‘As young women, we’re just chucked on the pill and expected to get on with it’. So proclaims your favourite presenter, female health advocate and former Women’s Health cover star in her latest documentary: Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution.
Airing this Thursday at 9pm on Channel 4, the one hour special explores the current state of contraception in the UK, with particular attention paid to those little silver foil-backed packets of tablets.
What is Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution?
Fuelled by her personal experience and that of her daughters – one of whom took the pill problem-free, one of whom suspects that the contraceptive may have contributed to her mental health struggle during sixth form – it seeks to break the conversation around reproductive health wide open. (To this end, Davina goes to serious lengths. Within the programme, she is shown having her Mirena coil changed, on camera).
The documentary feels timely. As you’re likely aware, recent years have been a time of tumult in the ‘preventing conception’ sphere. A blend of research and reams of anecdotal evidence have pointed towards previously under-discussed issues that some people experience while taking the pill.
Danish data published in 2016, for example, found that women on a hormonal contraceptive were 50% more likely to be diagnosed with depression six months on, versus women who did not take such a contraceptive in the same time frame. The suggestion here is that that there’s a possible link between such contraceptives and the mental health condition.
What is the state of contraception in the UK?
Adding to this is a Channel 4 survey, conducted to support the documentary. Here, over 4,000 women and people assigned female at birth were asked how various methods of contraception had impacted them.
Of those who had used one of the myriad contraceptive pills on offer, 77% said they had experienced side effects while taking one of the options. (These, as you know, might include mood swings, anxious feelings and weight gain – though everyone’s body is unique and your experience on a specific contraceptive might be very different to that of a friend’s.)
The point of bringing light to the situation is not to dunk on hormonal contraception, broadly. Access to such interventions six decades ago was, of course, a seismic moment in women’s liberation. The point being made is more that, given the volume of problems that are reported, enhanced care – with less being expected to ‘get on with it’ – fresh research and more options are desperately needed.
The expert take
‘There are very few reliable resources out there that women can turn to around contraceptive side effects, or specific information on the 100+ brands of contraceptive currently available in the UK,’ is the take of Alice Pelton, who is featured in the documentary.
‘That’s one of the reasons why I set up The Lowdown [a contraceptive information service which bills itself as ‘like TripAdvisor for your vagina’] and I’m delighted that this documentary sheds light on the information and data gathered from the 2 million women who use our platform every year.’
Dr Bryony Henderson, Lead GP at Livi, a healthcare video service, agrees that a deep need for more personalised care and new solutions exists.
‘When it comes to contraception, the options for women haven’t really moved on since the invention of the contraceptive pill in the 1950s. There has been a boom in “femtech” in recent years, but these products often rely on existing contraceptive methods such as the rhythm method. There is a distinct lack of funding for female health research so innovation and our understanding has stalled.’
‘It’s as essential now as ever that women are given tailored advice and treatment that takes into account their health, bodies and wishes rather than a generic contraceptive plan. Education will help empower women to seek the help and advice that they deserve.’
Davina sums it up neatly, in an advert for the show. ‘I need answers. Because you need answers’.
You can watch Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution on Thursday 8th June on Channel 4.
