How period tracking apps helped me regain control after going off the pill

I am most tired on during my period on Thursdays. It’s random fact, but one that I never confidently knew about myself until recently. When I was a teenager, my periods were agonizing; they were painful, unpredictable, difficult to track, and basically debilitating. The intense cramps and dizziness caused me to frequently miss school, so much so that my doctor recommended I skip periods altogether and start birth control to regulate my cycles. I didn’t look back for a decade.

But before I knew it, 114 months had gone by, and now as a grown woman, I realized I didn’t know my body at all. Aside from the occasional breakthrough bleeding, I had no concept of what a real period felt like. The pill, with its notorious side effects, had taken...

Continue reading…