ep. 138: Birth Control, Explained
Hormonal birth control is the most commonly prescribed contraception, but what about the side effects? Nurse practitioner Jennifer Robinson helps us weigh the hormonal — and nonhormonal — options. Plus, author Elinor Cleghorn shares the shocking history of The Pill and how it relates to birth control side effects today.
Leave ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ at Apple Podcasts
More from Jen
Learn more: Beyond the Pill // UNM LARC Mentoring Program
More from Elinor
Read: Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World
Watch our IG Live: What’s Your Problem?
Sources
Ali, Mohamed M. et al. Causes and consequences of contraceptive discontinuation: evidence from 60 demographic and health surveys. World Health Organization. 2012.
Ao, Bethany. Birth control pill use is declining as women question mental health side effects. Medical Xpress. Dec. 29, 2019.
Daniels, Kimberly and Joyce C. Abma. Current Contraceptive Status Among Women Aged 15–49: United States, 2017–2019. CDC NCHS Data Brief No. 388. October 2020.
Hertel, Johannes et al. Evidence for Stress-like Alterations in the HPA-Axis in Women Taking Oral Contraceptives. Scientific Reports. Vol. 7, No. 1. Oct. 26, 2017.
Jong-Fast, Molly. The Anti–Birth Control Movement Is the New Anti-Abortion Movement. Vogue. July 1, 2021.
Kalleston Bronnick, Marita et al. The Effects of Hormonal Contraceptives on the Brain: A Systematic Review of Neuroimaging Studies. Frontiers in Psychology. Oct. 27, 2020.
Kresge, Naomi and Cynthia Koons. Better Birth Control Could Exist, But It Wouldn’t Pay for Big Pharma. Bloomberg. Aug. 8, 2019.
Linköping University. Experiences of undesired effects of hormonal contraception. ScienceDaily. March 31, 2020.
Littlejohn, Krystale E. Just Get on the Pill: The Uneven Burden of Reproductive Politics. Oakland: University of California Press, 2021.
McFadden, Robert. D. Carl Djerassi, 91, a Creator of the Birth Control Pill, Dies. The New York Times. Jan. 13, 2015.
Reproductive Health Access Project. Contraceptive Pearls: IUD Self-Removal. Jan. 21, 2020.
Reproductive Health Access Project. IUD Self-Removal Fact Sheet. March 16, 2021.
Spratt, Vicky. Hysterical Women: Why Is Hormonal Contraception Still Failing Us? Refinery29. Sept. 9, 2020.
Stieg, Cory. Your Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Birth Control. Refinery29. Aug. 7, 2019.
Svoboda, Elizabeth. Better birth control. Nature. Dec. 16, 2020.
Swift, Bethann and Christian Becker. Birth control continues to fail women – so why has nothing changed? The Conversation. July 14, 2021.
Wessel Skovlund, Charlotte et al. Association of Hormonal Contraception With Depression. JAMA Psychiatry. Vol. 73, No. 11. November 2016.
Verma Liao, Pamela and Janet Dollin. Half a century of the oral contraceptive pill. Canadian Family Physician. Vol. 58, No. 12. December 2012.
Zettermark, Sofia et al. Hormonal contraception increases the risk of psychotropic drug use in adolescent girls but not in adults: A pharmacoepidemiological study on 800 000 Swedish women. PLOS One. March 22, 2018.
