A young woman said that the contraceptive pill made her so "nasty and rude" that she ruined friendships and earned the nickname "Rowdy Russell" from her friends, as doctors failed to recognise her intolerance to it.
Katy Russell began using contraception at 15 to alleviate period symptoms. In September 2021, during a relationship, she was prescribed the combined mini pill. However, she soon experienced severe mood swings, anger outbursts, and weight gain, indicating something was wrong.
Katy Russell began using contraception at 15 to alleviate period symptoms. In September 2021, during a relationship, she was prescribed the combined mini pill. However, she soon experienced severe mood swings, anger outbursts, and weight gain, indicating something was wrong.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I've basically been on quite a few different contraception types now, and I've really struggled with all of them.
00:06So I thought I'd give a bit of information on the contraceptions I was on, how long they lasted and what I actually faced.
00:12The first contraception that I was on was the combined mini pill.
00:16I started taking that one in September 2021, and then I came off of that in February 2022.
00:24I used to take it back in 2018-2019, but I was never consistently taking it.
00:30So when it got to this new time where I was with a partner, I was like, okay, I need to dedicate taking this.
00:36When I was on the pill, I was honestly not my normal self. I was a bit of a psycho.
00:41I gained so much weight and faced the worst acne ever.
00:46After coming off of the pill, I then decided to go on to the implant, which actually got lost in my arm.
00:54I was on the implant for six months, and I started that one in December 2022.
01:00Honestly, it was rough. It was really difficult. I was on my period 24-7.
01:06I faced really bad back acne, and again, it just made me not my normal self, really snappy,
01:12really quite aggressive, and just really difficult to be around.
01:16After I decided to get the implant removed, I then went on to the coil.
01:21The coil was, yeah, it was hard. I went on that in January 2023, and then I came off of that one in June 2023.
01:30The copper coil for me, it made me bloat insane amounts.
01:36I then gained body dysmorphia because I actually didn't know what my natural body looked like.
01:42I was severely depressed. There were days where I couldn't get out of bed, be really emotional,
01:47really bad back acne and face acne, and again, I just wasn't the same person.
01:52I was such a down and depressed and not energetic. I was really difficult to be around.
02:00My friends struggled to be around me. My family had issues. My ex-partner at the time,
02:05it was really, really, really tough. I was exhausted, depressed, emotional, back acne,
02:13face acne. I didn't want to get my skin out in the sun, and then I actually had the worst cramps
02:22where it was crippling. There'd be times where I'd be driving, have to pull over because I was in so
02:26much pain. I would be walking on a dog walk, and I'd be on the floor crying because I was in so
02:31much pain. No medication that I was taking, I had codeines, and they weren't helping.
02:37Then they actually discovered that I had a cyst on my ovary, which they believed was due to the
02:43coil. They also think that where the coil, where I was having period cramps, it was all cramping
02:51onto the coil, which was also then hitting onto the ovary, which was then affecting the cyst,
02:56which was why it was so painful. I then actually did get that one removed, and I'm still now
03:02waiting to get the cyst on my ovary removed. I obviously understand that contraception is so
03:07important, but I think finding the right one for you is more important. I would never recommend
03:13sticking onto something just because it's a good option or it's convenient. If you're facing
03:19depression, weight gain, bloating, acne, change in personality and mood swings,
03:27then I do really recommend trying to find something that works for you.
03:31I'm actually now a year off contraception completely, and it's actually the best choice
03:36I've ever made.