My Story: Identifying What Contraception Works Best for You
By Amy Agigian —
AB explains the kind of advice she would give to someone who is just beginning to consider their contraceptive options.
Transcript:
AB: I would say, first of all, don’t discount your mental health. I know some people find that birth control affects them differently mentally, and don’t feel guilty or feel like that that’s not as important as your physical health or physical symptoms, because you deserve to have a birth control that works for your mental health as well, so that’s advice that I have.
Second of all—hmm, I don’t know. Yeah, just like, you don’t have to use the thing that works best for all your friends. Or something kind of funny, you don’t have to include this, but, like, there’s sometimes different stereotypes that goes along with different birth control. Like, my friend was like, “I can’t use a NuvaRing, that’s for, like, moms, like, that’s for moms in their 40s.” Like, you can use the NuvaRing, you do not have to be—but the, sometimes the way they market it to be, or like Nexplanon—I know people who, I don’t know, they just have specific ways they’re marketed. But, um, it’s okay to not be a mom in your 40s and still use the NuvaRing. I don’t know.
I don’t know, I guess, I would just say the first thing, though: be concerned about your mental health. Don’t be afraid to try new things, or to be annoying to your provider and be like, “Hey, um, we need to talk about myself and my problems more. You can’t just prescribe me this and let me walk out the door within two minutes, like, I want to sit down with you and work through this and maybe try a few things.”
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