Talk about freedom! Whats your relationship with #birthcontrol? Is it something you love or love to hate? Something you can't live without for fear of ruining your life?
That was my approach to it for the past, hmmm, almost 2 decades! AH! Nearly right after starting high school I put myself on birth control. I didn't want #cramps, acne, babies, and I watched way too much Law and Order SVU to leave anything up to chance.
So for the past 18 years I've been on birth control. First the pill, then the patch, finally the ring, which I've used back to back, without a period for the last 8-10 years (sounds like a jail sentence huh?).
I've been one of the fortunate few that hasn't had complications despite being on contraceptives for so long. I've never been pregnant, no crazy birth control weight gain or mood swings, and I've never had a blood clot. So why did I decide to give it up?
Honestly, this might be surprising, I just couldn't justify being on it any longer.
Lets look at the facts:
(1) I'm an adult that rarely drinks or does drugs and thus capable of making sober decisions.
(2) My interest in dating is a low 5% right now. And my interest in someone I don't know invading my private places is at a -50%
(3) I'm cleaning the unnecessary, possibly harmful toxins out of my life. It was time to look at unnecessary medications.
I didn't make this decision up and out of the blue. It was actually a facebook post by Ayla Grace that got me thinking about this.
What a profound question which sparked so many conversations about why women are and aren't on birth control! At the end of my read through I really couldn't justify my reasons for being on it for so long, especially considering I'm not in a committed, or in any intimate relationships. Also, I'm an adult and I can use condoms instead of putting chemicals into my body. To be honest I don't even remember what it feels like to NOT be on birth control.
For example: How were my emotions different? Did my body feel different? Did I have more or less energy? Did I have more sexual arousal or pleasure? Was my libido more fired up? WHO THE F KNOWS? Because it's been so long that I literally can not remember.
So I decided to break up with those hormones. I decided to say "BYE" to that junk that has kept me separated from a part of being a woman for so many years. Yesterday I removed my birth control (nuva ring), the last bit of junk I've been putting into my body on a regular basis. And for the first time in years, I went to Target and oogled over all of the new fancy options for pads, tampons and menstrual cups.
I don't know how this BC free ride is going to go. I do know that it will be a transition for my body. I also know that it will be a good one! Stay tuned for my updates as them roll in.
Operation #healthierbeauty is officially 100% in effect! From my makeup to hair care to skin care to nutrition, to my hormones. Let me know if there's an area I'm missing and need to address!
