'GPs are less likely to prescribe the pill to women who already have depression and because women who do experience depression on the pill are more likely to stop taking it, this study probably underestimates the potential negative affect that hormonal contraceptives can have on mental health.' I was left dumbfounded.

The one quote that really hit it home for me was 'Considering that women are fertile just six days per menstrual cycle and men are fertile every single day, that the burden of avoiding unwanted pregnancy falls to us, regardless of the burden that might have on our health and wellbeing, is nothing short of sexism.' I then went on to read Holly's article from The Guardian which inspired Beccy's article, and the theme of the whole issue.

I couldn't believe the amount of things I'd been ignoring and more importantly the things I'd never once thought to question. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was as if I'd been asleep and finally woken up. I needed to know more, so Beccy sent me Holly's book Sweetening The Pill and I read it cover to cover that day. One morning Beccy sent me her interview with Holly Grigg Spall for The Strong Issue to proof read, and from that morning I haven't taken a contraceptive pill since. I'm always focussed on my mental health, it's a constant work in progress but who am I without these pills inside me? In reality I'd never really been an adult without some form of hormonal suppressant altering my mind and body in one way or another and suddenly that really scared me. As I turned 26 at the end of last year, it was really something that was playing on my mind. I've also been on the anti-depressant Sertraline (Zoloft) for over 8 years and have often felt like I've been walking around in some kind of numb bubble I can't ever seem to burst. That's 10 whole years of putting something into my body without really giving it much thought. I've had time off here and there, but in reality I've probably been on the pill for a solid 10 years. I've been on the pill since I was 15 years old, and I'm now 26. As it's Mental Health Awareness Week, we thought we'd share our experiences, starting with Rosie Ellis, our online editor. After discovering Holly's work, two members of team Sister decided to chuck hormonal birth control and monitor the results. If you've picked up a copy of our latest issue (and if you haven't, you can here) you'll know that our EIC Beccy Hill interviewed Holly Grigg Spall about her incredible research into the contraceptive pill and it's effects on women's mental and physical health.

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt