informative content is going viral on so many different social media platforms, more women than ever before are feeling empowered with the information that their doctors never gave them. This gives them the confidence to make decisions for their own health that they have been wanting to make for a while, such as giving up the birth control pill and finding more natural ways to heal their menstrual cycle.

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