By Danika, TeenSource Blogger
When I first decided I wanted to get on birth control, I went to my local clinic and was told about all the different options I had. Implants? Shots?! They all sounded a little too foreign to me, so I just decided to go with the one I had always heard the most about: the pill. After a few weeks on the pill I felt terrible. My moods were off, I was breaking out, and my cramps had gotten a million times worse. (Remember, not every birth control option works for everyone...it's important to find the best option for you!)
So I went in and asked them to switch me to a different kind of pill. And then another new pill… until finally I decided maybe the pill just wasn’t for me. Plus, I could do without having to remember to take it at the same time every day (it’s hard!).
It was time to be daring and move on to other options: the ring. Now one thing about the ring is that if you are not completely comfortable with your body, then it may not be the right choice for you, because it’s something you have to insert into your vagina yourself. (Though, if you're not comfortable inserting something into your vagina, maybe you want to re-think the whole having sex thing.) I didn’t quite know how to feel about that, but I tried it. Sadly to say, I only lasted about a month before I decided the ring was not satisfying my birth control needs either. It just felt odd to me. I guess I was a very high maintenance birth control consumer!
I finally decided on what I found to be the easiest route: condoms! No need to insert any rings into my vagina or take any pills, just good ol’ fashion condoms. And the best thing about condoms is that not only do they prevent pregnancy, but they also prevent STDs, which the pill and the ring do not. But remember, you MUST be an expert condom-user...you have to use condoms CONSISTENTLY and CORRECTLY every single time you have sex.
However, the moral of the story is this: if you try one form of birth control and you absolutely cannot stand it, don’t just give up all together. Keep trying one out until you find the right one for you. There are so many different kinds out there! And health providers want you to be protecting yourself, so don’t be shy or embarrassed—they won’t mind if you change your mind a few times. By the time I finally made my decision, I was an expert on all of my options and my health care provider knew me on a first name basis :)