 My boobs got bigger so that was a plus. I went from like the itty-bitty-titty committee to like the itty-bitty-titty committee The birth control pill the implant the pullout method condoms IUD the vaginal ring cycle tracking the birth control shot There isn't a shortage of options when it comes to birth control But you may feel like there's a shortage of clarity around which is the best for you And while no one can answer that question, but you and your health care professional Hopefully hearing other women speak candidly about their methods helps you with your decision about yours Hi there lovers and friends. Yo, I am so over the moon to share this video with you guys Now most of the time I really love my job, but sometimes like this is one of those times I just feel so Overjoyed and in my purpose and in my flow and amongst my people and I'm just really grateful to present this video to you Guys, but before we do that, I have to introduce you to somebody which is bed sider and they are my partner on this video Bed sider org is a free birth control support network for women 18 to 29 now bed Sider does not care if you are using the pullout method condoms the pill or an IUD an implant whatever it is that floats your boat They just care that you have the power to decide this video in particular is in conjunction with their thanks birth control campaign Which in essence is exactly how it sounds. So I want to take this opportunity to say thanks birth control You have done so much for me. I am on two different forms of birth control right now I have an IUD a copper IUD which I've had for the past two years Which I use to prevent pregnancy and I'm also on the pill the hormonal pill and that is to control my acne Which is why I get to wear less makeup these days So I want to say thank you for that for giving me the power to decide and also the power to be and feel like my best self But enough about me I want you guys to meet all the women in the group who are incredible and the different variations of birth control that they're on I am on the nuvoring, which is kind of new for me. Well I've been on it for like a year now and I like it a lot I used to I think kind of standard is when you're a kid They say like you can go on the pill and the pill is like your normal go-to and I think recently people Come more creative and opened up new options for me and the nuvoring was one of those I am on the next planon I think I said that right and that's the implant that you put in your arm and it just feels like this little like Plastic rod and it's just sitting right there. I am on the hormonal IUD. So that's the marina I've been on that for about hello, sister I'm all for it. I'm all for it. I've been on it for about a month and a half two months now I got on an early May. I am on the copper IUD as well So I'm currently just using the pullout method with condoms, that's what we're doing right now Yeah, so I am on the pill right now I'm also if it's like a a random Sexual experience with condoms and if it's like a partner to I'll do the pullout method with a trusted person As you can tell it is a diverse range of different types of birth control that women have used and felt successful on But I also asked them what else they used and what maybe did and didn't work for them in the past I originally started off the very first birth control I ever had was the depot shot And I gained 17 pounds in high school I went from being like a flyer and cheerleader to like the base and then like the back spot You know it's like and then I'm this tall so this this point you're just like appeasing me So it's like I gained a lot of weight actually I think I got acne from it I've never really had issues until I got the depot shot. I did it one time and it scared the Life out of me. So I went a long time without birth control and I was doing the pullout method for a long time Yeah, the pill again was like a little hard for me It helped clear up my acne the first pill I was on but then I'd have certain times where I didn't have a gynecologist And so, you know, I just I'd mess up my that's another reason why I like like using what I use now because I don't like switching from like one medicine to another and like it'll change my hormones So I was on birth control for like almost a decade. I was on it since I was like 17 And I honestly had no problems with birth control pills. I like never gained weight I didn't have any skin problems or anything. I was just on the pill and then what happened was I went vegan And I was like trying to be all like non-hormonal and trying to like do things like that So I was like, okay I'm going to try to so that's why I wanted to do the copper because that has no no hormones And then when I did that I had it in for about I had it in October But it was just like I was having the heavy bleeding. It just didn't work for my body This seems like a simple question. That's explained with the title birth control But in truth, there's a lot of different ways that women say yes to birth control. And so I asked the group What's your reason? So I use birth control. I'm not always sexually active. I'm kind of on and off So it's not always tied to like being concerned about getting pregnant. Although that's obviously some reason I Like to just be in control of like my body and my hormones and no one my period is coming and You know just have have a handle on all of it, you know, it makes me feel Like an adult like a woman, you know, like it just yeah, I'm handling shit every time every time I put it in I'm like good job You did it again But yeah, it's been great. I got birth control when I was 17 I wasn't sexually active yet But my peers were all over the place Like I had maybe like every two weeks and every three weeks and they'd be super heavy one time and then not heavy another time And it's just a nightmare like you always have to have pads with you at all times or whatever you're using And it was just a nightmare like I was doing sports. I was working. I was in school Like it was just not doable. I use birth control because I don't want to get pregnant I'm not that place yet in my life where I feel like yes, I am completely prepared. I think For the kind of birth control that I use well the with the IUD There's a bit of like well if it happens it happens to it because we're not using a barrier method protection And so that I think is like my halfway Consolation prize would be like I'm open to it But I'm still closed for business because the fairies up there chopping the sperm But I definitely and I also use birth control for skin and for acne for acne treatment So it's like a dual purpose awesome Magical part of my life birth control has allowed me to Have the control and also the freedom to enjoy my body the way I want without feeling Like I don't want to say consequences or like just putting myself in a situation that I don't think I'm ready for Ak being pregnant for the with the with the marina. It's been great for me It's I haven't had a period since I bled for about a month and a half Which wasn't too bad. It was like really light spotting. So wearing a penny liner was just Yeah, was chilling. I was so excited and a lot of people are kind of it has kind of stigmatized about like not bleeding But for me personally like I'm all for it. I don't want it. I don't want my period right now Like at all, you know, I don't want the cramps. I don't anything I like condoms because I feel like I'm not the only one who should have to worry about this in the relationship You know, like why is it all on me to protect us from having a baby? Like why is that all that stress on me? So it's a way that I can be like go get those condoms. You're paying for that. You are doing that like let's share this Responsibility we often think of birth control as something that we take but in actuality It really is something that gives back to us. And so I asked the women in what ways has birth control impacted your life I like the new ring. I have control over it. I Is it weird? I like know my body a little bit better because I'm like more comfortable down there Yeah, yeah, because it's like at first Well because I you know when you're a little girl you're so scared of your like, you know Like it's just like they don't teach you to communicate with your body as much So it was a little weird at first for me Being comfortable with the idea of like going in there taking it out doing it every month But now I use that and I use the diva cup and I'm like between these two friends. I Have my whole situation set up, you know, like I know what to do every month Like it's I like like the practicality and the the tactile function of it You know, like it's just kind of like it works for me I didn't have I haven't really ever had like acne. So that's always been nice I didn't really need it for that but it did just kind of like make my complexion a little bit better Which was nice and yeah, that's been my experience on the pill. It was good. I liked it I just didn't want a period anymore. So I went and got not tested for the IUD but just like kind of Thought about the next a planet first, but that kind of scared me. I didn't really want it in my arm But then I was like invasive kind of the same thing but Five years over three years I wanted the five years so I could just kind of do what I wanted Have sex however many times I wanted in a day and be cruising. So it's been good for me So once you get it, it's like if you don't have those period experiences Even when you do it, you don't it's you don't even have to worry about it It's just kind of happening as long as you know, she's there. It's like the best feeling ever by far My favorite part about throwing the thanks birth control party was the female camaraderie It was the sharing it was the learning the laughing together I was actually directly inspired by this taping to go and get myself the menstrual cup because someone spoke about the Relationship they felt they created with their cervix and with their vaginal canal by reaching in every day and actually looking at What was coming out and I'm like I want that connection too and that happens all the time women educating and supporting one another and oftentimes when it comes to birth control and specificity We're not getting this information from our schools and we're not getting it from our family members or from our teachers So it does end up being a lot of peer-to-peer education So I asked the women in the group has there been a friend or somewhere close to your age group that has influenced your birth control Experience or have you influenced someone else's so the first person to tell me about birth control was my friend Demi She's like my I don't know her and her mom talk a lot She was an only child and her mom was like open to talking about so many things and like my sister said earlier We grew up in kind of a religious household to where it was assumed that you weren't gonna have sex until marriage like that Was just the idea was you're not gonna have sex until marriage and so my friend Demi And I were both in committed relationships in high school, and I had sex at 14 I was in a committed relationship at 14 to 18 and had sex with the same guy and She told me about birth control. She was like what you're using the pull-out method. That's crazy. Don't keep doing that You know, let's get you to an OBGYN and I was like, what's an OBGYN and I hadn't asked my mom about that So she helped me make an appointment. So I made sure to pass that information along to my sister as quickly as possible My sister right over here actually Is the first person who told me about birth control. I think that's that's pretty you know a standard We actually grew up in a Christian community very conservative so it was always like Let's get birth control for our acne, you know, and that was kind of like the way in And people kind of knew you know, like if you're on birth control You're gonna start thinking about having sex and I I was in high school at the time And I was like really wanna have sex, you know Anyone in mind, but I was like preparing as you know, I'll get the flow So my sister is 11 years old than I am. I'm the oops baby by far So she was already like late 20s at that point and I just wanted to talk to somebody about it My friends were all on it. They're all like sexually active, but I don't know It was I needed like a more serious like sit-down conversation about it My mom's not closed off at all, but I don't know. I wasn't ready to just bring it up to mom yet I was on the last child. So I was like she's gonna like think something. I don't know So I talked to my sister about it I also wanted to know about like gaining weight and like acne and stuff like that and And all the stigma that kind of comes with it too because a lot of people be like, oh, you're on birth control Or like I don't know. I was I was kind of nervous to get any kind of flack for it So she talked to me about it and then she brought me to her gyno And I got on the same pill she was at because we have pretty much the same body type and all that stuff So that was I trusted her and I trusted her gyno, and then it was a really easy day So my friend helped me get birth control by just kind of being there for me on FaceTime She couldn't actually be there the day before she had got her nexaplon and I couldn't be there for that So then she FaceTime me during this procedure and just kind of talked to me the whole time that this was happening Even talked to my doctor a little bit like kind of chatted just so she could hear like she's down there doing whatever and I'm just like And she's like, are you good? How's it going? Like I'm just walking to class. I'll just sit down Tell me about your days. You're not thinking about the pain and I'm like well so far You know I ate this for breakfast and that's it. That's my whole day She's just like let me tell you about my day. So this boy he did yada yada yada, and I'm like, uh-huh tears just rolling I'm like, you're right, huh? Okay But it was it was nice having her at least on the FaceTime and my friend had drove me there My other friend had drove me there thinking because she had got the IUD thinking that I wasn't gonna be in a whole lot of pain But I knew I knew I already had like complications So I was already kind of expecting it but she's like I'll wait in the waiting room for you and I came out and she's like Oh my god, I should have went in with you shouldn't I and I was like, it's okay Just take me home friend on FaceTime And what like your mom on deck My relationship with birth control has been a hundred percent personal I don't think there's ever been someone before who has taken me or who has taken it upon themselves to Educator encourage me. It's all been me going out to a local clinic doing research online finding out which one works best for me I haven't even had a gynecologist for a long period of time that I've trusted in that way So I it's a kind of a catch-22 of a good and a bad thing I think it's good because it increases my relationship because it is deeply personal and it is a decision that I am making out of my own empowerment my own research, but I also Do wish that I did have someone who held my hand on this journey a bit in high school I lost my virginity when I was like 16 I didn't have sex for a long time after that, but I kind of got like I got swindled into it And I had a dance mom who is she was like a senior I was a freshman So I used to go over her house all the time I'd spend the night so she pretty much they called me her daughter and the moment I told her like that was the first thing she said like we're going to get birth control tomorrow And the last question I asked the group which I'm also going to ask you and I want you to write this in the comment section below What is one thing you would say to birth control if it was sitting in front of you right now? She you have gotten me through a lot. Let me tell you just in terms of having better sex Just because I'm not as into my head In terms of knowing my body because I probably would not put my finger at my vagina unless I was like Inserting a tampon or something like that. I would have no real reason to feel like let me see what's happening in there So thank you for that. You really like have been an excellent addition to my life You really have been that friend that I've needed in times that I didn't know I needed a friend You've been dependable in ways that I'm probably dependable and I'm sorry for not taking you on time every day I know it's so easy to just put an alarm on and I blame you sometimes But I know that like you're doing all that you can do and like I totally adore you for that I would like to say to you birth control You have changed my life. I have done so many great things on you with you Yeah, I don't know birth control has like been you've been great like as I couldn't thank you enough for changing my life Birth control. Oh, if you were here, thank you I don't know this is really it's a really beautiful experience I like that control over your body and nobody else can do that besides you So I think it's really important just to have you like you said like We'll fight for you So, yeah, don't mess with it because we'll come after whoever's messing with it If there is one thing this video taught me is that everyone has their own journey when it comes to birth control And if you are just starting your journey or getting back into and wanting to find your way And you haven't found a birth control that is right for your body and your lifestyle go over to bedside or org right now They have a wealth of information with the different types in addition They can help you locate a clinic which can answer even more of your questions and speaking of questions bedside or org There's also a place to go for information and tips on sex on Relationships on love so y'all know I'm over there all the time bringing information I can give back to everyone else and speaking of giving back to everyone else if you felt and Empowered and inspired by hearing women declare their love and declare their form of birth control a conversation I think should be had way more often because majority of us will have some form of interaction with birth control during our lifetime I want you to use the thanks birth control hashtag on whatever platform you feel comfortable to continue the conversation Share your story talk about how birth control has helped you feel like you have the power to decide Go in the info box below for more information on bedside