My Story: Finding the Right Contraception
By Saniya Ghanoui —
MC shares her experience with finding the right contraception. She mentions many challenges that she has had to overcome to find contraception that fits her individual needs.
This is an audio recording only.
Transcript:
OBOS Today: I see you have had an abortion?
MC: Yes, I had two, actually like one year apart exactly, which is super weird, but that’s like, how does that happen? Um. And let’s see, the first one was, like, right when COVID lockdown happened, so that was also difficult trying to get an appointment, and then the second one was—like yeah, exactly a year after, so like five, six months ago? I’m not sure, five months ago? Something like that, yeah. Hopefully I won’t have to do another one, because they definitely aren’t the most fun thing, um, but yeah, I’ve just, I’ve had so much trouble finding contraception that works for me that, that’s kind of why they happened, um. But, yeah.
OBOS Today: So were you using contraception when you did become pregnant?
MC: Um, I mean, I’ve been, I’ve been now a lot better about it. I was trying to do, like, charting. And I was trying to use a diaphragm, but I guess I just wasn’t as careful with it as I should have been, so. I also tried—so I wasn’t, like, using the pill or an IUD or anything that’s, like, very preventative. Trying to do alternative things, just because all those things that I’ve tried in the past have been really disruptive to my system, just a lot of really negative side effects. I’ve tried, like, the pill, I’ve tried hormonal IUD, I’ve tried the copper IUD—that one was terrible, that one made me super anemic. Just because it, I guess, for some women, it can like really increase the flow and the length of the period, so I just was losing so much blood on that. That’s probably my least favorite one.
And so yeah, I tried, I just felt like I tried so many that I got to a point where I was like, “Whatever, I’m just gonna get the thermometer and chart,” but I guess I just didn’t, I just wasn’t diligent enough. Now I’d say I’m a lot more diligent, but it kind of takes a little while for your hormones to get regulated again after an abortion, so I guess that’s another reason why the second one occurred is because I was still trying to chart, but my stuff is a little wonky, and it’s still a little wonky as far as, like, regularity. Definitely better, but I still, I still haven’t mastered the whole charting thing. I think I’m just maybe not a diligent enough of a person to do that, but I’m a lot better about using the diaphragm now, which is, yeah, pretty old school, but it’s just so—yeah, the only thing that’s kind of, that’s, I don’t know, been less disruptive and has fewer side effects. Though the spermicide can be kind of irritating.
And I just, like, got a yeast infection, which I don’t know if it was from that or what. So it’s not, like, without its own complications, but yeah, I think it’s, I’m still pretty frustrated with, um, just contraceptive issues. I’ve talked—I just feel like I’ve talked to so many doctors, and tried so many things and, yeah, it’s, it’s been frustrating. I’m like, yeah, I’m still not happy with where I’m at, and the options that I have. I’m hoping there’s something else out there, but I don’t know, maybe something will be invented.
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