I think many doctors genuinely don’t know about the dangers of adhd and depression drugs… but that is not the case for birth control. Based on conversations I’ve had, I honestly get the impression that most pediatricians 100% know hormonal contraception is harmful but push it anyway because they genuinely loathe the thought of young women getting pregnant and do not trust/believe any teen not to have sex all the time. Of course they lie to the patient/family about the risks but they know the risks themselves (unlike SSRIs, where my impression is they aren’t aware of the risks at all).
The anger I feel for how girls are treated cannot be understated. At 17 my mother pushed me to get on contraception. I had JUST started my period at age 16 and had a few cycles that were irregular, heavy, and crampy (probably normal). My mom and my doctor told me the pill would solve all my problems, that it would "fix" my mood swings, cramps, and heavy bleeding. That seemed pretty good, and I was not given any downsides. Since I was not good at remembering to take a pill, the doctor put me straight on Depo Provera at 17 years old. He let me stay on that for over 12 years. It took two years coming off of it for my cycle to return in any fashion and I was lucky that after that I got pregnant. I developed a uterine prolapse after my first baby which the doctor who diagnosed it explained was likely due to how long I was on a progesterone based birth control. While on contraception I believed I was asexual. I have no libido to speak of and no interest in sex, I also struggled with mood, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. ALL of this has resolved over time since having come off of it. I have been fortunate to have 3 healthy babies, but my cycles are still out of whack, and I will have to deal with the prolapse for the rest of my life. If instead of sticking a birth control band aid to address my mensural issues, my doctor did things like consider my nutritional status, life style, and helped me manage thing with more natural remedies I would not have needed anything else. The fact that nobody has the curiosity to ask WHY a girl has PCOS, or heavy bleeding, or endometriosis, and to do ANYTHING to help address the root cause of those things blows my mind. The mensural cycle is a vital sign and it is not normal to have cycle issues, if you do, something else is wrong that will likely impact other things in your life and health, so we should be trying to get to the root cause, not just medicating symptoms.
Also, taking the pill contributes to early menopause. There are great differences between individual girls regarding premenstrual emotional swings and pain levels. One size does not fit all. Some girls have mild symptoms, others severe. I don't think taking the 'pill' is helpful, but neither is doing nothing. Having low progesterone contributes to severe anxiety, and stress is one contributing factor that lowers progesterone due to high cortisol. Alcohol stresses the liver which causes estrogen metabolites to accumulate in the body also contributing to mood issues. Thank God you are writing about this, better late than never. Then there is the question of hormones after menopause to consider and the WHI influence on decisions. Dr. Louise Newson in the U.K. is a great resource on the subject.
I think the universality of birth control prescriptions is also incredibly damaging to the soul of girls and women. What happens when you tell every girl and woman that a natural part of her is something to be medicated, pushed aside, and stopped as much as possible? What happens when you tell her that men want her for sex but she's responsible for any dreaded 'results'? What happens when you tell her that no one at all wants her to have children?
I blame feminism and its deep hatred of women. And look where we are now: women dont want to be women anymore.
I think many doctors genuinely don’t know about the dangers of adhd and depression drugs… but that is not the case for birth control. Based on conversations I’ve had, I honestly get the impression that most pediatricians 100% know hormonal contraception is harmful but push it anyway because they genuinely loathe the thought of young women getting pregnant and do not trust/believe any teen not to have sex all the time. Of course they lie to the patient/family about the risks but they know the risks themselves (unlike SSRIs, where my impression is they aren’t aware of the risks at all).
The anger I feel for how girls are treated cannot be understated. At 17 my mother pushed me to get on contraception. I had JUST started my period at age 16 and had a few cycles that were irregular, heavy, and crampy (probably normal). My mom and my doctor told me the pill would solve all my problems, that it would "fix" my mood swings, cramps, and heavy bleeding. That seemed pretty good, and I was not given any downsides. Since I was not good at remembering to take a pill, the doctor put me straight on Depo Provera at 17 years old. He let me stay on that for over 12 years. It took two years coming off of it for my cycle to return in any fashion and I was lucky that after that I got pregnant. I developed a uterine prolapse after my first baby which the doctor who diagnosed it explained was likely due to how long I was on a progesterone based birth control. While on contraception I believed I was asexual. I have no libido to speak of and no interest in sex, I also struggled with mood, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. ALL of this has resolved over time since having come off of it. I have been fortunate to have 3 healthy babies, but my cycles are still out of whack, and I will have to deal with the prolapse for the rest of my life. If instead of sticking a birth control band aid to address my mensural issues, my doctor did things like consider my nutritional status, life style, and helped me manage thing with more natural remedies I would not have needed anything else. The fact that nobody has the curiosity to ask WHY a girl has PCOS, or heavy bleeding, or endometriosis, and to do ANYTHING to help address the root cause of those things blows my mind. The mensural cycle is a vital sign and it is not normal to have cycle issues, if you do, something else is wrong that will likely impact other things in your life and health, so we should be trying to get to the root cause, not just medicating symptoms.
Also, taking the pill contributes to early menopause. There are great differences between individual girls regarding premenstrual emotional swings and pain levels. One size does not fit all. Some girls have mild symptoms, others severe. I don't think taking the 'pill' is helpful, but neither is doing nothing. Having low progesterone contributes to severe anxiety, and stress is one contributing factor that lowers progesterone due to high cortisol. Alcohol stresses the liver which causes estrogen metabolites to accumulate in the body also contributing to mood issues. Thank God you are writing about this, better late than never. Then there is the question of hormones after menopause to consider and the WHI influence on decisions. Dr. Louise Newson in the U.K. is a great resource on the subject.
Roger, the truth of this article just fills me with rage. So deeply grateful for your work.
I think the universality of birth control prescriptions is also incredibly damaging to the soul of girls and women. What happens when you tell every girl and woman that a natural part of her is something to be medicated, pushed aside, and stopped as much as possible? What happens when you tell her that men want her for sex but she's responsible for any dreaded 'results'? What happens when you tell her that no one at all wants her to have children?
I blame feminism and its deep hatred of women. And look where we are now: women dont want to be women anymore.