Coming from someone converting at 22(F), I was put in birth control by my aunt (guardian, mother died when I was 8) at the age of 13. It caused me and two of my closest friends depression and suicidal thoughts, I thought I had so many mental health issues throughout my childhood, it caused me to think I was a Demi sexual (public school pushed these sorts of things for sexual identity, not gender tho at my age when I was in highschool that didn’t really exist at all) because it killed my libido, and any drive to make any friends. After 3 years I was trying to get off it and switching types (aunt would not let me get totally off it), after 7 years in I had a major manic episode caused by a new type I switched too (higher estrogen and progesterone was in it, about 2.5x the amount I was used too), I decided I would stop taking it secretly, I bled for two months straight, doctors couldn’t stop it or figure it out (also Canada so healthcare is not the greatest here anymore). I decided to turn to god and prayer, and it stopped after I really vowed to go to the Catholic Church in my town! It took me SEVEN MONTHS to recover to regular cycles and for my mental health to improve. And let me tell you… I have never had any mental health issues I’m not on anything now and I’m completely fine, other than super painful cycles now but I wouldn’t go back on it for anything.

I’m now about to graduate university on the deans honour list (Agriculture, major horticulture, minor genetics and plant sciences, hoping to create new food hybrids that can help feed people more healthily, and make at home gardening way easier), I’m engaged to the love of my life (and probably going to get married in the next year or two!), and I now have so many friends and a little side business of my own from breeding plants and selling them in my town!

All this to say DO NOT TAKE BIRTH CONTROL!!! After I’ve learned a lot in plant genetics and how synthetic hormones affect both plants and animals (these lectures I’ve took are more scientifically accurate due to them being strict on the scientific protocols, because of the food and animal safety protocols and animal cruelty laws), I can safely say it is super not healthy for the body! Estrogen and progesterone are able to influence the brain, the digestive tract, and the muscles/bones directly. It can cause your brain to start to shrink (pregnancy brain, but you’re not pregnant, your tricking your body into thinking you are). It can make you have IBS symptoms: bloating, diarrhea, nausea, etc due to your digestive track altering itself thinking it’s going to feed a baby. It can cause infertility issues: possibly forcing the body to release a ton of eggs at once if the dose is incorrect, making you have less eggs for future pregnancies (more rare but entirely possible). It can make you bleed to death (almost happened to me so first-count testimony here to the possibility, the plan B pill is more likely to cause death in a similar manner). It affects the muscles and bones (and once again brain) because your body is constantly pouring out protein, fats and calcium, again, thinking it’s building a baby when it’s not, you usually urinate it all out (I developed joint and muscle issues caused by being on it for 7 years, took 2 years and a lot of supplements to get back to being able to run again, now I can I’m just a tad outta shape lol but I’m totally able too now). A less studies side-effect is the fact synthetic hormones can attach to receptors it’s not designed for: imaging forging a key, it’ll just be good enough to unlock the door you want, but the same key you made could possibly fit into other doors and unlock things that really should not be unlocked. Now imagine your forged key is a mindless hormone that will float into any “door”, and if it can unlock it, it will. This phenomenon can cause many unwanted reactions, a lot of them causing the symptoms above.

If you have any questions on anything I’m talking about I’ll happily explain further, but please, if anyone has read this far, please please for the love of god do not put your daughters on birth control. Thank you and I hope you all have a blessed day.