You may have caught it in your feed on TikTok or Instagram: The warnings against “putting hormones in your body”. They often come from ordinary people and influencers who share their experiences. The message is simple. Be natural! Ditch the birth control pills, the contraceptive stick, the IUD or whatever you use as hormonal contraception. Discover how much better you get. Even experts can be uncertain, says gynecologist specialist in Sex and society, Siri Kløkstad. She tells about when she saw an American film that was critical of hormonal contraception. – It even made me almost doubt whether contraception is good. I came to my senses afterwards. There is always someone who will cast doubt on birth control. But when we read research done by doctors who want the very best for women’s health, we don’t find this scaremongering anymore, she says. She can easily understand that young people are affected by the allegations. She asks everyone to take a step back and ask themselves: Who is really behind this message? Gynecologist specialist Kristin Offerdal says many myths abound. – The latest thing now are influencers and others who say it’s wrong to rely on hormones – that it’s not good for the body. That is the biggest bullshit. But some have a strong suspicion that the contraceptive actually causes problems for them. Are you influenced by content about birth control in social media? No, I rely more on information from other sources Yes, I believe what they say and write It depends a bit on I don’t get such content Show result Kathrina (20) wanted control over her hormones Kathrina Sivertsen started progestogen pills when she was 16 The following year, she switched to p-stave, which contains the same active ingredient. The P-stick lasts for three years. When it came time to insert a new one, she felt a great need to test a period without it. – I felt my hormones were unstable. I had a lot of problems with acne, and felt like I was losing control of my hormones. In addition, she continued to menstruate. She had hoped to escape. The choice fell on testing a life without hormonal contraception. – I was unsure how my body would react, and whether I would have anxiety about becoming pregnant. I had to be careful. In the beginning, I had to learn to know my body again. It was scary and exciting. Like I was conducting an experiment on my own body. Less pimples – more pain About six months have passed. Kathrina feels more energetic. – And the acne has almost disappeared, says the 20-year-old, adding that she generally feels in a better mood. Kathrina Sivertsen from Svolvær works in a coffee shop and as an assistant in adult education for foreigners. After using two different contraceptives in four years, she chose to stop. Photo: John Inge Johansen / news Whether it has a connection with life without hormonal contraception, she does not know for sure. – Then there is something negative: I have more period pains without contraception. In the meantime, she will not start again. Her great hope is that there will soon be more options for men than condoms and sterilization. – Girls are under pressure to use contraception. I think it’s absolutely terrible actually. Maya (28) experienced that a cloud disappeared Maya Asheim Breidablik was 16 when she started on combination pills – that is, what we call birth control pills. The choice was simple: She didn’t know of any other options. And it was cheap. But after 10 years she took her last birth control pill. – I would never have had my own hormones in my body without the influence of contraceptives, says the 28-year-old. How would the body feel without it? Maya was really curious. During the ten years, for example, she had had little sex drive and struggled mentally. Maya Asheim Breidablik from Balestrand works at a primary and secondary school and runs a cafe. She went off the pill to learn more about herself. Photo: Maria Gunnarsdotter Svedal / news – I didn’t quite understand when people said “we have sex all the time”. I went through several periods wondering if I was asexual. In December 2021, she dropped the birth control pills, simply to find out what life is like without them. Today, she says that something changed quite quickly: – It was a bit like a cloud disappeared. It took away a layer of mental block, so it was really nice. She is convinced that stopping the pill is the cause of what happened to her psyche and cohabitation with her boyfriend. It got better, she says: – I’ve had a bad year, but not as bad as the previous one. And I think it’s because of the birth control pills. She is reasonably sure that she will never go back to hormonal contraception. Kjersti (20) did not get better without contraception Kjersti Knotten started using a birth control stick in December 2020 because she had heavy menstrual bleeding. – The bleeding made me very tired and exhausted and gave me an iron deficiency. With p-stave, Kjersti did not have her period. She was relieved! At the same time, she began to feel more and more depressed. She had been tired before, but this was different. – I was curious as to whether it was the p-stick or something else that made me feel a depression. She was approaching 20 and was in a relationship. Dropping hormonal contraception was quite impractical. But this is how it turned out in November 2021. And now Kjersti has concluded: – It wasn’t the p-stick that had made me depressed. Kjersti Knotten comes from Trondheim, but is currently studying history in Stavanger. She removed the p rod – but put it back in. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news Inserting the birth control stick again Kjersti experienced some negative changes without contraception. She had had some acne before, but now the breakouts got worse. – For someone who invests quite a lot in skin care products, it was a crack. And then I got my period again. I think it’s nasty to manage. Besides, I couldn’t blame the p-stick for what was bothering me mentally. After about three months, she inserted the birth control stick again. – It’s conversations with a psychologist that help me now – not removing a p rod. I am rid of that worry, says the 20-year-old. She is happy that she won’t have her period again. The effect of the p-stick is fairly common, but not all of Kjersti’s friends experience it, she says. It confirms for her that all bodies are different. She advises everyone to listen more to professionals than to random Tiktok users. Different bodies – different reactions to contraception Gynecological specialist Kristin Offerdal explains that we have sex hormones in the body from puberty to menopause. She says that hormonal contraception does not give you double the amount of hormones, but that it is more correct to say that you replace your natural hormones with artificial ones. – The body gets a steady dose of the same hormones, so that we don’t get the cycle that normal hormones create. Gynecologist specialist Kristin Offerdal. Photo: Kirsti Kringstad / news The same is said by several experts news has spoken to, including gynecologist Siri Kløkstad. Why are some people still very sure that the artificial hormones are bad for them? – There are clearly some who will experience negative effects from hormonal contraception, especially at the start, says Kløkstad. Bleeding disorders are among the most common to begin with. – Among other things, there is an effect on the mood, acne, reduced sex drive, greasy hair and dry mucous membranes. For the vast majority of people, it goes away within three to four months, but not for everyone. In the same way, many people get better with hormonal contraception, explains Kløkstad: – Most people who use a hormonal contraceptive have less bleeding and less pain. Some people experience less acne. Or minor mood swings, such as those with PMS or PMDD. Some contraceptives contain a combination of hormones. Other one hormone. – Women react very differently to the different types that exist. If you get pimples or bleeding disorders or other problems, someone with specialist knowledge will be able to find another type of contraception that suits better, says Offerdal.
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Three women say what happened to the psyche, period pains, acne – news Trøndelag
