FFP 021 | What Hormonal Contraceptives Really do to Women | Sweetening the Pill | Holly Grigg-Spall

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Holly Grigg-Spall is the author of Sweetening the Pill or How we got hooked on hormonal birth control. If you haven’t had a chance to read this book and you’ve ever had any questions about the pill you need to get your hands on a copy ASAP! Every woman who is on the pill has ever been on the pill, or is considering going on the pill should read this book! Holly uncovers what could be considered the biggest myth about the pill – which is that it has no impact on our emotions and on our overall health. Holly talks about her own experience with the pill and how it took her years to finally realize that the pill was at the root of her emotional symptoms. These are perhaps some of the least talked about impacts of the birth control pill, and don’t expect your doctor to tell you about it!

In today’s show, we will be talking all about the pill and the impacts that it can have on the women who take it. I am a fan of informed consent and after listening to this episode you’ll have a much greater understanding of the potential downsides of taking the pill, and what you can do instead!

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Topics discussed in today’s episode

• Holly describes her experience with the pill and why it took her many years to identify that the pill was actually the cause of her feelings of anxiety, depression as well as numerous other negative side effects she had been experiencing
• The deep impact the pill can have on your mood and your emotions, and the reasons why you may not make the connection between your experiences and the pill
• Why women tend to blame themselves when experiencing negative emotions rather than considering that it may actually be a side-effect of hormonal birth control
• The detrimental and, in some cases, permanent impact the pill can have on your sex drive
• The significant impact that the pill’s steady dose of daily hormones has on a woman’s natural hormones, and how this impacts her moods from day to day
• Why prescribing the pill to younger and younger women may be robbing them of having a full experience of their hormones, their libido, their sexuality and their fertility
• Why it is so problematic to continue teaching young girls that they are “fertile all the time”
• The important role that condoms can play when it comes to birth control as well as the prevention of spreading STIs (sexually transmitted infections)
• Why it is important to know that hormonal contraceptives are not the primary method of birth control everywhere in the world
• Why hormonal contraceptives are not required to prevent pregnancy
• The role that fertility awareness can play in helping women to transition from using the pill with the confidence that they can prevent pregnancy naturally

Connect with Holly!

You can connect with Holly on her website, and on Facebook and Twitter!

Resources mentioned

• Sweetening the Pill: or How We Got Hooked on Hormonal Birth Control | Holly Grigg-Spall
• Sweetening the Pill | Holly Grigg-Spall
• LadyClever | Holly Grigg-Spall
• Three Reasons Why I am Thankful for my Period | Fertility Friday Blog
• TheyFit Condoms | 95 different sizes of condoms for the perfect fit
• Sweetening The Pill Book Review | Fertility Friday

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Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)