"Apeksha Shetty, an Indian woman based in Vienna, went on the pill for hormonal reasons. One of the benefits, she thought, was being able to have sex with her steady partner, without having to worry about pregnancy. "We were initially very happy that we could have unprotected sex." But things didn't go as expected. The pill Shetty was prescribed stopped her periods entirely, and with it, she told DW, her sex drive vanished."
"Shetty's story is not unique. DW spoke with at least half a dozen women from diverse backgrounds, including in Africa and Asia, the Middle East and Europe. All told us they had followed medical advice while on the pill. And most of them said doctors had not informed that the pill could lower their libido, and that there was no mention of the side effect in the packaging."
"The relationship between the birth control pill and women's libido has always been complicated. The pill ushered in a new era of sexual autonomy, yet for some women, the very synthetic hormones that prevented pregnancy may have also suppressed libido. Sexual autonomy, yes. But at what cost? The first contraceptive pill was approved in 1960 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."
Numerous women report substantial declines in sexual desire after starting hormonal birth control, with some experiencing cessation of periods and a vanished libido. Many patients adhered to medical recommendations but say they were not warned about potential libido loss and found no mention of the side effect in packaging. The pill delivered profound reproductive autonomy and greater sexual freedom by preventing pregnancy, yet synthetic hormones can produce unexpected effects on sexual functioning. The contraceptive pill remains highly effective at preventing pregnancy but does not protect against sexually transmitted infections, and side-effect disclosure appears inconsistent.
Read at www.dw.com
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