An anonymous source found that her birth control, contrary to her belief, worsened her acne. “The [birth control] that I take is supposed to help with acne,” the anonymous source said. “It’s one that you take specifically for acne, but it did the opposite for me.” Another anonymous source wanted to regulate her hormones due to painful symptoms and an irregular menstrual cycle. “I’ve had a really heavy flow since I first got my period, and I was having really bad hormonal acne, so I just wanted to figure it out,” the anonymous source said. However, birth control didn’t work for her due to concerns that arose after consulting her pediatrician. “I asked my pediatrician about [hormonal birth control] and she originally agreed, but because I have a family history of blood clotting and strokes, we decided it was best not to [use hormonal birth control] because birth control put me at high risk. I was offered other [non-hormonal] alternatives, like an arm implant or an IUD, but I decided against it,” the source said. Because of the combined risk of her family’s medical history and birth control’s side effects, this anonymous source decided to forgo contraceptive use and instead found other alternatives to her irregular menstruation cycle. “I ended up going to the dermatologist for my
PLAN B
acne, but my periods are the same, so it can be
“ I REALLY TH I N K BI RTH CONTROL IS YOU R [OWN] DECISION AN D NOT TO H ELP ALLEVIATE SOM EON E ELSE’ S FEAR .” - M ICHAEL COLBU RN , DOCTOR AN D H EAD OF ADOLESCENT M EDICI N E AT TH E U N IVERSITY OF IOWA really frustrating; I’ve had to miss school be-
cause of the pain,” the source said.
MISCONCEPTIONS
R
eligious beliefs play a part in some people’s decision to go on birth control. Some religions, like Catholicism, don’t condone the use of birth control, while others permit its use in certain circumstances and specific forms. However, birth control is becoming an increasingly popular option for family planning amongst younger generations. With more transparency in using contraceptives, the number of women using a modern method increased from 663 million to 851 million between 2000 and 2020. An anonymous source said she finds it easier to talk about contraceptives with people her own age. “I have a lot of religious family, and I don’t ever mention [contraceptives] in front of them. I’m open with friends and in high school because I feel like everyone’s in the same boat,” she said. “I’d rather people know about something I’m having a good experience with because I’ve seen so many of my friends have a really bad experience on the pill. I’d rather them know that you don’t have to be miserable on birth control.” Even though there is more openness to contraception, many misconceptions about its effects remain prevalent. Colburn believes they impede
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