Which is Worse?

Dear The Pill,

You have made my periods 4 days long instead of 7. You have made them lighter, and less painful, and more bearable, but you also cause me to have intense cramps in my cervix and pass clots big enough to fill my menstrual cup. You’ve stolen my sex drive and made my mood swings go wild, yet I feel addicted to you. I’m scared of what will happen if I come off of you, I’m scared the pain and length and heaviness of my periods will come back. I no longer know what’s worse. Heavy, painful, unbearable periods, or mood swings and a lack of sex drive which is threatening my relationship

Please sort it out.

Thanks

Charlotte, England

Toxic Relationship

Dear Combined Pill,

It's been a couple of months. I'm not sure who's to blame for our breakup - I guess it wasn't your fault that you made my body form blood clots in my lungs, but I'm finally realising it wasn't my fault either. I just wish someone had been able tell me we were in a toxic relationship before I had to be hospitalised.

Regards, Melissa

Melissa, UK

It’s Not Normal!

Dear all the GPs that brushed me off.

Fuck you.

In my senior year of school, I had 6 months of constant bleeding, falling asleep in class and so much money wasted on pads. According to my doctor, it was perfectly normal for someone my age (17) to have irregular periods.......but this ain't irregular, this is too regular....

Same thing happened the next year, another 6 months of blood and lethargy. Went to another doctor, same explanation of them and a script for the contraceptive pill. I never took that because the period stopped in the week after that particular visit.

This went on for a few years, and I gave up on doctors in my town and didn't consult another doctor until I was 20 and had moved to a city with more options.

New doctor said that having a period for that long isn't normal (duh) and she sent me off for bloods and a ultrasound. After that, she diagnosed me with PCOS and anemia due to all the blood I was losing. She went ahead and prescribed me the combination pill and Metformin (which is the automatic prescription for PCOS, but it really shouldn't be).

Went well for about a year on those meds, until I ended up in the hospital with a Pulmonary Embolism (blood clots in the lungs). Turns out the combined pill can cause blood clots, good to know! (I also have a Protein C deficiency which contributed to the clotting, didn't know this prior to the hospitalisation) Took me about a year to feel like I can breathe freely, but I still have constricted breathing sometimes and will have to take blood thinners for the rest of my life.

Now I'm on the implant to manage my PCOS, because going back to constant bleeding is the alternative. Don't know if I'm going to stick with that long term, but choices are limited when estrogen is ruled out.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Just please get your doctor to test your clotting susceptibility before taking estrogen!! It takes a blood test and may save your life.

Dana, Australia