For almost the past decade, I have had a long and complicated relationship with contraception. In 2016, I went on birth control for the first time. I had just been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids in my first year of university.

My gynaecologist at the time was a middle-aged white woman whom I saw as a last resort after being repeatedly dismissed by multiple doctors about my PCOS symptoms. Upon hearing about my symptoms, she immediately recommended the Depo-Provera shot without bothering to ask about my birth control preferences.

“Depo is low maintenance, cost-effective, and popular with women like you,” she said, as though it were a compliment.