I got my period when I was around 11 or 12. My mum had given me the talk briefly beforehand, she just told me, "You know this will happen and when it does come and talk to me, okay?"

So when my period came, of course I told her and she just cried in response. They were happy tears, she couldn't believe I was turning into a woman.

But for me it was weird because I didn't understand what was happening. Every time I had my period I would put my pad in my bra and hide it. I felt embarrassed by the whole thing, I felt conscious about smelling, about changing it… It was embarrassing.

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I didn't even know how to put a tampon on, so my older sister had to direct me from outside the toilet door.

Then when I was 16 I had an implant but in, because I had a boyfriend. I didn't tell anyone about it. My mum didn't know I was having sex or anything, either.

It changed my personality. I became a moody b***h, I was a devil to my mum, family and my boyfriend at the time. I was awful.

It didn't just affect me on a mental basis either, it made me gain two stone – which also impacted my eating disorder. It freaked me out even more.

That's why I could never be consistent with the pill, which I started when I was about 18 years old.

I gained all that weight, and then began losing weight because I was consciously eating a lot less. It messed my head up, made me act like a crazy b***h.

There was this one time where I argued with my boyfriend and I wouldn't get out of the car. I stayed in there for about three hours, having a tantrum.

I think contraception can be really detrimental to your mental health. It can cause anxiety, depression, mood swings, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness, acne…

Each to their own, but it didn't agree with me.

Once I got off the pill and all contraception, all those symptoms, including the mood swings, disappeared. I was just back to normal and my mum noticed straight away.

With a family history of breast cancer, I honestly look back and think, "What was I doing putting more hormones into my body? It's so dangerous."

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Malin Andersson

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My mum got breast cancer because she took hormone replacement tablets because she was going through menopause. They said that was 90 per cent the reason she got breast cancer. No one else in our family had a history of having any kind of cancer before.

I think you just need to be mindful. If it's affecting you more negatively than positively, you should consider an alternative.

Try to be the best version of yourself by taking your vitamins, eating well, drinking less alcohol…

Live a healthier lifestyle and you'll notice such a difference in your body and mental health.

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