8 reasons why shaking up birth control is our first mission

We’re here to help you understand your hormones. We’re also here for personalized healthcare—one that looks beyond averages to get to know YOU so you can feel your best. 

So, we hear you ask, why are we starting our mission with birth control? After all, it’s not something that always goes hand in hand with ‘feeling our best’.

Read on, my friend…

1. Knowing which one to pick is seriously confusing

First, there’s working out which birth control type to choose (i.e. IUDs, the patch, the ring, the implant, the pill, natural family planning). Then there’s knowing which one is the right brand! With so many options, it can be a real headache to work out which is best for you. 

The trial and error process can feel like you’re gambling with your health, and many will have experienced some nasty consequences from getting it wrong.  

By actually working out which methods will work best for you and your body, we can help you take out the guesswork to make informed choices about your birth control.

2. Birth control is often a first intro into your hormones 

Starting out with birth control is usually the first time we (as women and people with cycles) begin to get acquainted with our hormones. We’re kicking things off here because we want to start you both off on the right foot so you can build a beautifully symbiotic relationship that will last a lifetime (friends forevs).

3. Birth control is a vital part of our health 

It’s not just about preventing pregnancy—although this of course can be a pretty integral part. Birth control is also a powerful way to help you leverage your hormones so you can feel your best—like every day.

From alleviating symptoms like acne, migraines, or heavy periods, being on the right birth control can work wonders. It can also help people with underlying hormone imbalances like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or endometriosis.

4. It’s time to debunk outdated myths

For example, many people think it’s wrong to take the pill back to back. Actually, it’s completely safe to do so—part of the reason we do this is down to the pope.

Some also fear that if you stop bleeding while on the pill, it’s a sign of infertility (1). Others think that it can cause menstrual blood to build up inside you (2). Neither is true! We’re here to arm you with all the info so you can make your own decisions about your health.

5. More than 1 in 2 people with cycles suffer side effects (52%) (3)

Although this research specifically looked at the birth control pill, it’s possible for all hormonal birth control methods (i.e. the IUD, the patch, etc) to cause unwanted side effects (4). Research commissioned in Europe also found that 3.3 million people have experienced side effects from their birth control pill, but 1 in 3 haven’t reported it (5).

The sheer number of people with cycles suffering from side effects is beyond shocking. It’s not good enough. 

By actually getting to know you, we can recommend birth control methods that best suit your body and your needs. We’re completely agnostic, so it may be that we recommend you try a new method, stick with your method but try a new brand, stay as you are, or even come off hormonal birth control entirely.

6. More than 100 million people across the globe use the birth control pill (6)

To put things into perspective, that’s 10 times the population of Michigan. 

One person suffering from unwanted side effects is too many, but when we’re talking about such staggering numbers, we knew it was high time to do something about it.

7. Side effects can hold us back

Of course, we’re all different, and some people with cycles are lucky enough to feel brilliant on their birth control. Others can experience a delightful buffet of side effects—everything from headaches, to heavy periods, to mental health problems, to discharge and sore boobs. 

Many of us will remember times when our periods, our birth control, or both have held us back— from missing school gym class to skipping a long overdue catch-up with friends. Research has found that 13.8% of all women have reported missing work or school during their periods, with 3.4% doing so every (or almost ever) period (7).  

8. Everyone has the right to feel their best

Yeah, that’s right—even those of us with uteri! For wayyyy too long, there’s kinda been this sense that we have to put up with any side effects as a trade-off for protection against pregnancy. Erm, we’re so over that. 

The one size fits all approach is totally wrong—all methods don’t work for everyone, we’re here to work out which ones are best for you!

9. The science and the know-how is here, it’s time we used it

Getting prescribed and then accessing birth control can feel pretty impersonal, with a ‘try-now-deal-with-the-consequences-later’ kind of vibe. 

But today we have the technology and the medical understanding to offer a more personalized service. So, the question is, if we can make a difference to people’s lives, why wouldn’t we start our mission with birth control?

10. Research is severely lacking

Still, in 2021, we’re in a world where most medical research is carried out by men, for men (8). You can read all about this research gap over here. It’s meant that the studies surrounding our hormones and birth control well… just don’t exist in the way they should.

11. We’re firm believers that if something’s broken, fix it

The creation and development of birth control has of course delivered plenty of wins for those of us with cycles. It’s given many of us sexual freedom (hoorah!), and there will be countless stories of people benefiting from their birth control in other ways, i.e. starting the pill to cure acne. 

However, there are also plenty of ways that the whole concept of birth control can be improved. We’re here to make the process wayyy more personal so you can find the method that’s right for you without having to simply experiment or trust hearsay until you find one that makes you feel that bit better.

12. We’re seriously passionate (obsessive even) about what we’re doing

Our formidable medical team has more than 75 years’ combined experience in women’s health. We’re not just super clued-up, we’re also all personally determined and driven to make a difference in the world of healthcare so people with cycles no longer have to just blindly take birth control and put up with feeling lousy for decades. 

Don’t just take our word for it. We’re proudly backed by many of the world’s leading technical and scientific institutions, such as The Crick Institute, UCL, and Cambridge University (oh, and we’re supported by the startup initiative, Google for Startups too). 

We always love to hear from you—say hey over on Twitter or Instagram and let us know whether you love or loathe your birth control.

Written by

Hermione Wright (she/her)

An NCTJ-qualified journalist, Hermione writes for national and local publications in addition to creating thought leadership for brands with a purpose. Passionate about telling the stories that matter, she helps our community make their own clued-up choices about their healthcare.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Arushee Prasad, GP, MBBS (she/her)

Dr Arushee Prasad is a GP for NHS England with an MBBS in Medicine and Surgery, and an MRCGP from the Royal College of General Practitioners. Passionate about digital health and algorithmic medicine, Arushee was previously an Algorithmic Medical Doctor for Docly.