Table 4.

Key themes and quotes pertaining to participants’ personal experiences with contraception methods from qualitative data

Theme	# of Responses	Selected Quotes
Mood Changes	55	“Was I willing to risk my sanity to prevent pregnancy via birth control? (no)” “I experienced significant acne, spotting, and became very emotional, and it took my body about 6 months to adjust- all of which weren’t really discussed by my provider.” “[I had] mood changes and anxiety on implant. Nothing with oral contraceptive” “Mood symptoms were not affected by oral contraception but worsened with hormonal IUD so needed to discontinue.” * “Mood swings were terrible when I first went on the pill. It took several different types before I found one that worked best for me.” “Mood/psych symptoms and libido changes were never discussed when I started on hormonal OCPs at 18, and I did start developing mood and anxiety symptoms around the same time.” “I tried once this winter to go on [the pill], and within the first few days I was so depressed and I wouldn’t stop bleeding. I will never be on birth control again.” “When I was PMSing while on the hormonal birth control pill, my anxiety became debilitating. … I have yet to find a long term contraceptive that works for me without taking a toll on my mental stability.” “It has never felt very safe to try a new method of birth control, and it has not felt as if the provider would be able to adequately determine the actual cause of any symptoms or which methods might help alleviate them. I get a lot of “we can try it out, and see how it goes,“ which feels like gambling with my physical and mental health each time… I have often felt guilt about asking questions, especially when I was younger, because …providers have used a tone with me as though my worries, concerns, and questions are “not that big of a deal.“” “I experienced severe mood swings on the regular ‘pill’”