The pill and the (feminist) period

With Yoni we aim to break the taboo surrounding menstruation and vagina’s by talking and writing about these topics in all honesty. Not only about tampons, but also subjects like the pill, contraception and feminism. This time Christel tells her story and relationship with the pill in breaking taboos part 1 ‘from the pill to the feminism period’. What do we put in our bodies to avoid getting pregnant?

This summer the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant came with an interesting article ‘De pil betekent niet langer emancipatie‘. Using the pill used to stand for emancipation but is now being said to stand in the way of female pleasure, emotions and the ability to know your own body. Exactly what a modern feminist wants.

Time to dig deeper… As a 22 year old young woman I don’t know a lot about the effects. To be honest, a year ago I didn’t even understand that on the pill I wasn’t actually having my natural period. And I expect a lot of girls and young women like me don’t know either. So taking the pill and hence the hormones involved for 3 weeks in a row ensures you don’t ovulate, flattens your emotions and perhaps much more. I’m curious: what else? And how well do I actually know my own body?

I’ve used the pill for a couple of years now. And up to recently I’d never given it proper thought. My doctor told me: you’ll get less cramps, lose less blood, have less acne and facial hair. Perfect for me as a teenage girl. But the doctor didn’t tell me anything about the alternatives. And now, a few years later, I’m curious. There’s the implant, the patch, diaphragm, the ring, fertility awareness (a bit risky), an internal condom and more… Read about all options here. Note: all these alternatives have pro’s and cons, just like the contraceptive pill.