Let’s get one thing straight. Birth control pills are not evil.
Seriously, it’s 2017 and women should be able to have the freedom to decide for themselves most especially regarding reproductive health matters. Unfortunately, in the Philippines, Filipinas don’t have much choice because we are running out of contraceptives.
Why so? Well, last June 2015, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TOR) on the distribution of contraceptive implants and preventing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from “granting any and all pending applications for registration and recertification for reproductive products and supplies, including contraceptive drugs and devices”. What’s even worse is that as early as next year, most contraceptives are already expected to expire.
Given the circumstances, Chelsea June Castillo, one of the many Filipina women who is diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) tried to skip her birth control packet for a month to see how it will affect her body once contraceptives become unavailable. The results did not look good and she shared her experiences in detail below.
Here’s the full post:
I skipped my birth control packet for the month partly due to my curiousity as to how it will affect my body.
I really thought my body would just revert to its old self. It did not.
You see, I’m new to the game of experiencing womanhood. Early in my life, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a problem in which a woman’s hormones are out of balance. Together with Endometriosis, a painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus.
I was 19 when I first had my period and it was primarily with the help of my birth control. I’m turning 20 this June.
So back to my story, I tried doing away with it for a month and I wish I didn’t. My legs hurt so much. My stomach is so hard it looks like I’m two months pregnant. And at night, even at the slightest turn, my whole body radiates pain. Even if I’m not moving, my back feels like it’s being shoveled into. And the worst part I’m not even bleeding yet. This is the worst part because I’m expecting it to gush out like it has never gushed out before.
I tried exercising the pain away. Didn’t work. Even freaking breathing makes it worse. I’m on my bed most of the time because I can’t deal with the pain.
So why in hell did I subject myself in this experiment in the first place?
By 2020 most of my medication will be expelled from the Philippine Islands. This will be my norm after 2020. Pain day in and day out. Confined in my bed because my medication is beyond reach.
This will be my reality and the reality of Filipino Women all around the country with the same problem as I do.
The solution to our problem is very simple. The Philippine Government should ultimately allow companies to renew their licenses in order to distribute these pills. They should also be more informed as to the use of these pills because the cause of the TRO is ultimately laughable.
BIRTH CONTROL PILLS ARE NOT ABORTIFACIENTS.
Plus, banning these pills will make RH Law stupid.
As mentioned by Chelsea, let’s help our fellow Filipina women get access to contraceptives, be it for medication or to avoid unplanned pregnancy. Sign the petition here.
What are your thoughts on this? Tell us in the comments!
