I’ve Decided To Come Off Of The Pill

I know what you’re thinking, and no I’m not thinking about having another baby. You’d think that’s the reason why I would decide that it’s time to ditch the pill, but no. To be honest, it’s partly down to the fact that I don’t know my adult body without it and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Plus, I’ve got a wild toddler, so if that alone isn’t enough birth control, then I don’t know what is.

This isn’t a decision that I’ve just made on a whim. I’ve been thinking about this for quite a few months now. I’ve been on the pill for almost a decade now for the most part. I just assumed it was the best option for me, as it seemed the most reliable. Set an alarm, pop the pill, and job’s done. And perhaps it was, for a while. After I had Aidan, I went to my 6 week checkup and, as most new moms do, absolutely laughed when the doctor asked me about birth control. I mean, I just had a baby, so anything remotely related to sex was the last thing on my mind. But still, I walked out with a prescription for ol’ reliable again.

Since having Aidan, I’ve been on two different birth control pills (for no particular reason; they’ve just been what was described to me at the time). It might just be down to the fact that I’m more “self aware” when it comes to my body since having Aidan. Giving birth really does make you look at your body in a new and different way! But frankly, I’ve just not felt the same since. Things like mood swings and a virtually nonexistent sex drive have been new parts of my normal for the past year. And while I did put that down to just being a tired, new parent, I wondered how much of that could be down to my birth control. I’ve come to the realization that my hormones aren’t really my own. My “periods” aren’t really periods, and my body isn’t actually ovulating naturally like it should.

So I’ve decided to trial a pill-free lifestyle, at least for now. I don’t plan on switching to another hormonal birth control in the meantime. Plus the idea of having an IUD shoved up my hoo-ha does not appeal to me. As I said, I want get to know my body again, and just switching to another hormonal birth control wouldn’t really help that. I’ll instead be exploring other non-hormonal forms of contraception, such as trusty old condoms and tracking my cycle.

I’m a bit nervous for this lifestyle change, even if it MAY be temporary. I’m also genuinely excited to see if there are any positive benefits to coming off of the pill. The pill is not for everyone, and perhaps that’s now true for me. I’ll be following up in a few months after I’ve had the chance to experience life without the pill. I would absolutely love to hear anyone’s experiences with this. Please feel free to email me or DM me on Instagram with them (I realize you may not want to leave that information in a comment!).

xx Lauren