A deep dive into the contraceptive pill

Women's health, particularly birth control and all its effects, appear to be an under-researched area, despite 74% of women in the UK using some form of birth control.

The contraceptive pill became free in the UK in 1974, and it was widely seen as a success. Liberating women into having the freedom to make their own choices for their bodies and health. Women no longer had to rely on men to be equipped with contraception.

Nowadays, lots of women use hormonal contraceptives like the coil or the mini pill for painful/heavy periods. I can be candid and personally say that after years of struggling with anaemia, the pill seemed like the only option left to help regulate my iron levels.

A deep dive into the pill...

The combined pill

This is probably the most popular, typically when people mention the pill they are referring to this. In short, it contains two synthetic forms of the hormones, progesterone and oestrogen. It is taken orally at the same time everyday and it is to be taken for x amount of days before a break (I’d be more specific but some brands have different durations varying from 28 days - 3 months).

The mini pill

This is known as POP (which is just as cute as mini IMO). It’s a progesterone only pill which is the one I have personally used. They are, again, taken orally at the same time each day and don’t require a break. It is an alternative to the combined pill- which isn’t suitable for migraine sufferers or people at risk of blood clots. When seeking advice, a GP can give you more details about this.

However, the pill isn't as straightforward as just combined vs mini. It's really brand A combined vs brand B combined. By this, I mean one woman being on one brand of the combined pill could have an entirely different experience as someone else on another brand of the combined pill even though they’re the ‘same thing’. 

Through chatting with friends and looking at what people have said on social media, Yasmin, a brand of the combined pill, seems to get a bad rep. This includes negative side effects such as nausea, headaches, breast tenderness and slightly raised risk of blood clots. I’ve even been told stories of women falling pregnant whilst taking it despite it being 99% effective.

Some women have found that the pill has made them really unhappy and they've seen a massive decline in their mental health, which has then improved after either switching brands or just quitting altogether. But, again, there is no clear evidence to support these claims. Additionally, some people believe they are suffering infertility as a result of being on birth control.

The best advice I can give is to just do your research. The more birth control and contraception is spoken about, the more well informed we will all be. It shouldn’t just be on women to be educated about though, men should also do their bit in understanding just how complex the decision can be.

Edited by Marianne Hamilton