Here in the UK, women are incredibly lucky in relation to many countries in the world in their ability to access contraception. The majority of options for us are free; the pill, coil, injection, implant and even condoms can be easily accessed with thanks to the NHS. It is also a hot topic right now, with the recent testing of the male contraceptive injection revealing supposed intolerable side effects, which the majority of women on contraceptives experience. I was personally on the pill for around four years and it really messed with my hormones, often pushing my mental health into a downwards spiral.
And yet, women fight through the depression and the cramps and the bloating that contraception brings in order to remain sexually active, free from the fear of pregnancy. However, I think for all women, contraception or no contraception, that fear will always be there. A late period, nausea or swollen breasts can all throw us into a frenzy amongst scary google searches and poorly timed adverts for pregnancy tests. I’m currently on the coil, the most effective method of female contraception, and yet if I wake up feeling nauseous I naturally begin to reorganise my life around my assumed future child. Of course I’m being totally irrational and crazy, but until I’m sure, the thought will constantly linger at the back of my mind.
All of my straight female peers have shared in this experience at least once, and if they deny it, they’re probably lying. For young women in particular, this is also likely to be the time when the fear will be the strongest in our lives. Planning and organising the future feels so significant, we are poor and still can’t work out how to look after ourselves let alone a child. And even if abortion is an alternative option, the entire process is emotionally exhausting. The idea of pregnancy has the potential to completely damage our world, even if we’re doing all that we can to prevent it.
This fear feels like a major taboo in today’s society and I think we need to start talking about it to release some stigma and irrational fears that women have today, which is often dismissed or totally unknown to the male gender. Okay the chances are pretty slim, but it is still an every day stress that sometimes adds to many women’s lives. Let’s stay calm and stick together, and remember googling our symptoms is never a good idea.
Article on the testing of male contraceptives can be found here.
If you find the content of this post particularly relevant to you, or you think you might be pregnant, support organisations for pregnancy, fertility and childbirth can be found here.
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