It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realised how important it is to answer comprehensively when you’re asked what medications you’re on. The optometrist/dentist/gynaecologist etc isn’t being weird when they ask you, they’re asking so they can keep you safe and give you the best care. They’re not going to judge you because you’re on the pill (and if they do you should find yourself a new provider), and if you are on it, you should be including it in the list of medications you’re on along with your over the counter hay fever tablets and the aspirin you take a few times a week.

I realised how widely the pill can affect your body when I discussed contacts with my optometrist recently. We talked about my dry eyes and how they get irritated really easily when I wear contacts, and that liquid tears don’t seem to help. He asked if I was on the pill and it all made sense when he said that being on the pill can cause dry eye symptoms. A medication that affects your body so much it thinks it’s pregnant when it’s not it is bound to affect other areas of your body. It’s something us ladies taking oral contraceptives need to be aware of.

Don’t be ashamed.

A myth about “the pill”

You do not need to take a break from it. The biggest myth about the pill is that it’s unhealthy for you to be on it for long periods of time, and that it can cause infertility. That’s a pile of crap, you are able to get pregnant immediately after you stop taking the pill. That includes times where you don’t ingest it properly due to illness. Women that have trouble getting pregnant after coming off the pill would have had trouble getting pregnant anyway, especially if they’re now in their late thirties and prime child bearing age has passed.

In fact, the only reason there is a 7 day sugar pill section in every 28 day pack is because it was thought women would adjust to it easier if they still got their period. If you are on a pill with steady dosage you can quite easily take 2-3 packs in a row and get your period 4-6 times a year instead of 12. That’s what I do.