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

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

Testing

Dear Transvaginal Ultrasound,

Please find something. I’ve been in pain for 10 years and the thought of having to do more tests is so draining. Also sorry to the ultrasound girl who saw my butthole.

Ash, Australia

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

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

Hello Cervix!

Dear Cervix,

I'd like to apologise for thinking you were a scary lump the first time I felt you low down in my vagina. When taught biology and even when teaching myself sex ed online I have only ever seen diagrams of a high cervix so I didn't know it was you. I have also been on birth control almost all the other times I'd felt you, so you had been high. It was a shock to find out this was normal, but I'm so glad I know now! And f*ck the patriarchy for not teaching me know sooner!!!!

Jaz, 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

Love and Learn

Dear the Pill,

Thank you for being here for me through my teenage life, you have truly saved me and have allowed me to have control over my body. Thank you for allowing me to open up conversations with my boyfriend, and to educate him on the terrible hormones that make me cry, when he says no to me sometimes. Thank you for keeping me organised and on track with my day due to having to take it at the same time everyday!!! Most importantly thank you pill for allowing me to love and learn about my body and what it’s capable of doing.

Anonymous, England

A Chemical Imbalance

Dear contraceptive injection,

Thanks for making me gain so much weight and giving me a chemical imbalance in my brain to make me think it was all my fault.

Nicola, 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