The GLAMOUR team share our experiences of the pill

More and more people who have periods are turning their back on the pill in favour of natural forms of birth control. It’s the subject of a new documentary airing this week called Davina McCall’s The Pill Revolution on Channel 4, in which she investigates whether women are being given the care they need when it comes to using the pill, and whether they know all the options available to them.

Since the pill was made available (to married women only) in 1961 in the UK, and then later to all women in 1967, it’s become the most commonly prescribed form of birth control and helped millions of women prevent unwanted pregnancies, among other benefits. But its suitability for everyone who wants to use birth control is increasingly coming into question. Potential health risks have always been in the shadow of the pill and continue to arise, plus its user dependent effectiveness is a turn-off for some, and given it’s been around for over 60 years, it’s not uncommon to have taken it non-stop for your entire adulthood without experiencing a natural period — a realisation that might inspire a break from it. Not forgetting there are side effects for some. So with more and more apps making natural contraception a more viable, and reliable, alternative to prevent pregnancy, it’s no wonder the pill’s popularity is potentially waning.

We polled the GLAMOUR office to get a sense of where people stand on the pill in 2023. Here’s our own personal experiences of the contraception.

Luca Wetherby-Matthews, Social Media Manager

I started the pill around 15-years-old in an effort to minimise the acne that I was beginning to experience and my painful periods. I was put on Microgynon 30, one of the most common brands of the contraceptive pill, and that was that. The pill helped to clear my skin more than any other prescribed treatments and my periods became much more manageable, so I was super happy and stayed on it solidly for around a year or so. I then went on and off of Microgynon 30 for the following seven years or so, with lots of breaks in between, and (thankfully) never suffered any of the widely reported negative side effects.

When I was 23, I went back on the pill, this time to Rigevidon, and had an awful experience. I felt really low, I was constantly snapping and getting wound up by minor things and it started to affect my relationship, so I asked to be put back onto Microgynon. The doctor suggested I try taking my pill packets back-to-back for a few months in order to level out my mood swings. I did so and found that my libido took a massive hit as a result (a frustrating side effect that I’m still trying to figure out almost a year later). At this point I had been taking the pill on and off for nearly 10 years, and wanted to give my body a break from the hormones, so decided to switch to the hormonal coil (which uses localised hormones, something I didn’t know prior) just before turning 26, and now I feel much better knowing what’s in my body won’t mess with my emotions or mental health.

Charley Ross, Freelance Writer

I’ve had a really weird journey with the pill, I first went on the mini pill when I was 18 (when I first had a serious boyfriend) and suffered constantly with breakthrough and irregular bleeding. I ended up coming off it and not using any contraception through most of university because I didn’t know enough about my other options. I was then put on a combined pill Microgynon after graduation, but couldn’t get on with it as it would trigger headaches and migraines. I then used the coil for a year or so later in my 20s, but basically grappled with the fact that there wasn’t a pill I could make work with my body. I didn’t get on with the coil either – it bloated me to a comic and uncomfortable level – and so I thought I’d run out of options.

Around a year ago, my doctor let me try a low-level oestrogen pill called Gedarel – I had to increase the oestrogen dosage to prevent breakthrough bleeding, so it means my blood pressure has to be checked super regularly and I think it has got higher, which is scary as my mum suffers from high blood pressure.