By opening up about their own experiences, women are emphasizing the importance of having a variety of options when it comes to birth control.
Using the hashtag #MyPillStory, women are sharing their birth control experiences, specifically with the birth control pill. Holly Brockwell, founder of an online magazine targeted at women called Gadgette, inspired the hashtag after she won her four-year battle to be sterilized (in the form of having her "tubes tied") at the age of 30. In a piece for The Telegraph, she wrote that she doesn't want kids and has received backlash from people suggesting that she take the pill instead.
What those people don't know is how her body reacted to oral contraception when she did take it, which she elaborated on in a tweet from March 31.
Alright I'm done with men telling me to take the pill pic.twitter.com/eFgCX9JjvO
— Holly Brockwell (@holly) March 31, 2016
I try not to go into the gross side effects but a lot of people think the pill is some magic thing that works for everyone and IT DOESN'T
— Holly Brockwell (@holly) March 31, 2016
In response to her tweet, writer Kate Bevan encouraged others to share their birth control pill stories, both positive and negative, with the hashtag #MyPillStory.
In support of @Holly, please share #MyPillStory. It's a great contraceptive - when it doesn't fuck you up. https://t.co/ibhYcQV90X
— Kate Bevan (@katebevan) March 31, 2016
Since then, many women (and some men chiming in with their partners' experiences) have shared how the pill led to common side effects like weight gain and mood changes as well as more serious ones like depression and blood clots. Others reported being completely satisfied with the pill and explained they had been using it for years. The wide range of tweets proves that contraception affects different people in different ways and serves as a reminder of how crucial it is that women have access to a wide variety of birth control like the pill, IUDs, condoms and more.
After stopping hormonal birth control my breasts produced milk for over a year, It is very painful and I've never been pregnant #MyPillStory
— Dannia Colín (@danniacc47) April 3, 2016
#mypillstory weight gain, mood swings, depression, apathy, constant nausea, stomach aches, high blood pressure, headaches
— Jessica (@bellelumiere) April 5, 2016
The pill was great for me for multiple reasons but I understand that for other women, it is not so great and I stand with them. #MyPillStory
— Georgia Lewis (@georgialewis76) March 31, 2016
@holly my wife spent 5 days in intensive care from a blood clot due to the pill.
— Dan Granger (@regnarg) March 31, 2016
Not suffering the symptoms of endometriosis & thinking I'm pregnant every month is amazing. The contraceptive pill is a gift. #MyPillStory
— Georgia Rae (@GeorgiaGoodyer) April 4, 2016
Contributed to me gaining a rare debilitating condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension #mypillstory
— Cori (@Archsuccubus) April 5, 2016
Suicidal. Incessant relentless panic attacks. Fatigue. Constant crying. Headaches. No interest in anything. #mypillstory
— Challis Zillwood (@challiszillwood) March 31, 2016
Wasn't aware of the issues so many women faced taking the pill. Had many successful years on it. Thanks for opening up ladies! #MyPillStory
— Laura (@strwbrlaura) April 4, 2016
In what may be the most beneficial result of the hashtag, women learned that they weren't alone in their birth control experiences.
Reading #mypillstory from lots of ladies this morning and I can relate!
— Kaajal Parekh (@mrskpnut) April 1, 2016
Looking at #mypillstory. I thought it was just me.
— Gita (@MsAlliance) March 31, 2016
Strangely comforting knowing I'm not alone in what the pill did to me and how it made me feel. #mypillstory
— Challis Zillwood (@challiszillwood) March 31, 2016
OMG i have waited for so long for something like #MyPillStory to happen. If it was men taking it there would be a lot more research
— Lily (@lilyvictoria_) April 5, 2016
Both Brockwell and Bevan have noted that the hashtag wasn't intended as a way to slam the pill. Its true purpose? To show that the pill isn't the right option for everyone and that women equally deserve the resources and respect to explore other methods.
H/T Cosmopolitan
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.