(23F) I’ve gone 10ish years trying different birth controls. When I was 14 starting my cycle ‘journey’ every month my mom would have to pick me up from school because I was passing out and throwing up from my cramps. So what do my doctors do? Slap me with birth control, I picked the patch and a few weeks later I am getting aura migraines every other day also causing me to throw up and pass out. Doctors take me off the patch because estrogen is causing my migraines.
Doctor put me on the pops pill next (progestogen only), works great for about 2 years until I start spotting every day. I go off birth control for a couple months and everything is PERFECT my periods are light and last two days, my cramps were still bad but Advil helped, my mind and body felt normal for the first time in years.
Now I’m in college and I start getting anxiety for not having my own protection against pregnancy, so I go to the gyno to talk about my options for getting an iud. When I tell the woman* gyno I want an iud she deadass rolls her eyes at me, tells me to schedule my appointment for it at the front and walks out.
I know I can’t do estrogen, so I pick the kyleena after doing a bunch of research - every day I am not even having cramps they are contractions. On the year mark I take it out because the symptoms did not get any better. But I’m out of college now and realize I do not want to get pregnant or have kids, ever.
So next I pick the copper because it is my last non hormonal option (I will not get the arm implant), that is 100% effective, and will last me the longest. Surprise - My cramps are still HORRIBLE, luckily they are not on the contraction level, however they are just a pain level below that. And instead of only having cramps for a few days during my period it is from day 1 of my ovulation day - through my luteal phase - to the day after my period ends. So, roughly 11 days of the month. my hormones for some reason are off the charts with the copper. And I have that weird sharp butt pain almost every day of my period that lasts for 30 seconds - a minute, which makes me almost pass out. This is my current birth control that I have had for about a year and a half now.
I can’t keep living like this, my body rejects the only birth control that is 100% effective against pregnancy, non hormonal, and safest health option. I can’t be taking NSAIDS a third of every month. I can’t have horrible cramps a third of every month. I know for a fact I don’t want children ever. I have never been diagnosed with endo, but after everything it’s clear to me I might have it and my (several) doctors over the years didn’t care. I’m gonna have to convince a doctor to sterilize me so I can live a pain free life. Haven’t done research on surgical options yet, but that will be my next option and hopefully last.