The Overwhelming Concept of Contraception

By Brielle Collins

Entering college, the decision of whether or not to get on birth control loomed over me. There were endless options and, most importantly, pages of seemingly threatening side effects that felt like they would alter my life. Overall, navigating sexual health and wellness as a woman gets unnecessarily complicated, incredibly overwhelming, and completely impossible. 

You don’t want to get pregnant, but sometimes you don’t want to rely solely on a condom. You start weighing your options, scrolling through TikTok, Googling late at night, and talking to friends about the potential side effects. Then you hear horror stories about never-ending periods, drastic mood changes, and weight fluctuations, but then you hear the opposite. You hear that birth control cleared someone’s skin, balanced their hormones, regulated their cycle, and somehow fixed everything. The contradiction alone is enough to make the decision feel impossible. 

What often gets lost in these conversations is that birth control doesn’t protect against STDs or STIs, including HIV. Pregnancy prevention tends to dominate the discussion, while sexual health as a whole gets pushed to the side. Condoms are sometimes framed as optional or inconvenient, rather than as an important tool for protecting yourself and your partner. The gap in conversation can create a false sense of security, especially for young people navigating sex for the first time in college. 

When I was trying to decide on the method of contraception I wanted to try, there was so much fear surrounding the topic. I was so scared of everything going wrong that I couldn’t fathom the idea of things going right. Eventually, I decided to try the birth control pill, and for me, it became more than just contraception. It helped me manage my Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) symptoms and made my menstrual cycles more manageable. It wasn’t a perfect or universal solution, but it was the right one for me at that time. 

Deciding on what birth control to use taught me that there is so much more to contraception than pregnancy prevention. It’s about bodily autonomy, mental health, hormone balance, and informed choices. It’s about understanding that sexual wellness also includes regular STI testing, honest conversations with partners, and that birth control does not protect you from everything.  

Sexual health shouldn’t be rooted in fear. It should be rooted in education, access, and empowerment. Conversations about contraception, condoms, HIV awareness, and overall wellness need to happen openly. The more we talk, the safer we are, and the less overwhelming it all becomes.