UK survey: Half of women have ‘serious trouble’ with contraceptives

According to a recent UK survey of 1000 women, only 25% of women using contraceptives feels that the potential side effects were explained to them in depth — and half of women using contraceptives say they’ve had “serious trouble” with them.

According to The Femedic, women said “side effects were only ‘barely’ or ‘briefly’ explained to them, and 6% said side effects weren’t explained to them ‘at all’.” Among the side effects they experienced were things like “constant bleeding, blood clots, suicidal thoughts… surgery because of complications,” as well as ruptured ovarian cysts, weight gain, mood changes, chronic migraines, and depression. Some surveyed also reported the migration of birth control devices in their bodies.

Many women reportedly felt their concerns and birth control-associated health problems were too often dismissed by medical providers:

One respondent said: “I was told to stay on it and see how it goes,” while others said their GP laughed at them.

Another woman said: “I bled for six months constantly and was severely anaemic. The doctor didn’t help me until it got so bad that I needed a blood transfusion.”

45% of the women polled said they don’t feel there is enough information available about contraception and associated risks.

The Femedic stated that these comments “highlight[] the short shrift given to women’s health issues, and women’s complaints of pain or problems related to their reproductive health.”

READ: Women deserve better than risky hormonal contraceptives

In addition, one-fourth of women said they felt “under pressure from someone, be it a family member, a healthcare professional, or a partner, to take the form of contraception they use.” Overall, the survey reported that “two thirds of women felt that their choice to use the contraception they currently use was theirs and theirs alone.”

In an article by the BBC, several women also shared their disillusionment with their birth control options, with one stating that once her partner grew weary of using condoms, she tried the pill, the vaginal ring, and a long-acting reversible contraceptive, which made her feel “invaded.” Once she had that removed, she says:

I decided to go for the ‘pull out and pray’ method. I was worried for the first year but became complacent. I wanted to feel like myself, so it felt like the right thing to do. It worked for six years, until June, when I fell pregnant. I’m married and was ready for a child, so it was a happy ending, although it was still a wake-up call that it’s foolish to rely on that method.

I hope there will one day be an option out there that won’t make me feel like I’m losing my sense of self, self-control or my mind.

Many women who have had enough of hormonal birth control are turning to more natural methods of managing their fertility, such as Natural Family Planning — something frequently misunderstood and misrepresented by birth control and abortion advocates. A previous Live Action News article noted, “The CDC actually categorizes NFP in the same scale of reliability as condoms, spermicide, sponges, and withdrawal. All of these methods are more reliable when used in conjunction with another.”

Katie Yoder at Newsbusters adds, “According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), ‘studies show that couples who follow their NFP method’s guidelines correctly, and all the time, achieve effectiveness rates of 97-99%.’ The USCCB also stresses that NFP is not ‘Rhythm,’ which has been ‘often proved inaccurate.’ Unlike the outdated Rhythm method, NFP ‘take[s] account of a woman’s changing signs of fertility.'” Click here for more information on Natural Family Planning.