Woman who went off birth control for the first time in six years details WITHDRAWL symptoms
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A 21-year-old who has gone off hormonal birth control for six years has been candid about the debilitating “withdrawal symptoms” she’s struggled with since she removed her vaginal ring.
Abigail Martin, a photographer and social media influencer, has documented her experience with post-birth control syndrome (PBCS) at TikTokwhere she has over 883,000 followers.
She claimed she suffered from insomnia, nausea, painful cramps and heightened anxiety to the point of panic attacks because her hormones are “so upset.”
“Why isn’t anyone talking about this?” she asked in her last clip. “Because I’m on birth control for a week and I’ve been through the f**king ringer this week, I can tell you.”
Abigail Martin, 21, has documented her experience with post-birth control syndrome (PBCS) on TikTok, where she has more than 883,000 followers
Martin had been off birth control for three days when she posted her first video explaining that she started using the NuvaRing after her mother discovered she was sexually active at age 15. At that time, she had only had her period for two years.
The TikToker remembered having some common side effects, such as cramps, mood swings, and decreased libido, but was mostly happy about it.
Martin had been at it for five years when she was reportedly forced to switch to the EluRyng because her health insurance no longer covered the NuvaRing.
“It’s literally been hell,” she said. “My mood is completely unstable 24/7. I can’t predict how I’ll feel in five seconds.’
The influencer said she suffered from insomnia, nausea, cramps and heightened anxiety to the point of panic attacks
“Why isn’t anyone talking about this?” she asked. ‘Because I’m on birth control for a week and I’ve been through the f**king ringtone this week, I can tell you’
Martin added that she was nauseated “every day” and had “insane amounts of anxiety,” which are side effects of the EluRyng.
She noted that she does suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder (PD), but she insisted it had never been this bad.
“It got to the point where I thought, ‘F**k this, I’ll get it out,'” she said.
Martin claimed her symptoms only got worse after she removed the vaginal ring mid-cycle. Within three days, she also started spotting, which is a common side effect of stopping hormonal birth control.
Initially, however, she was optimistic about doing away with her birth control, as she spent most of her teenage years and all of her adult life on it.
Martin said she had been using the NuvaRing since she was 15, but had to switch to the EluRyng last year due to changes to her health insurance plan
She claimed the new brand made her nauseous “every day” and had “insane amounts of anxiety,” which made her take off her vaginal ring last week
“I’m a little excited to see how this plays out or how I am because I really don’t know what I’m going to look like,” she explained. “But I’m also very nervous because I don’t know what I’ll look like.”
After five days without birth control, she filmed a follow-up video saying she had to go to the emergency room because her nausea had gotten so bad that she couldn’t eat.
Martin said the nausea was particularly stressful for her because she has emetophobia, a severe fear of vomiting.
In her most recent video she concluded that she suffers from post-birth control syndromethat can occur when a person stops using hormonal contraceptives.
After being off her birth control for five days, she said she had to go to the emergency room because her nausea had gotten so bad she couldn’t eat.
Martin later returned to the emergency room to treat her insomnia while battling nausea, “debilitating” cramps, and mood swings
dr. Aviva Romm coined the term in her 2008 book “Botanical Medicine for Women’s Health,” suggesting that some people may experience irregular periods and other symptoms in the months after they stop using hormonal birth control.
However, despite the anecdotal evidence that the syndrome exists, there are no scientific studies to confirm that it is a real condition, and it is not widely recognized within the medical community.
Basically, my symptoms were extreme anxiety to the point of nonstop panic attacks, every day. No sleep, like at all. I actually had to go to the emergency room yesterday to get sleep medication because I haven’t slept for three days,” explains Martin.
“I had the worst period of my life, like I’ve never had it this bad, to the point where the cramps were absolutely debilitating [and] random waves of nausea all the time. I think it’s because my hormones are balancing themselves.’
Martin also feared she was suffering from dehydration from crying and not drinking enough water.
She said she would take a yoga class, meet with an acupuncturist, and have an IV while trying to reduce her symptoms. She also wanted to meet a hormone therapist, but struggled to find one available.
Martin advised anyone considering going off birth control to see a naturopath or hormone specialist ‘because this sucks’.
This isn’t the influencer’s first time taking to TikTok to voice her issues with being prescribed birth control in the US
Martin made headlines over the summer after alleging that a Walgreens employee at an unnamed store refused to refill her birth control prescription due to her religious beliefs.
Martin said another employee told her that other customers at her local Walgreens were also having trouble getting their birth control due to the employee in question
Martin made headlines over the summer after claiming a Walgreens employee in an unnamed store refused to refill her birth control prescription due to her religious beliefs.
Her latest videos about post-birth control syndrome struck a chord with viewers who used the comments to share their own stories.
‘I’m soooo HAPPY that you’re sharing this!!!!!! My experience was the worst experience of my life. It DOES get better!’ one person wrote.
‘You are not alone. I went through the same thing,’ another added. ‘You do the right things and a specialist can help you with that. Hold on.’
‘It’s the fear and NAUSEA for me omg!’ someone else has shared. “I’ve had BC for 5 years and now I’m getting the most of it.”