Let me say before I launch into all of this that everything I say is from personal experience and from my own research. So take what you want from this but it is going to be really personal and honest.
So you are wondering what kind of birth control will work best for you right? I will just be the girl to say it, condoms suck! Especially those cheap ones they dish out like candy on Halloween at planned parenthood. I mean you can't feel anything and you worry it will break, its so uncomfortable.. do I really need to continue?
So whats next? Well usually girls go for the birth control pill. Seems like a great idea, it will clear your acne, make your periods lighter, cramps lighter, and all you have to do is take this magic pill. So I did that I went and got the pill and took it, well you have to take it at the same time every day, oh and with food, otherwise you will feel incredibly sick. Oh and speaking of food, did I mention you will be eating a lot more of it now? You know why? Because the pill makes you crazy hungry, and most girls end up gaining weight.
So now you have to take the pill everyday at the same time, with food.. You are gaining weight, oh and your sex drive has changed. Did the doctor warn you of any of this? I remember talking to a woman who was a councilor for a nutrition business. We were talking about birth control pills one day, I don't know why really, and she told me about how she lost her mind on the pill. Apparently it made her flip out at her 5 year old son for telling her he was hungry. She locked him in his room and then curled up in the fetal position and cried. She had no idea why but she just wanted to cry all the time.
So a lot of you might know the pill and its drawbacks. So do you come to the next thing I did? The depo shot? I thought about it had a higher pregnancy prevention percentage, Come to find out the only reason that it is considered any better then the pill is because most people forget to take it at the same time everyday. If you do take it like you are supposed to it has the exact same amount of effectiveness. The drawbacks on the shot are way worse really, you gain more weight, more mood swings, and even bleed for weeks. I heard at least 4 accounts of people I know personally who got the shot and was told that their "spotting" all month was normal. One of them had to spend 3 months straight wearing a pad.
That is not counting everything I have read about it online. I mean is it worth it? The shot last for what 3 months? I would be terrified after how I felt on the pill.
Now it to the worst one of all. Nuvaring. Let me just tell you about this thing that almost ruined my life. So like I said I went through all of these options, I even had the printout they give you at planned parenthood. It tells you all the different pros and cons of each birth control. Well me thinking I was all smart made a good ration decision based on what they showed me to start on nuvaring.
Well that is when it started. I wanted to die every single day, the depression was horrible. I would fight with my boyfriend over every thing you could think of and cry constantly even if I had no reason. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Finally one day my boyfriend suggested that maybe it was the nuvaring. DUH. The nuvaring is so convenient you don't even think about it. It is a glow stick thing you stick inside you and forget about until 3 weeks later, take it out have your period.
Well did some much needed research. Turns out all I saw were testimonies after testimonies of people saying things like, "YOU AREN'T CRAZY ITS THE RING!!!" What a relief! It was until I kept reading. So apparently it takes months for these hormones to leave your body. I only had the ring in for a month and its been a while now and I still am not sure if I feel normal yet. What a way to really mess with your body! They even trick you and say that because the ring is centralized closer to your uterus there is less of a conflict with your brain and emotions. NO WAY. Nuvaring is a very high dose of hormones. It will also make you gain weight and give you headaches.
Now there are some other methods out there, for example, Mirena but you usually have to have had a baby to get that. Also that is 5 years and I can only imagine the negative effects that would have on you.
The patch is about the same as the pill, but iv heard nothing but bad things about it, for example IT FALLS OFF! I mean some of these choices seem like jokes. Maybe I am being overly critical but until the constant "teen pregnancy" exploitation BS stops I wont stop. Everything I just said is the reason girls are getting pregnant. Birth control sucks! Yes there are other contributing factors to teen pregnancy but I know that iv bought myself and other scared girls pregnancy test for all of these reasons.
Now after saying all that, not everyone has these negative effects, blah blah blah. The thing is no one will even tell you about their possibility until its too late.