We went together — her dad and I are pleased she is happy with her boyfriend but we don’t want her to get pregnant. We were with the doctor for less than ten minutes. First the doctor asked if Jane was in a steady relationship (which Jane thought was a bit "judgy"and none of their business). And then they said did she want the combined pill or the mini pill (progesterone only). They said the mini pill has less risk of bloodclots — and Jane knew that was what Jemima was taking, so Jane said she’d have that. I was surprised there was no conversation about any other alternatives. But we walked out with a prescription for three months supply and that was that."
In the weeks following the appointment, Jane had some break-through bleeding and her skin broke out in waves of spots. "It’s calmed down now and she seems happy to stop worrying about getting pregnant," says Melissa. Her older sister Jemima, however, fared worse. "The first mini pill she tried made her feel very low," explains Melissa. "The second one completely blocked up her digestive system. So she’s stopped taking it after six months of hell. Now she is using condoms and I am worried!"
This family’s experience is typical. Over 77 per cent of pill users report experiencing side effects and 33 per cent said these were so bad they stopped taking it, while 36 per cent experienced low mood or anxiety, according to a new Savanta survey of 4000 respondents conducted by Channel 4.
The survey is part of a new documentary, airing on Thursday [June 8], called Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution. The programme aims to do for contraception what McCall’s two earlier documentaries did for menopause; ie turbocharge a national conversation about why women are so badly served when it comes to this basic aspect of their health. And the "Davina Effect" should not be under-estimated. In the aftermath of the last two programmes, demand for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in the NHS soared by a third.