I thought I fancied men until I came off the Pill after 13 years & realised I’m a lesbian – now my ex ‘disgusts’ me
THERE are loads of different side effects you might have when going on the contraceptive pill, and some people experience changes when they come off it too.
And one woman has left people stunned after she claimed coming off the pill turned her into a lesbian.
Amy May, from Australia, took to TikTok to explain how everything changed for her when she finally stopped taking the pill aged 28, after taking without a break since 15-years-old.
Although she confessed to initially being hesitant to come off the medication, she thought it was the perfect time, since she’s just come out of an eight year relationship with her boyfriend.
Amy thought she might experience some common side effects like weight gain and acne, but was also intrigued after some friends told her ‘you find who you are when you’re not on the pill.’
“I didn’t think it actually would [change anything] and I definitely didn’t think I would be attracted to women,” she explained in the viral video.
Nothing much changed at first, but Amy said she did feel “lighter” in both her mood, energy and thoughts.
Then Amy noticed she started thinking about her ex boyfriend “with disgust”, something she put down to coming off the pill.
“It could be a coincidence, could not, who knows, but it could have been a combination between me coming off the contraceptive pill and coming out of a toxic relationship, but the way I started to view my ex was kind of disgust – which again could be the person that he became,” she said.
In another post, she showed a picture of her ex from this time last year, followed by a picture of her new girlfriend.
“This December I’m in love with a woman and gay as f**k,” she said.
It turns out Amy wasn’t the only person who experienced something similar when coming off the pill.
One said: “Oh my God, I thought the same thing had happened to me and thought I was just imagining it!!”
And a second commented: “This was me too at 26! I’ve not heard anyone else say this. The slow disgust towards men was wild for me too haha.”
And a third joked: “I (a lesbian) am now scared to stop taking the pill because what if it has the opposite effect for me.”
“I came off the pill after being married to my husband to a year, luckily still attracted to him but ALL men who aren’t him give me the ick,” another confessed.
So, can coming off the contraceptive pill really have such a drastic effect?
According to Sarah Hill, who is an evolutionary psychologist, there are a few examples of women who have changed their sexual preferences in this situation.
“Decades of research has found that women’s sex hormones impact their attraction to specific members of one sex. Why shouldn’t it also impact their attraction between the sexes?” she explained.
She added: “It just goes to demonstrate that sex hormones are intimately involved in attraction and – for some women – the hormonal changes initiated by the birth control pill can nudge their preferences in ways that are more noticeable than they are for others.”
How to choose the best method of contraception
THERE are numerous contraception options available on the NHS and privately, and finding the right one for you can take time.
Things to consider when deciding what contraception to use include how often you need to use it.
Some methods, like the coil, are long acting, while others you need to take every day or use every time you have sex, like the pill and condoms.
Hormonal methods of contraception can also sometimes leave users with side effects like headaches, feeling sick, mood swings, weight gain, sore breasts and acne.
These types can carry a very small risk of health issues like blood clots and breast cancer too, meaning hormonal methods won’t be suitable for everybody.
On top of this, some types will be more effective than others.
The implant and coil are deemed to be 99 per cent effective at preventing pregnancy, as is the pill and patch if used correctly.
But condoms can sometimes break and methods like natural family planning – tracking when you’re most fertile and avoiding sex at those times – tend to be less effective.
Speak to your GP about which of the following might suit you best:
- Combined pill (contains progestogen and oestrogen)
- Mini pill (contains progestogen only)
- Copper coil or intrauterine device (inserted into the womb and doesn’t contain hormones)
- Hormonal coil or intrauterine system (inserted into the womb and releases progestogen)
- Implant (inserted under the skin on your arm and releases progestogen)
- Injection (progestogen)
- Patch (worn on the skin and releases progestogen and oestrogen)
- Vaginal ring (put in the vagina and releases progestogen and oestrogen)
- Condoms (worn on the penis)
- Internal condoms (put in the vagina before sex)
- Female sterilisation (permanently stops eggs meeting sperm)
- Vasectomy or male steralisation (permanently stops sperm being ejaculated)
- Diaphragm or cap (put inside the vagina before sex to stop sperm getting into the womb)
- Natural family planning (includes tracking your menstrual cycle to avoid sex when you are most fertile)
- Morning after pill (to be used in emergency situations three to five days after sex)
Source: NHS