by
      Allfige
      Sunnfitin
     
     
      GUELPH
      (CUP)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ral
      contraceptives
      are
      the
      most
      effective
     
     
      way
      (except
      for
      sterilization)
      to
      prevent
     
     
      pregnancy.
      They
      may
      be
      also
      used
      for
      therapeutic
     
     
      purposes.
      They
      are
      convenient
      and,
      for
      most
     
     
      women,
      free
      of
      serious
      or
      unpleasant
      side
      effects.
     
     
      This
      may
      sound
      familiar
      to
      you,
      if
      you
      have
     
     
      ever
      read
      the
      standard
      information
      that
      comes
     
     
      with
      any
      package
      of
      birth
      control
      pills.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Yet
      19
      out
      of
      20
      women
      who
      talked
      to
      me
      had
     
     
      problems
      with
      the
      Pill.
      Obviously,
      if
      women
     
     
      want
      to
      hear
      about
      what
      really
      can
      and
      does
     
     
      happen,
      they
      are
      going
      to
      have
      to
      start
      listening
     
     
      to
      each
      other,
      instead
      of
      being
      lulled
      into
      a
      false
     
     
      sense
      of
      safety
      by
      those
      in
      the
      medical
      profes-
     
     
      sion.
     
    

    
     
      Doctors
      are
      supposed
      to
      tell
      you
      about
     
     
      possible
      side
      effects,
      but
      it
      seems
      few
      do.
      They
     
     
      will
      probably
      give
      you
      a
      booklet
      with
      a
      dense,
     
     
      miniature
      type
      outlining
      the
      benefits
      and
      risks.
     
     
      This
      may
      be
      alla
      woman
      hears,
      after
      her
      doctor
     
     
      says,
      ‘‘The
      Pill
      is
      the
      best
      way
      to
      prevent
     
     
      pregnancy.’’
     
    

    
     
      Standard
      information
      says
      vomiting
      and
     
     
      nausea
      happen
      to
      about
      10
      percent
      of
      women
      on
     
     
      the
      Pill,
      while
      other
      side
      effects
      are
      supposed
      to
     
     
      be
      even
      less
      common.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      many
      women
      became
      sick
      or
     
     
      even
      died,
      so
      levels
      of
      estrogen
      were
      reduced
     
     
      and
      now
      between
      one
      and
      two
      out
      of
      every
      100
     
     
      women
      on
      the
      Pill
      get
      pregnant
      every
      year.
      A
     
     
      trade
      that
      should
      have
      been
      made
      earlier.
     
    

    
     
      Women
      are
      not
      the
      only
      ones
      concerned.
     
    

    
     
      A
      father
      told
      me
      when
      his
      daughter
      recently
     
     
      moved
      from
      Victoria
      to
      Cambridge
      to
      go
      to
     
     
      university,
      she
      found
      out
      the
      Pill
      she
      had
      been
     
     
      prescribed
      here
      was
      banned
      in
      England.
     
    

    
     
      It
      contained
      50
      micrograms
      of
      Mestranol,
      a
     
     
      kind
      of
      Estrogen,
      the
      strongest
      legal
      dose.
      It
      is
     
     
      contained
      in
      Norinylo
      and
      Ortho-Novum
      pills
     
    
   
   
    
     
      16
     
    
   
   
    
     
      still
      prescribed
      in
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      Women
      are
      not
      silent
      about
      the
      problems
      of
      the
     
     
      Pill,
      even
      if
      doctors
      are.
      University
      of
      Victoria
     
     
      (UVIC)
      students
      are
      speaking
      out.
      Karen
     
     
      Ballinger,
      fourth
      year
      creative
      writing;
      Shan-
     
     
      non
      Passmore,
      professional
      year
      education;
     
     
      Claire
      Walker,
      fourth
      year
      arts;
      Alicia
      Parker,
     
     
      third
      year
      social
      work;
      and
      Lisa
      Crampton,
     
     
      fourth
      year
      biology,
      all
      have
      stories
      to
      make
      you
     
     
      think
      a
      little
      more
      carefully
      on
      the
      drug
      you
      take
     
     
      every
      day
      for
      as
      long
      as
      20
      years.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AREN:
      I
      started
      taking
      the
      Pill
      a
      long
     
     
      k
      time
      ago,
      when
      it
      first
      came
      out
      about
     
     
      20
      years
      ago.
      People
      thought,
      ‘‘This
      is
     
     
      the
      answer,
      the
      miracle
      birth
      control
      method.”’
     
     
      I
      was
      at
      SFU,
      and
      I
      went
      to
      the
      student
      clinic.
     
     
      The
      doctor
      gave
      me
      a
      lecture
      about
      the
      differ-
     
     
      ence
      between
      plants
      and
      animals.
      He
      said
      that
     
     
      just
      because
      he
      was
      giving
      me
      a
      prescription,
      it
     
     
      wasn’t
      a
      license
      to
      go
      out
      and
      have
      sex
      all
      over
     
     
      the
      place.
      The
      walls
      were
      really
      thin,
      everyone
     
     
      could
      hear
      him.
      It
      was
      pretty
      humiliating.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      hard
      at
      that
      time.
      Some
      pharmacies
     
     
      would
      only
      give
      out
      one
      month
      of
      the
      year
     
     
      prescription
      at
      a
      time.
      I
      don’t
      know
      why,
      if
      they
     
     
      just
      wanted
      to
      get
      the
      dispenser
      fee
      each
      time,
     
     
      or
      if
      it
      was
      a
      power
      trip
      or
      what.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      only
      from
      talking
      to
      other
      women
     
     
      that
      I
      found
      which
      pharmacies
      would
      give
      out
     
     
      six
      months
      at
      a
      time.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HORMONAL
     
     
      HORRORS_-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Doses
      [of
      hormones]
      were
      heavier
      then,
      I
     
     
      gained
      weight,
      experienced
      depression
      andanxi-
     
     
      ety
      attacks.
      I
      thought
      I
      was
      having
      a
      nervous
     
     
      breakdown.
      It
      got
      to
      the
      point
      where
      I
      wouldn’t
     
     
      go
      out
      of
      the
      house,
      go
      to
      a
      restaurant
      or
      drive
     
     
      a
      Car.
     
    

    
     
      No
      doctor
      ever
      said
      it
      could
      be
      the
      Pill.
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      on
      the
      Pill
      for
      five
      years
      straight,
      I
     
     
      only
      went
      off
      it
      when
      I
      wanted
      to
      have
      a
      child.
     
     
      A
      year
      later
      (after
      I
      went
      off)
      those
      symptoms
     
     
      went
      way.
      That
      was
      when
      I
      made
      the
      connec-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      I
      waited
      for
      six
      months
      before
      I
      tried
      to
      get
     
     
      pregnant.
      If
      women
      tried
      right
      away,
      it
      seemed
     
     
      like
      they
      either
      had
      a
      miscarriage
      orthey
      couldn’t
     
     
      get
      pregnant
      at
      all.
     
    

    
     
      In
      those
      days,
      we
      still
      thought
      the
      doctors
     
     
      were
      gods.
      Looking
      back
      on
      it,
      it
      seems
      like
      a
     
     
      childish
      belief.
     
    

    
     
      Doctors
      never
      checked
      blood
      pressure,
      fam-
     
     
      ily
      history
      or
      asked
      if
      |
      smoked.
      I
      smoked
      then,
     
     
      but
      they
      hadn’t
      made
      the
      connection
      yet
      of
      the
     
     
      risks
      that
      were
      involved
      when
      you
      took
      the
      Pill.
     
    

    
     
      They
      never
      told
      me
      anything.
      I
      see
      us
      as
     
     
      having
      been
      guinea
      pigs.
      I
      don’t
      think
      it’s
      a
      safe
     
     
      birth
      control
      method.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HANNON:
      I’ve
      been
      on
      it
      since
      I
      was
     
    

    
     
      thirteen
      and
      I’ve
      never
      been
      off
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Minovril
      was
      the
      first
      --
      it’s
      not
      sup-
     
     
      posed
      to
      be
      a
      good
      kind,
      but
      my
      doctor
      never
     
     
      told
      me.
      Another
      doctor
      told
      me
      later(when
      I
     
     
      came
      to
      UVIC)
      it
      was
      too
      strong
      for
      what
      I
     
     
      needed.
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      my
      idea
      to
      go
      on
      the
      Pill.
      1
      was
     
     
      sexually
      active,
      and
      scared
      shitless
      of
      being
     
     
      pregnant.
      She
      just
      gave
      me
      a
      prescription,
      |
     
     
      didn’t
      need
      permission.
     
    

    
     
      She
      was
      really
      good,
      she
      explained
      the
      pros
     
     
      and
      cons
      and
      said
      I
      shouldn’t
      smoke.
      She
      only
     
     
      toldme
      the
      obvious
      stuff
      though.
      She
      said
      when
     
     
      you’re
      young
      it’s
      not
      a
      big
      deal.
     
    

    
     
      There
      was
      a
      lot
      of
      stuff
      I
      never
      thought
      of:
     
     
      spotting
      (irregular
      bleeding),
      weight
      gain,
      head-
     
     
      aches,
      I
      just
      lived
      with
      it.
      I
      was
      so
      young
      I
      never
     
     
      knew
      anything
      different
      (from
      how
      my
      body
     
     
      reacted
      to
      the
      Pill).
      :
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      only
      in
      talking
      to
      friends
      that
      I