/hb/ - Health & Beauty

While having periods sucks, messing up your hormones and all the side effects that accompany that suck more in the long run. BC is just objectively unhealthy.

>>3797
in what way is it unhealthy in the long run? i know it increases blood pressure, but mine is always low anyway

>>3803
Increased risk of blood clots, stroke, heart attacks, increased risk of breast cancer, weight gain, bloating, depression, libido changes, etc. It's a dangerous thing to mess with your hormones, especially in the long term. Periods are a huge pain but in the end a necessary evil.

>>3804
but HOW increased?
i'm willing to sacrifice a slight increase to never have my painful crippling periods ever again. i understand every drug has it's side effects.

>>3805
also forgot to mention that I have had a very large ovarian cyst rupture in the past and I never want to experience that ever again so I'm probably taking BC for the long term

I don't want to risk acne and getting fat.

>>3805
>how increased
Enough to not make it worth messing up your hormone and endocrine systems. Might as well take steroids, or straight HRT. Just buy a cup, anon.
>>3806
Was the cyst after you tried BC?

>>3808
No it was before I started BC.
I think that other things in life are a lot worse for you than rare cases of blood clots/stroke/heart attacks related to birth control. I should probably stop eating processed meats as a priority first.

>>3810
You should also not take the pill. Double down on the healthiness instead of just replacing the factor.

I don't want to take birth control because I don't want to gain weight/acne/mess up with my hormones but I really want my future husband to cum inside me. Sucks.

>>3816
There are non hormonal methods. Also hope that male bc becomes available soon. (Though you should also have your own means to be safe)

>>3816
I hope you can find each other, anon.
>>3817
A good non-hormonal method could just be not bashing your flesh together.

I can understand girls who don't want to be on the pill at all, but it seems like many girls who are on the pill are completely unaware that it's safe to skip periods using it.

There's no real downsides for me, I don't even think about it or worry about my period at all.

>>3820
I believe you, I know people who've been on birth control for a long time and don't experience any side effects. I don't have an active sex life, but I feel relieved when I get my period because my head understands it as a sign that my body is functioning properly. I have pretty heavy periods though, maybe not getting them would make my life easier.
>>3818
Thanks!
>>3817
What methods? ParaGard?

>>3804
The way my dad (an ob/gyn) put it to me was: "taking birth control means your risk of stroke is 4/100. being pregnant means your risk of stroke is 8/100." Really put it into perspective. Being pregnant is a much bigger risk to my health at this point in my life than being on birth control. Am I mad that there is so little research on its long term effects? of course. Do I think that's a reflection of a misogynistic society, do I agree that birth control was fundamentally borne out of men's desire for women to be sexually accessible with no consequences? Yes on both counts. But this is the best I can do for now if I want to be sexually active. I don't feel safe enough using just condoms, and I want to enjoy sex. so birth control + condoms it is.
>>3796
I totally get it. it made my periods WAY lighter. I still have one now and then, but really only because after a few months my uterus cramps a little and I get some spotting. I use the patch (bc there is no way in hell I could remember to take a pill every day lmao). I've had weight gain since I've been on it, but I highly doubt it's related to the patch- there are much more logical explanations.
I have so many girlfriends say to me "I just need the reassurance that I'm not pregnant" which was my logic too. So I told myself I'd skip one and see how it was, and if it made me too uneasy, I'd go back. I'm never going back now.
(If any of y'all are interested in a really radical take on birth control, there's an episode of the podcast "feminist current" where she interviews mary lou singleton which kind of blew my mind→ https://www.feministcurrent.com/2017/09/08/mary-lou-singleton-need-go-back-rallying-abortion-demand-without-apology/)
(Also I happen to think women are justified in demanding menstrual leave- it doesn't make us "worse workers than men" and it isn't some "fun benefit women get that men don't, wah wah female privilege." Men ought to be grateful they aren't in pain a few days a month as a consequence of being the sex they are, and women ought to get a day or two a month to deal with pain in comfort, because they literally can't help it. So I think the reason skipping periods is so nice is because I finally felt like a man, in a man's world. Having a period really interrupts your life sometimes, and we live in a world built for people who never experience that interruption, which is fundamentally unfair.
/endrant lol

>>3828
>I think that's a reflection of a misogynistic society
>I agree that birth control was fundamentally borne out of men's desire for women to be sexually accessible with no consequences
>I want to be sexually active
>I want to enjoy sex
I know it's a bit late to ask, but why? Why would you do that? Why would you do any of that?

>>3828
>y'all
off topic but why do some people insist on using this word? it drives me up the fucking wall. very obvious hallmark of someone who uses tumblr too much.

>>3828
>It doesn't make us worse workers than men
It does, though, if we're unproductive for a few days a month. If I were an employer and menstrual leave were actually a thing I'd want to hire more men than women for exactly that reason.

>>3836
THANK YOU.

It just reeks of deception. I can't stand it.

>>3828
I heard about this culture (I think) that prefers abortions over birth control. Their logic is that birth control affects the whole body continuously while abortions are only done on an as-needed basis, and I think that's really good in terms of giving women more bodily autonomy. Thoughts?

>>3840
wouldn't getting several abortions be bad for your body too?

>>3841
Yeah, but they still use condoms and stuff so the risk of pregnancy is already low.

>>3796
The biggest downside is when doctors prescribe every woman in the city the same brand you're chained to taking two a day of to maintain any quality of life, so that supplies run out and you end up housebound for two months. Also the pain you go through coming off, and the constant questions about whether you've taken it before or do you know you're underweight, etc.

I'm not on it now. I had to stop when my legs started having horrendous stabbing pains and I entered a two month long period that left me bedridden and convinced I would die. Before that I would have said yes, go get implants and injections and hope it does you some favors (cancelling periods is considered a side effect not a feature), but now I'm with the don't fuck with it guys. Only take it if you have no other options, and if that's the case there's a very slim chance it'll work for you longterm.

>>3852
>two month long period
If I had a two month log period I would die, even if I had to end it myself. That's horrible.

My bad experiences with the pill now sound very small by comparison, but I couldn't handle what it did to my libido. Periods are horrible, but so is only having one orgasm a month, and even that was a struggle.

Does anyone bleed more often on bc? I get it every other week now and its so exhausting

>>3856
Thats no normal. You need to go back to the doc, maybe the level of hormones in your bc pills are too high for you, or too low. Anyways go to the doc!

I'm on the desogestrel only pill, as I suffer from immensely painful periods, as well as acne. I essentially don't get a period unless I forget to take my pill for a few days, and I spot from time to time. It's so great, my period made me so depressed and sick, I feel the same as OP in that the freedom from my period is amazing. It doesn't do anything for my skin, unfortunately, but the liberation from my period is enough.

>>4003
I know this isn't the thread for this, but please get help Anon.

I don't have an active sex life, but I've been thinking about going on the pill to control my period and make the blood flow lighter. I just don't want to gain weight on it… I know doctors say you won't, but everyone I know says it makes you gain weight lol.

>>4010
The difference between my weight on the pill and off is about 10-12lbs, if you're a healthy weight at the moment it won't be that bad. To be honest the most annoying part is coming off and finding that no cut of shorts fits you because your hips/waist have turned to bone but your thighs are still fat as usual. I can be four fists of extra space on my waistband and still have it cut into my legs when I sit down.

>>3796
I haven't had a period in probably….2 years? because of taking birth control continuously. I have always had debilitatingly painful periods, to the point where I basically couldn't leave bed or function when it was happening. Honestly some of the worst pain I've ever experienced and it happened every month. I started taking BC at 16 to help with the pain. I absolutely love not having a period, but any time I tell someone about it and explain why or that there's no real reason we need to have one or that's it's perfectly safe, they still give me a weird side eye about it, especially girls. It's like they're saying "YEAH WELL you should STILL be willing to suffer!" or like "stop being a baby periods aren't that bad" even though they clearly have much less painful ones than I did.

>>3807
lmao, my mom literally never had a single pimple until she got pregnant, and then developed horrible acne. Please love yourself anon.

>>3808
>>3811
Sorry for samefag but this really pisses me off. First of all, source? Second, literally every body and is different and you have no right to be telling anyone what is correct for their bodies/periods unless you are their doctor. Personally I've been on BC for 10 years and it's completely changed my life for the better, but that's not the case for everyone. I know girls who have tried BC and had horrible side effects and can never take it. I know a girl who is 26 and already wants a hysterectomy because she caries the Huntington's gene and never wants kids. I know people who HAVE to take BC to take care of their ovarian cysts. I know girls who started BC specifically to clear up their acne. It's not one size fits all and you're an idiot for thinking every woman needs to do exactly what you do. The fact that you even asked:
>Was the cyst after you tried BC?
makes me think that you have no concept of the uses of birth control and are totally naive and talking out your ass.

Society is already fucked up enough in it's treatment towards women's sexual health, we don't need other women shaming how our bodies work too. It's also estimated that we have 3x as many periods as our ancestors given our growing life span. (450 periods in a lifetime today, when the estimates for our ancestors was 160 in a lifetime). If you're someone who has already decided you can't have or don't want kids, literally why would you continue to suffer? Menstruation literally scars your body every single time it happens. Your body is building a nest every month for a bird that will never come.

There's not enough comprehensive research on the matter, but this dismissive attitude is how women's health gets tossed to the wayside. Not to mention the added expense of tampons, pads, liners, cups etc.

Sauce: https://health.howstuffworks.com/sexual-health/contraception/birth-control-pill1.htm
https://health.howstuffworks.com/sexual-health/female-reproductive-system/monthly-period.htm

>>3828
Bless u anon

>>4012
You haven't had your period in 2 years? That sounds amazing, i think i will also from now one just skip periods with bc. I don't know why i never did, i also never had any troubles with bc so this sounds like a great way to stop the pain and lessen the cost on pads. Maybe this is a stupid question but will you still sometimes bleed a little even if you don't skip?

>>4013
I'm not planning on getting pregnant either. No need for condescension.

>>4018
I'm not judging you at all anon in the end it's your own decision. If having your periods makes you feel better you shouldn't skip it. I'm still going to try it, i don't think that it will bother or effect me.

I'd never ever do hormonal bc

nexplanon took mine away, and I've had no noticeable symptoms apart from spotting a bit the first few months. IT IS THE BEST

>>3796
I'm 27. I have been on birth control since I was 14 because my periods never stopped. I literally bled all the time. I was severely anemic because of this. And for almost two weeks out of every month I was in excruciating pain with a terribly heavy flow. My doctor put me on birth control.

I have skipped my periods for about five years. I take a break from birth control twice a year to allow my body a real period twice a year. And I have had no problems relating to my birth control. I have never had blood clot problems. I am not overweight.

Everyone is different.

Has anyone with bad side effects from combo pill been better on a mini Pill?

Combo made me want to kms on the daily, so I ended a new method.

As far as I know, skipping periods a lot is a bad idea because the whole cycle of shedding the uterus lining (hormonally) is needed. When it's not present, there's a correlation with cancer. Be safe

>>3797
This, Birth Control fucked me up for a few years even after I stopped taking it, it's not worth it.
6 years off any pills, or nuvarings, etc and I feel great like I've finally reversed the damage I did to myself.
Also haven't had any kids in that time either, birth control is unnecessary and absolutely much more unsafe than people treat it.
The only appeal is you can be a cumdumpster without getting pregnant, which isn't 100% guaranteed, will likely cause birth defects and complications if you do get pregnant, and not worth the side effects.
There is nothing healthy about tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant constantly so that it doesn't drop eggs.
I wish more women realized this.

>>3828
I heavilly agree on menstrual leave, even if I just get the first day of my period off it's the absolute worst always on the first day.
Nothing like having to deal with work on top of feeling like your uterus is trying to claw it's way out of your body, or running out of tampons mid shift and having to supplement with toilet paper until you can make it to a store, which could be hours if you have a shitty boss and work with mostly men.

>be me
>start birth control for the first time this year (Nexplanon)
>first two months are normal
>third month, period starts and just doesn't fucking stop
>going on six weeks now
>getting symptoms of anemia
>get in contact with Planned Parenthood through their help chat
>'These side effects are normal'
>'So I just have to wait it out?'
>'That's up to you.'
>'Any way to stop the bleeding?'
>'These side effects are not preventable.'

so basically I'm on my own and I have to decide whether to take out the implant and switch over to something like the IUD that's supposedly painful af to get put in, or bleed out for the next 2-8 months.
i'm really annoyed right now.

>>4377
I can't help you and I know it won't help but I really sympathize with you. I hope it stops soon. But if you're getting symptoms of anemia maybe you should take out your implant before something bad happens

>>4317
The period you get on the pill is a fake period. You aren’t building up the lining while on the pill. When you take the placebo/sugar pills, the body stops getting that level amount of hormone provided by the pills and quickly produces then sheds lining. If you skip taking those sugar pills, you don’t build that lining.

>>4373
This is stupid asf. BC helps tons of women who have problems related to their periods, it isn't just for contraception. Even then there are tons of women who DO GO on birth control and don't suffer any bad side effects. Every body is different and adjusts in a different way to medicine.

>>4380
This, not everything that liberals endorse is bad you retards. My mom also have heavy periods and uses BC to control her periods.