My Story

I started taking the birth control pill when I was 14 years old. As it turns out, I was terrible at remembering to take a pill everyday. At the time, I felt like hormonal birth control was my only option and even that was failing me.

Flash forward to the end of my senior year of high school. In May, I decided to ditch the pill and try the Implanon (a stick that is inserted into your upper arm). As soon as I got to college, the added stress and synthetic hormones in this implant wreaked havoc on my body. All of the sudden I had the worst acne I had ever experienced (even worse than the puberty years), digestive problems that kept me at home, weight gain, mild depression and anxiety. The implant was supposed to be good for 3 years. I didn’t make it a year before I was back at the doctor’s office getting it taken out. At first I thought, “What a waste of money!” But thank God I did not keep it any longer. The damage was done.

It wasn’t until my 5th year of college, during my master’s program, that I discovered there was a holistic birth control option and was also effective! It didn’t require taking a pill everyday, was absolutely non-invasive, free of synthetic hormones, and symptom free. By tracking cervical mucus and taking my temperature each day, I was able to successfully avoid getting pregnant. (Which now I have been doing for over 5 years!) In addition, I became so in tune with my body and my cycle that I now use this method as a tool and a guide to my everyday life. Big meeting? Tough workout? Food choices? Important conversations? How I approach these scenarios changes depending on where I am at in my cycle.

My hope is to spread the word and teach others about non-hormonal birth control options, empower women to take charge of their natural cycle, and use this new found knowledge to their advantage.