‘I’M LOCKED INTO CONTRACEPTION ROULETTE’

Elizabeth Harper, 26, a university administrator from Nottingham - Ever since popping that first yellow pill out of its packet eight years ago,

I’ve been trying to find a contraceptive that works for me. The conclusion I’ve reached? Contraception is a minefield. After six months taking that initial combined pill, Microgynon, a large blood clot came out of me when I wasn’t even on my period. Distressed, I switched to the progestogen-only pill (POP). I was in a new relationship and would just sit in my boyfriend’s room crying my eyes out for no reason whatsoever. It was as if I had completely changed personality. After a year of ‘pulling out and hoping for the best’, I had the IUD Mirena coil inserted, which I’ve been on for four years. I don’t need to take a pill daily or worry about having unprotected sex, and the impact on my moods isn’t as dramatic as with the POP. But I wouldn’t exactly recommend it; my anxiety is exacerbated and my libido has been affected. Sex itself can be painful – and that’s just one of the physical side effects. I had excruciating labour-like pains for months after it was fitted. Two years in, ultrasounds revealed that I’d developed cysts on my ovaries – the pain when one collapsed was like nothing I’d experienced before. My doctor said that she’d seen a correlation between the coil and cysts, which no one told me before I had it put in. Then, three years in, I bled continuously for three months – I was offered no explanation as to why. I’d be tempted to try Natural Cycles, but I’m concerned about the risk of falling pregnant, which I’m not ready for. I’m due to have my coil taken out soon, and I’m dreading having to work out which option to try next.