Scarleteen

Hey, all,

I'm considering getting birth control. While I'm not currently engaging in activity that could get me pregnant, I do want to get married someday, and since I don't currently want to give birth at any point in my life it's something I've always considered exploring. Right now, the main reason I want to get birth control is so that I can control the arrival of my period somewhat, and lessen its effects. Due to my health conditions I can't currently use tampons (inserting objects is the problem there), and I'm tired of being at the mercy of when my period arrives for things like swimming, or even just being stuck on an international flight while I'm bleeding my guts out. It also lasts for 7-9 days, with lots of cramps and heavy bleeding, which I'm tired of dealing with, especially when I know my body is practicing for something I never even want to happen. I've heard that with birth control, you can often stave off your period's arrival for a few days by delaying your placebo pills, and that's something I'm very interested in.

However, there's one big thing stopping me from going ahead and getting birth control. I'm scared of the mood swings. I hate the idea that a medication could change my personality, and turn me into someone different and less happy and fun. My boyfriend says I'm already a moody person, so while he respects every choice I make and is totally okay with me starting birth control, he suggested that I consider this angle before going on the pill. I know I have strong feelings (I'm a person who is very passionate about everything I do, and I don't want that to change), but I also feel like I'm good at dealing with them. I don't currently have mood swings that prevent me from doing anything I want to do. I've never been diagnosed with any mood or personality disorders, or even seen a therapist about the possibility. But the more I read online, the more stories I find about people who feel like they went crazy or lost control of their bodies/emotions when they went on birth control. While I'm tired of dealing with my cycle the way I have been, I don't want to risk who I am.

I'm planning on talking to my doctor about this too, but could somebody with some medical training speak to this issue? Are mood swings a big issue for many or most people who take the pill? How can I assess my risk, i.e. would talking to my mother (who is open about the fact that she took birth control for many years) be helpful information? Would progestin-only pills be better or less risky? Is there any other way I can delay/lessen the effects of my cycle without birth control? (Honestly, I don't even know if I want to explore that last one; as mentioned, I do want birth control in my life for my future, especially when I get married, which, with the current amazing boyfriend I have, could be within the next five or so years.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Have an amazing day!

I have a few thoughts here!

One is that different people react differently to various birth control methods; while some folks do experience some mood changes with birth control pills, not everyone does (and keep in mind that the many, many people who take bc pills and have no problems on't tend to write those experiences online, so the stories you find online will often be more negative, percentage-wise, than stories from a random sample would be), and there are also a lot of different birth control options available to you that might have an even lower risk of changes to your mood than the pill would.

Another thing I want to note is that when people do experience negative side effects with a new birth control method, they don't always last forever; sometimes it just takes a few months for one's body to adjust to a new medication and after that things even out a bit. Remember, too, that you never have to stick with one brand of pill or method of birth control if you try it and it just isn't sitting right with you at all. Sometimes, people will start one pill brand and find that they don't feel great on it but that another brand works just fine! A good doctor will work with you to find something that works well for your specific needs.

I think a good next step for you would be to bring these concerns to your doctor when you go in to talk about options. We have a great roundup of different birth control options here: Birth Control Bingo!, if you want to look through the various options you have. Progestin-only pills, the contraceptive implant, or an IUD might be ones to look into, although I don't think you necessarily need to rule out combination pills, either! If you take a look at these and have a few ideas of what sound most promising, you can approach your doctor with those ideas and see what they say. You certainly could ask other people who've had experiences with the pill or other birth control methods for their experiences, just keep in mind that people react to medications in different ways so what works for one person may not work for you. Someone else having mood swings (or headaches, or nausea, etc) doesn't mean you will too, but it can be helpful to hear a range of experiences from people who've gone through the process of choosing a birth control method.