Free Bleeding

Dear hormonal coil,

Since July 2017 you are in my womb delivering locally some hormones. Since I have my periods every 35 days for 3-5 days with no needs of protections just washing my underwear. Before that my periods was every 35 days but for 8 days and very heavy. I needed to change my protection multiple times a day and leak at night was frequent.

I like to continue to have my periods but this flux it's better for me.

thank you coil

Aurore, France

Trusty Backup

Dear ring,

You have truly changed my life, as someone with anxiety I used to live in fear of a condom failure but now I have you as my backup. Not only that but you haven’t changed my cycle, it is still 29 days so thank you so much for adapting to me, instead of making me adapt to you. Keep hanging in there little buddy.

Javiera, Chile

Pointless

Dear pill,

Thanks for giving me a non-stop period for SEVEN MONTHS. After a while, my menstrual cup got too uncomfortable. And then so did tampons. So then I was wearing pads, and I think my skin ended up having an allergic reaction to the pads. Thanks for all the pointless pain and discomfort.

Anonymous, UK

Managing Migraines

Dear migraines,

I was started on the pill at 15, and I had horrific migraines, I’d never had migraine before and I tried 5 different pills but they were all the same, some gave me a migraine the same day I took it, others would give me then after a week of taking it, the doctor said that I couldn’t take the pill anymore as it was increasing my risk of strokes or blood clots! So I got the hormonal coil, as the hormones are localised so don’t have to travel round my body. Interestingly though my migraines never stopped after not taking the pill anymore, they got much less frequent as in maybe 3 times a year, but when I got to university I’m my third year I was diagnosed with silent hemiplegic migraines and I had to stop drinking caffeine and eating chocolate. Luckily I’ve been almost migraine free for 2 years.

Emily, UK

Overwhelmed with Periods

Dear implant,

Thank you for giving me a period for three straight months, and then two periods every month since. Thank you for getting my hopes up of not getting a period for a while and then letting me down massively and making them so, so much worse.

Lizzie, England

Tried Everything

Dear Contraception,

Why can I never find the right contraception for me? I’ve tried pills and pills and pills. I’ve tried implants and injections and patches. My last option is a coil and this scares me half to death. I’m currently without anything (not sexually active either) and it’s hell. Just need something for these painful and heavy periods and nothing can sort me out without migraines or continuous bleeding or pain.

Anonymous, UK

Short Finger Problems

Dear Hormonal Coil,

I really appreciate the whole no kids thing and the few side effects, but would it be possible for this spotting to stop? It’s been 8 months and it’s getting a bit boring now, let’s change it up! How about some sore tits? Also, I have short fingers so let’s just hope you’re still up there while I can’t check, k?

Lots of love, my appreciative but mildly disgruntled uterus.

Georgia, England

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Dear Pill,

I'm sorry I don't trust you more, but just know it's me not you.
We've been together longer than any man, but I still worry you're not always going to work for me.
Maybe it's my forgetful brain or maybe it's because of the horror stories you hear. Either way, you fixed a lot of my problems and we have a great relationship that's not going anywhere any time soon.

Hannah, England

Thanks For Nothing

Dear My First Combined Pill

I worked out how to take them quite happily and they worked well for me, then going for check ups with my doctor he’d tell me I was too overweight to take them and would bully me about it. I felt awful about myself and ate barely anything till my next check up with a different doctor. She made me feel safe and told me I was fine the way I was. But we actually discussed contraception properly and we worked out that the combine pill wasn’t even the best option for me.

So thank you terrible doctor before. I hope I never see you again :)

Anonymous

Expectations Vs Reality

Dear Vaginal Ring,

You were supposed to make my sex life more enjoyable and make my aching boobs and ovulation pain go away, INSTEAD you gave me constant cramps, bleeding and suuuuuper sore boobs, no sex drive, mood swings and morning anxiety. Taking you out was the best decision I've ever made,
bye forever!

G D, Italy

The Ultimate Rejection

Dear my coil,

Thank you for eliminating most of my endometriosis symptoms. Thank you for allowing me to have pain free, enjoyable sex. But why did my uterus have to reject you. Why did you fall out after 1 year of being fine and cause unimaginable pain.

Mille, England

Murder on the Bedroom Floor

Dear Contraceptive pill,

When I started taking you 7 years ago, I had no idea that down the line, you would completely kill my sex drive. After changing medication after medication, the doctor finally decided to take me off the pill in hopes that it would save my sex drive - I’m not looking forward to having periods again but I need my sex drive back.

Anonymous, UK

So. Much. Blood.

Dear Madam Copper Coil,

Thank you for the horrendous year of 2 week long periods and immense pain. There’s so much blood I don’t want to have sex. And because I can’t take you out myself, you’re still up in there causing havoc! It’s been a dream x

Anonymous, UK

Peace In Our Time

Dear IUD,

Thank you for changing my life forever. You set me free from debilitatingly heavy and painful periods which left me throwing up and missing work. I feel more comfortable in my body thanks to you, no longer at war with my uterus, and free to book a beach holiday or a swim session any day of the month. And for me and my partner sex is a lot sexier without condom smell!

Anonymous, UK

A Positive Review

Dear Copper Coil,

I wish I'd switched to you soo much sooner! After years of various pills/implants only to have irregular bleeding no matter what, I was going insane. I wish I'd seen more positive information about you so I could have felt more comfortable about you being an option. I feel in control of my life again thanks to you.

Jen, UK

Not What You Want at a Festival

Dear Copper Coil,

Thanks for choosing the first month to really go for it and bleed like crazy. Just what I needed at my first Glastonbury festival with no access to sanitation and limited knickers.

Erika, UK

Imperfect Match

Dear Birth Control,

Thank you for fixing my irregular period and stopping me from thinking I'm pregnant every other month. Also, thank you for the lighter periods and less painful cramps.

However, I will not forgive you mini pill for giving me periods every too weeks. And the patch is also on thin ice for worsening my headaches.

I dream of the day I find my perfect birth control match.

If you're out there somewhere I will find you!

Jaz, UK

Ready When You Are

Dear Injection,

I was thankful at first that you took my period and period pains from me for 2.5 years when I wasn’t ready to have a baby, but nobody told me that you wouldn’t give me them back for up to another 2 years. And nobody told me my fertility won’t return straight away. And nobody told me that there isn’t anything I can do about that. For now, I’ll have to wait, ready when you are uterus!

Anonymous, England

Exam Buddy

Dear pill,

I got you 9 months before my GCSEs. The only reason I needed you was just to get through them, I didn’t need my period putting me out of commission for exam season. Paired with chronic fatigue syndrome, periods drained me of all energy for 3 weeks every month.

You have been so good to me the last 2 years, my little contraceptive pill. I love you forever and I’m not leaving you anytime soon. Withdrawal bleeds are painless, less draining, so much lighter they basically don’t exist. I don’t get any symptoms from you. I don’t know why I didn’t get you sooner- my life could have been so much easier with you.

Phoenix, England

Possibilities

Dear my pill,

You've made it possible for me to go out and do things on my periods. You've made it possible for me to he able to not leak through a tampon after an hour. You've made it possible for me to have sex. But do you really have to fuck with my brain so much?! You've helped me in so many ways but I am not myself with you. Thank you for helping me for the past 2 years but please stop affecting my mental health so badly.

Ellie, UK