My experience with birth control is relatively new. I’m gay and married to a woman, so it has never been relevant in the “birth control” sense.

When I hit 30 and mentioned how crippling my periods were for days at a time, my doctor suggested I try hormonal therapy. The first run was a bit rough, but once we had everything narrowed down, the effects were more drastic than I ever imagined they’d be. I’ve dealt with a week of agonizing pain, nausea, and the inability to move for most of my adult life. Now I can keep living my life despite my period. It’s amazing.

My quality of life has DRAMATICALLY improved. As I don’t have any plans of getting pregnant, and fertility issues/ovarian cancer run in my family, I have a slightly smaller chance of that happening to me.

I feel more in control, save money on supplies, and am not in pain for a week every month. Even on the non-drastic end of the spectrum, reproductive health is crucial to maintaining a quality and comfortable life.