Period Power by Maisie Hill

Author:Maisie Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

A Bitter Pill to Swallow

There are many, many benefits to experiencing the richness of the menstrual cycle, though I appreciate that for some people that can feel a little too rich at times and that they might prefer to dial everything down and ‘turn off’ their cycle by taking the pill, but at what cost? In her book, Sweetening the Pill, which describes the side effects and social consequences of prescribing the pill to millions of women worldwide, Holly Grigg-Spall states; ‘when the pill stops the downs, it also stops the ups – it does not differentiate’. The detached, numb state that some users find themselves in has an impact on their ability to participate in and enjoy life. This is particularly relevant during the teen years when we’re trying to figure it all out and could do with being tuned into our instincts while we are. Some pill users will find that it doesn’t impact on their ambition, motivation, and creativity, but some will experience a decimation of them, and that has huge consequences for every part of life. I went on the pill in my teens when I started having sex. I felt grown up; going to the GP on my own, taking charge of my reproductive health, being responsible. I stayed on it for six years and during that time I was depressed and had little desire to have sex. I was numb to a lot of what was going on inside and around me, and whilst I’m sure that it wasn’t just the pill that was causing me to feel this way, it was remarkable at how much better I felt when I came off it.

I’m not the only one who experienced a change in mood whilst on it; a study of over one million women in Denmark found that using hormonal contraception, particularly among adolescents and those taking the progestin only pill, was associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a diagnosis of depression, so can we please stop telling pill users that it doesn’t cause depression?

What else does it do? The pill increases your risk of breast, cervical, and liver cancers, and shouldn’t be taken if there is a history of breast cancer in your family, or if you smoke because of the increased risk of blood clots. The World Health Organisation classifies it as a known carcinogen alongside tobacco and asbestos. The pill lowers production of cortisol, testosterone, and DHEA. It lowers bone density. It’s linked to inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease. It increases production of a substance called thyroid hormone binding globulin (THBG) which binds to your thyroid hormones and inhibits their actions in the body such as helping you to feel energised, remain at a healthy weight, and have a full head of hair. It also increases production of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) – the protein that mops up excess hormones in your system, which is a good thing on the pill but also means that the small

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