By: Molly O’Toole

Alright, ladies. Let’s talk birth control. Whether you are sexually active, have problems with your period, looking to clear up your skin, or any other reason, odds are you have decided to start birth control. While looking for birth control, you know you are faced with many options when it comes to deciding what form of birth control is right for you.

For years I was on the pill and it worked wonders for me (I received mine to help with my many period problems). While the pill did not stop my period altogether, it did help clear up my skin, help my mood, and made my period as tolerable as a period can be. That is until my body decided that it needed a change.

I noticed that my body was starting to have heavier periods and my mood swings were getting worse as I was entering into my twenties — I know, prime time to have all this sh*t start back up again. So I talked to my OBGYN about what my options were and we landed on the Kyleena IUD. My doctor felt that Kyleena was a better fit for my body type over Mirena, but talk to your doctor and see which option is best for you.

If you are thinking of starting or changing your birth control, talk to your OBGYN about the different birth control options and find which ones right for you.I chose to try the IUD for three reasons:

1. To make my periods become tolerable and maybe have them disappear altogether.

2. To not have to worry about taking a pill simultaneously every day — my period was so bad that if I didn’t take it at the exact time I needed to, then BAM, my period would start.

3. Because my doctor felt I needed to try a different type of hormone as I was becoming older.

Now, with any birth control you take, there is always a risk of side effects and I had heard that the side effects with an IUD can be pretty bad for the first six months or so. Well, I’m coming up on six months with this sucker, which is how my body was affected.

The Procedure: Make sure to bring someone with you to drive you home after because let me tell you — getting one of these suckers in is not an easy feat. Now it is completely tolerable ladies, but you will have some cramps for the following hours and you may get lightheaded while it’s being put in. I had to stay and drink Sprite to make sure that I wouldn’t pass out.

First Three Months: My doctor felt it would be best for my body to transition to the IUD rather than switching right off the bat, so she had me stay on my birth control pills for the first three months. During those months, I really didn’t notice any difference in my body or mood other than my period went from being unbearable to pretty much non-existent in a matter of two months! WHOOHOO!

Okay here’s the good part: After I finished my birth control pills and was only on the IUD, I noticed my body started to change (essentially it feels like my body is going through a second puberty).

I noticed that I started seeing acne, not much, but enough to notice a difference when it was close to my time of the month and in random places on my body (my shoulders, chest, top of legs).

My body has gone from being stick-thin with very little curves, to a curvier woman in about the span of two months. Now, don’t get me wrong — having a bigger butt and a little bit of bigger boobs is nice — but in the span of two months, I gained about twenty pounds while also eating better and working out more. I know doesn’t really make much sense.

Here’s what didn’t change: My mood overall has remained the same and guess what ladies — NO PERIOD! Now, I can tell when I’m having my period because I still feel the cramps and still need to wear panty liners for discharge and things (sorry, I know it’s gross but I’m just being honest).

As any OBGYN will tell you, they can not definitively say that weight gain is a symptom of birth control, but I wanted to share what my reaction is for those out there who are also scouring the internet looking to see if anyone has had similar issues that you are experiencing. I’ve talked to quite a few ladies about birth control symptoms, and all are different — some lost weight on ones that others gained. Maybe if we are more open to talking about our birth control problems, we can help find a solution. If you have had any experiences with any form of birth control and would like to share — comment below! Good luck ladies, it’s a rough world out there. PERIOD.