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5 Side Effects of the Pill You Didn’t Know About

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Exeter Cornwall chapter.

1. Crazy Mood Swings

No you are not going crazy, but the changing amount of hormones in your body can make you cry one minute or have an angry fit the next.

2. Increased Appetite

 

Never feel full? It may be down to your contraception. The hormones can make you crave certain foods, all food in general, or just make you feel hungry. All. The. Time (you might want to forget how to get to McDonald’s…)

3. Reduced Libido

Ironic as it is, the pill can actually reduce your motivation to have fun in the bedroom. Don’t you just love life’s many contradictions.

4. Dizziness/Nausea/Headaches

 

Those feelings that you want to be sick are unlikely to mean pregnancy if you have taken your contraception correctly. Effects on the body such as sickness are common, you’re not weird!

5. Depression

Getting feelings of being down that are a lot stronger than your usual PMS? Some pills are believed to create depression. It’s understandable when you think how far a little pill is changing your biological make-up!

If any of these side-effects are unbearable and do not subside after a few months, go to your local GP or sexual health clinic. There you can discuss options for other types of contraception; whether it be changing to a different pill or other form all-together (there are some that do not involve hormones at all, which may be most beneficial for those who experience the worst side-effects.)

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Emily Poole

Exeter Cornwall

History undergrad at the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus. Love music, writing and trying to be funny in my spare time...
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Hannah Harrison

Exeter Cornwall

Aspiring entertainment journalist who dreams of living and working in the USA. Currently studying English Literature at the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus.