Ali Lytle started on birth control when she was fifteen years old. As far as her gynecologist was concerned, teenagers had to avoid pregnancy at all costs.
The first contraceptive Lytle tried, an injection called Depo-Provera, gave her splitting headaches nearly every day. Then there was the weight gain. In just a year, she put on seventy pounds. She switched to a pill that was supposed to help manage the unwanted side effects, but her headaches became unbearable, often making her skull feel like it was about to crack open. Another pill with a smaller dose of estrogen seemed to be the best option: it made her feel low, sure, but at least the inside of her head felt less like a construction site. She was on it for ten years.
