Reclaiming My Body: My Journey From Hormonal Contraceptives to Natural Awareness

My Story

Here’s my story; one I wish I’d known wasn’t so uncommon. It’s about my journey with my hormones, my skin, contraception, and ultimately, my body. A journey I believe everyone deserves to understand for themselves.

I was 15 when I was first put on Dianette, a hormonal contraceptive pill. The reason? Hormonal acne. It was more than a few breakouts; it was relentless. No cream, no antibiotic (which I struggled to swallow anyway), and no 6-step skin routine since I was 11 had helped. It knocked my confidence, made me rebel against school make-up rules, and brought so much stress at home. But when I started Dianette, my skin cleared quickly. Finally, something worked.

But just as fast, I was pulled off it.

The BBC news story had emerged showing the increased risk of blood clots associated with Dianette, and it turned out it should only be prescribed for six months. I’d been on it for nine. So, the search for an alternative began.

Next up was Yasmin—recommended by a girl in my year who had flawless skin. I wanted that skin. But within months, I became a hormonal storm. I cried constantly. I lost weight. I felt like a stranger in my own body. My poor parents even wondered if I was taking illegal drugs (I wasn’t!). That’s how far from myself I’d drifted.

Eventually, I landed on Cilest. This would become my pill for eight of the next ten years. It finally cleared my skin (or maybe my hormones naturally balanced in my twenties?), and it gave me what I thought was peace. I had a ‘regular’ cycle; like clockwork every 28 days. My period would start down to the hour. To my controlling nature, this predictability felt like a gift. There were no surprises, no pregnancy scares; perfect for a busy midwifery student like me.

But something wasn’t right.

Somewhere along the way, I had plateaued. I was a muted version of my younger self; flat, anxious, quiet. I had no confidence at school and no real sense of who I was. My body image was shot. I micromanaged everything; my emotions, my routines, even my relationships. I didn’t know a version of me without Cilest.

Then came the day I’d had enough.

I was 25. Ten years on the pill. My skin? Great. My hormones? Not so much. I was a mess; my moods were all over the place, my boobs were painful and heavy, and my anxiety and need for control were peaking. It wasn’t sustainable. I needed a reset.

So, I went cold turkey.

That same day, I started researching natural contraception. I knew I never wanted to put synthetic hormones in my body again; unless maybe one day I need HRT (let's hope research has developed). But I needed to get better mentally. I wanted to feel again. And I wanted to be a better version of myself, for me and everyone around me.

Luke, my partner, supported me completely. We both knew we weren’t ready for a baby just yet, so we were determined to do this the right way.

The Solution 

Then came my next discovery: Natural Cycles. I loved the concept—hormone-free, body-aware contraception—but I’ll admit, the risks made me pause. I wasn’t comfortable relying on a single temperature reading first thing in the morning. What if I forgot? What if I stood up first? That could throw the reading off. I also knew that to get a true basal body temperature (BBT), you need at least four hours of uninterrupted sleep.

That’s when a friend introduced me to Tempdrop—a small wearable device you sleep with that continuously tracks your temperature throughout the night. It sounded perfect, but when I went to order it, I found they’d paused shipping to the UK. Well, down a rabbit hole, I fell. I was desperate to find a similar alternative but baffled at the lack of contraception-focused options. It turns out, there are a lot of legal hoops to jump through before any company can officially market something as “natural contraception.”

That’s when I found OvuSense—a fertility tracking device designed for conception, not contraception. But I figured, as long as I could get accurate basal temps, see my charts, and combine it with barrier methods (hello, condoms), I could make it work. I invested £124 upfront, plus £25 a year for replacement sensors. I even paired it with a little armband to hold the sensor in place.

Three years later, I still use it every night.

I taught myself to interpret BBT graphs. I learned how to identify ovulation by temperature shifts, how to spot my fertile window, and even how to predict my mood or energy levels based on where I was in my cycle. There are apps to help generate predictions, but here's the truth: my ovulation day changes every month; sometimes day 14, sometimes day 21. It’s never the same. 

But that's the beauty of it: I now know my body.

This combination of BBT tracking and barrier methods has worked for me; three years strong, hormone-free.

And the result? I’m more “me” than I’ve ever been. I feel. I have highs and lows, yes; but I also have confidence, calm, and clarity. I know my body now. I know when I’ll be moody or energised when my workouts will thrive, when my skin might flare. I no longer feel like a flat, muted version of myself. And while I do still get the occasional breakout, no amount of clear skin would make me go back to synthetic hormones.

I talk about this all the time now; probably too much! But truly, how are we not taught this in school? Why did I have to self-teach? Why are we handed pills and patches before we’re even taught how our hormonal cycles work?

More people are starting to explore natural methods now, and that gives me hope. But please, do your research first. This method can work, but only if you use it properly. Make sure you’re reading temps after 4 hours of sleep. Make sure you know how to chart and track. I have seen many people 'fail' this method, but when you explore the details, there is usually a clear reason why. 

• Effectiveness of Fertility Awareness Methods When followed accurately and consistently, fertility awareness methods can be between 91% and 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. (NHS, 2024)

• However, if the method isn’t used exactly as instructed, effectiveness drops to around 76%—meaning 24 out of 100 people may become pregnant over the course of a year. (NHS, 2024).

This is your body. You deserve to know it intimately.