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

Farewell, Period

Dear My Period,

Since starting testosterone in February, I haven't seen you in 5 months, now. It's a surreal experience. You've been a part of my life for 14 years and now suddenly, you're gone. It's a weird feeling. I am genuinely happy that you're gone. My quality of life and personal happiness has been exponentially increased. Part of me is a little sad, though. Many, many years ago, I thought that I'd have biological children of my own, ones that I would carry. My mind has changed since then but this feels permanent. I know that if I were to go off of testosterone, you'd come back. I think it's best, though, that we stay distant. Like ex-friends. We can acknowledge that we had our time together but I'm opening a new chapter of my life now.

Thank you for the time you spent with me.

Anonymous, USA

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

A Big Fuck You

Dear periods,

Fuck you. Like seriously, fuck you. Fuck you for causing me such extreme mood swings that I go from being elated to suicidal in a matter of days. Fuck you for making me so unwell that I had to be hospitalised for my mental health. Fuck you for leaving me with self harm scars all over my body. Fuck you for making me need to take medication to keep you under control. And finally, fuck you for causing my teenage years to be lost to mental illness.

Anonymous, UK

Floods of Poo

Dear period diarrhoea,

Would you please have some mercy? I’m tired of pooping never ending floods. I hate you for making my stomach feel as if I have to poop all. the. time. so that I don’t want to do anything but sit on the toilet and wait. I’ve had enough of waking up in the middle of the night because my pain killer has stopped working and the diarrhoea is back.

You’ve ruined many important days of rest and countless school days. You’ve deprived me of sleep. After you woke me up tonight again, and after sitting on the toilet for an hour with no end to the hell, I’m begging you: would you please ease up a little bit next month?

Lizzie, Sweden

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

Runs in the Family

Dear possible endometriosis,

I feel a bit weird strange blaming all my problems in life on you since I don't even know if I have you yet, but if I do you've caused me so much pain you deserve it.

Hopefully I can go see if you are the problem soon as ms rona leaves us, you've tormented the past 3 (that we know of) generations of women in my family, you've made them hate their periods and caused them immense pain, and now we think you've been passed down to me, thanks a lot mate.

I've missed a lot of my education thanks to you, I've missed out on some many experiences because I've been sitting crying at home because my uterus feels like its been stepped on by a black Friday sized crowd of drag queens in stilettos.

If it is you that's been causing me this pain fuck you, if not, I don't give a shit you've hurt my mum, sisters, cousins, aunties and gran.

Thanks a bunch, love Rory (and her very hormonal family)

Rory, UK

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

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

Missing

Dear Period,

After 18 months with you missing of your own accord, I would love for you to return now. Just for my own sanity that I am normal.

Many have told me that I'm lucky I do not have to deal with you every month - but I would rather have you and be in physical pain than the mental pain that comes with not having you.

I hope to see you soon.

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

Unprepared

Dear Post-Partum period,

Unfortunately, this was something I was very ill informed about, even through the hospital, and throughout my entire pregnancy! I didn’t expect to be in so much pain, but also having to deal with all this mess alongside. It was definitely worth it, but my how I wish it was spoken more about. At least I’ll know for next time!!

Laura, England

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

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

Suck It Up

Dear Crazy Hormones,

Thank you for causing the week leading up to my period to be a complete roller coaster and the physical symptoms when my period arrives to be debilitating. You’ve also made any form of hormonal birth control impossible. You decided unreasonable irritability and WILD mood swings were a great reaction to the different pills. Your reaction to the patch - nothing shorter than 14 day periods!! And any other form was greeted with worse symptoms (didn’t think that was possible until it happened). I’ve been told nothings wrong, you (the hormones) are a little out of whack and I’ve just got to suck it up.

Anyway, I’ll just be over here enjoying my two weeks of freedom until it all starts over again.

Anonymous, USA

Menstrual Randomness Button!

Dear Implant,

I thought that more than a year in we would at least understand each other better. We started off great (regular periods, no spotting), and then you decided I should bleed for as long as you please and every three months you press the randomness button and I don't know what to expect. Regular 5 day periods? No periods? Three week periods? Who knows! I'm tired of expecting things to normalize. I had an appointment to discuss our future together but quarantine started that week. And now that we are at the worst of the pandemic, going to a doctors office seems so far outside the realm of possibility.

Still, i hold hope you show mercy and stop messing with my body. Not unlike an abusive relationship I still hope next month will be different.

Laura, Bolivia

Random Disappearances

Dear period,

We have a difficult relationship. You often stop randomly due to stress and anxiety. I wish that you would stop making me worry.

Sincerely, someone who has spent a lot of money on pregnancy tests and has to go to the doctor because you a lot.

Anonymous, Scotland