I spoke to four plus-size women—Chaya, Sarah, Liz, and Monica—and asked them to be as honest as possible about their experiences with birth control, including what has worked for them and what hasn’t. They talked about the stuff that surrounds the birth control convo that we almost never hear about. Here’s what they had to say:
In spring of last year, I finally got it: a referral to a surgeon to discuss my sterilization. I prepared my plea ahead of time: I’ve always been sure I don’t want to go through pregnancy and bear a child; if we change our minds, my fiancée (now wife) can have kids biologically; I have a bunch of kids in my life that I help care for already; and this would be gender-validating surgery for me.
My Mirena and I are best friends. I once struggled with terrible cramps, long periods, and forgetting to take my birth control pill—but the Mirena changed all of that.
We’ve rounded up our 10 favorite articles about sexual health and birth control from the past month to make it really easy for you to get the facts on the things that could affect your health.
My journey to the IUD was a rocky one. By the time I was 27, I had tried various brands of the birth control pill, which I started when I was 18, but I hadn’t ever found the right fit. From forgetting to take it, to leaving it at home during a weekend trip, to having side effects including a low sex-drive and intense mood swings, I had major issues with that particular method.