These are all the hidden effects of the pill
The pill: thousands, millions of women take it. Without thinking too much about it and if all goes well, just from around the age of 15.
Did you know this?
Between 17 and 51 percent of Dutch women use the pill at some point during their reproductive life. But the contraceptive pill has many more hidden side effects for your body and mind than you think, and you hear and read very little about it. But why is that? Shouldn't we be much more honest about this? One thing is for sure: condoms do not have all these nasty and scary side effects anyway. Just saying.
We have listed the most important hidden effects of the pill for you.
• Mood swings, even depression
• Making you more anxious, becoming irritable
• Less desire for sex
• It increases the risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer, with long-term use of the pill
• More chance of migraines
• Increased blood pressure
Emotionless
Meanwhile, this is all known to doctors and gynecologists, but the pill is still prescribed thoughtlessly, even to young girls. How is that possible? ‘We have known for a long time that hormones, especially progesterone, have an effect on mood,’ says Frank Broekmans, gynecologist and professor of reproductive medicine at UMC Utrecht. ‘We still hear women say that a curtain lifts when they stop taking the pill, that they feel a lot less flat.’ Another researcher adds: ‘In theory, this can lead to less serotonin, making you feel less cheerful. With low estradiol, the prefrontal cortex and amygdala (brain areas that help you manage your fears) are less active.’ I can't wrap my head around this. If we all know this, why aren't we looking for alternatives? Take a copper IUD for example, then at least you're hormone-free. Fortunately, in recent years, more and more twenty-somethings are ‘pill-weary’: they are done with taking hormones daily. Will the trend continue and will the most famous pill soon be passé? Who knows.
Be a little kinder to your body, girls. Just grab a condom or an IUD.
Source: Nemo
