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In this episode of ‘Fuck Fear with Christine Spratley,’ Christine discusses the critical importance of understanding how birth control affects women's health. She shares her personal journey of learning about her body and highlights key insights from the book 'This is Your Brain on Birth Control.' Christine emphasizes the significance of gaining knowledge about one's body and advocates for women to ask questions and seek clear explanations from their doctors. She covers various topics, including the influence of birth control on stress, emotional responses, partner selection, and mental health. Christine encourages women to actively participate in their health decisions and prioritize understanding their bodies to achieve fulfillment.
00:00 Introduction and Greetings
00:46 Health and Body Awareness
01:34 Understanding Birth Control Effects
07:26 Hormonal Impact on Stress
12:12 Emotional and Psychological Effects
20:02 Personal Reflections and Advice
32:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Creators and Guests
What is F*ck Fear with Christine Spratley: Living Like a Head Bitch In Charge ?
This podcast is for anyone who wants to live like an HBIC—or lives with, works with, marries, dates, or is raising one. Let’s be real: being a Head Bitch in Charge is messy, bold, and unapologetically badass. This is not a guidebook—it’s a pantry.
My guests and I will share the ingredients that we use—what’s worked and what’s failed—as we say “fuck fear” and take action to live a fulfilled life. We cover real-life hacks and deep philosophical pillars to navigate the chaos of everyday life—where some days, my only accomplishment is having a bra on and my teeth brushed.
We’re tackling the daily shit women navigate, from workplace politics to relationships, raising kids, and building careers, all with humor, audacity, and zero filters.
So, tune in—tell your friends, and even your enemies. This isn’t about aging with grace—it’s about aging with mischief, audacity, and a damn good story to tell.
16 F Fear
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[00:00:00]
Christine: Tubs, ladies. It's Christine. You're on Fuck Fear with Christine Spratley, living like an HBIC. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. Dunno where you're listening to me or if you're watching, but welcome, today is my second segment on, um, health. Our physical part of our body and for me, um, as I've said in my original segment, [00:01:00] I'm going to kind of take you on a little journey with me as I learn about me, I need to put the mic in front of me.
Is that better, Joe? Yeah. Just so good. He always gives me like, Hey, do this. But he is doing it in the background and I'm used to, you know, he, you know, I'm just like, Hey, knock it off. And he's like, not like that. So thank you, Joe. I don't know that anybody's ever asked me to pull the mic closer, , to my, to my mouse, to, to, to hear me better.
But we are talking about . The bodies today, and it's kind of like, what the fuck? And in my, in my first segment, I told you that I was reading a book, um, called Your, your Brain on the Pill. And part of that with me is been just amazing to start to understand a lot about what happens, to me and to me for years when I was on the pill and, and it started.
It's actually called. [00:02:00] This is your brain on birth control. Okay. I've been saying this wrong. I apologize. Like
Joe Woolworth: the old drug PSA, this is your brain on drugs. Yeah.
Christine: This is your brain on drugs, literally. Um. There's a whole generation of people that that just went woo over their head on that one.
Joe Woolworth: Yeah. The world's most effective ad, I think.
Yeah.
Christine: Yeah. Because
Joe Woolworth: we all knew it, but as kids, I remember everybody would make fun of it. Oh yeah. Anytime you see an egg, like
Christine: basically, for those of you that are too young, okay, they took a your thing and said, had an egg, and it said, this is your brain. Okay. And then they cracked the egg and put the egg on a frying pan on a hot frying pan and went.
And sizzled up and it said, this is your brain on drugs. Is that how it was? Yeah. And
Joe Woolworth: it was all very memorable
Christine: and we all made fun of it as we were getting high. Um, but, and
Joe Woolworth: it's sister campaign that came out at the same time. Remember the one where the kid got caught by his dad and he was like, I learned it from you dad.
Like a very like, after school special that was also [00:03:00] in that same time. So,
Christine: oh, if we could just go back to those days and, and what is it? Um. Schoolhouse Rock. Yeah, schoolhouse Rock, which I still think was awesome. I'm sorry. I I like that. I'm not sorry. That was, that was good shit. They should bring it back.
They should bring it back. It'd probably teach a lot of kids a lot of stuff. Um, anyway, what we're not talking about that we are talking about our brains, um, on birth control and, um, the book and then the things that I've learned about it because as I said my last, um, episode, I am no longer need it . Um, not that I'm doing anything to, to need it, but I'm just no longer.
Um, and how I didn't know so much about my body. And, um, that's kind of being an HBIC is taking responsibility and knowing about your body and knowing what the hell is going on with it. And, um, you know, I [00:04:00] just, I think I just got it secondhand, you know, or I was going on my annuals and my yearlies and doing all of those things, so I just never did it.
And I was busy and I was, you know, working and doing this and that, and I just. I don't know. I don't know when I decided or if it was a conscious decision or so much just by default that it was just something that I didn't have time for, you know? And basically when I don't have time for something, if I'm really honest, it means that it's not important to me.
So me not having time for it was saying, not knowing about me and my body is not important to me. That's really hard pill to swallow, that pun intended. When you're 54 and you're starting to learn all these things about yourself, so you know, to those of you that aren't 54, like start learning, I. Start making it important, start making the [00:05:00] time and whatever that that is that you need to learn, whether it's a podcast, whether it's a book, whether it's whatever, learn it, ask.
And the other thing I'll tell you is get in there, and I don't care who your doctor is, I don't care what degrees they have in that wallet, they cannot explain it to you. Don't fucking leave. Period. End of sentence. Because if you've got the balls, literally, they're not literally but figuratively to go in there and ask and have that conversation, they need to explain it to you.
You deserve that. And plus it's their job. It's their job,
Joe Woolworth: and it's so hard to trust anything online or in a book anymore. It'd be just great if doctors were a little more straight with us on stuff.
Christine: Yeah. Well, and what I've noticed too is just in my experience, and there was a doctor that I loved because she would talk to you for hours and [00:06:00] she's no longer practicing, but she literally would talk to you for hours instead of the, oh, boom, boom, gotta go.
You got that right. And we all know, especially as women, we are, we are queued up to take the cues of we're done talking with you, we're done. No more questions. No, no teacher's not taking questions. So don't let that, you can let it, but you don't have to let it. And last time I checked, you're paying them.
So, you know, and, and I, and it's hard because I, I had a woman doctor. Really get dismissive with me and I'll never forget this. And I was like, I just literally looked at her, Joe, and I was like, no, I do not understand. 'cause she kept going, you understand? And I was like, no, I do not. And and it's, it's funny 'cause as in, in, in business, when I'd negotiate or something and I'd, I'd be trying to explain something to my [00:07:00] client and they wouldn't get it.
It's like, I couldn't just repeat the same words. You know, you got a, you, you gotta come at a different angle. And finally I'm like, no, you can say the same thing. Because she literally was almost like when you're speaking a foreign language and they talk slower and louder and it's like, no, I don't get it.
Like, explain different avenue. So anyway, that's my little tangent, but today we're gonna talk about, what happens, and it explains a lot for me. Um, some things about when I was on the pill and then when I got on my IUD and just the different hormonal issues and things like that, that I just didn't know, I did not know that hormones helped regulate your stress inhibitors, you know, and, and help regulate, allow you to engage in abilities in your body to regulate stress.
So. I thought this was really interesting being a woman in menopause and perimenopause at the peak of my career or what I saw as my professional career, and I was like, pour it on. [00:08:00] I can do all this. And then all of a sudden I started being like stressed in situations that didn't stress me anymore. I started being able to not handle things that I used to be able to handle like the back of my hand.
It wasn't because I didn't know it wasn't. And it was just really weird. So it was like, what the hell? And of course for me, my default was, it must just be me. You know, it must be me. And it was me, but it wasn't something that I knew I had control over. 'cause I didn't, I thought it was, I thought it was, oh well, you know, it's just me.
There's nothing changed on the outside. Well, there's a bunch of shit going on in the inside. And so, you know, . One of the things, um, on page 78 of the book it talks about research shows that women on the pill have a blunted cortisol response, and in some cases, none at all. None at all. Okay. So that goes to the myth of, you know, women are, are, are just not, [00:09:00] you know, they're just bad at handling stress.
But literally birth control can literally shut off the natural flight or flight response. Okay? It alters our adrenal glands react to stress. So what? Like, think about that. We may be weirdly calm in an argument, but then three days later have a breakdown ever done that ladies? Think about how many, I could tell you how many arguments that I've, that I've sat through.
Just completely. Okay. And then been like, what? Two days later, I'm crying at the red light that I missed. You know? And again, for me, this was, part of this was thinking because of my background of, you know, some of the stuff and the trauma. I just assumed it was all wrapped up in that. . [00:10:00] I didn't realize that there was just, there was probably a little bit of that, but then there was also this other stuff going on inside my body and so I, I think that just goes to show that we are complex, you know, and I.
For me, I had always gone again, I'd always gone to therapy, I'd gone to these, so I just assumed it was something wrong with me that I just needed to work out. Well. It wasn't anything wrong, but it was a combined effect of, of a lot of those things. But I had no, it was like having one side, you know, the black and white cookies that you get in New York?
Yeah. Okay. A really good, by the way.
Joe Woolworth: Well, I know them from Seinfeld, but Yes.
Christine: Oh, they're good. They're really good. And . You have this one side that's white side that you see, and then this completely dark side that you don't see that's affecting you. And I think that's really incredible. Um, so the other thing, your emotions like roller coasters, right?
And this is. Something, [00:11:00] a part of the book and it's, it's page 1 0 2 is, is where the, this, this phrase comes, or this sentence comes from the pill influence the types of information that your brains think is important. I would love to sit down with a guy and go Here, in order for us to have sex, you need to take this pill.
Okay. And it could not only. Impact how stressful things are for you and your fight or flight response. Okay? Tell a guy that something's gonna impact his fight or flight response, but also it's going to maybe impact what you think is important, but I really wanna have sex with you and it's gonna help you, or it'll clear up your acne or.
For me, it'll help your cramps. You know, guys, guys aren't, aren't gonna do, but, but that's [00:12:00] what we're talking about when we hand this over. I'm not saying it's good or bad, I'm just saying we need to look at this. And then when you know this is going on with your body, you can react different. But I didn't know any of this.
Okay. And this is why, you know, the myth of women are just emotional, and you've heard me gripe about this one kind, but our brains are kind of being rewired to prioritize different types of information when it comes to memory and emotional recall. And I think that, again, it is just information. It's kinda like, oh.
If you want to have the conversation and say, women are emotional, okay, then let's figure out why and how. Okay, you wanna go down that road, then figure out why and how. How is it being manipulated or impacted? And then you as the woman can decide whether or [00:13:00] not you want to take that on or if you don't.
Now for me, I was, I was on the pill literally until, you know, for many years. And then I got my IUD, I'm trying to think of when I got it. It was, I think it was in 2015. I, so, and I think it was. Off the pill between, you know, before that just a while because I, you know, I just, I wasn't, I didn't wanna take it anymore.
So that's a long time in my life. And again, maybe I would've made the same choices. I don't know. Probably I, but I would've had more information. So it's not that I'm suddenly being, you know, irritated by small things. I forgot major details. Some of this stuff [00:14:00] is hormonal manipulation, being as to what I find important to remember, or all of a sudden, something that didn't seem important was important.
And again, I say this because this is on, on top of everything else we have dealing with in society as as females. So . I'm not saying it's, it's everything or it's your answer to everything, but it's one of the things that are in the kitchen sink mix of us. And we may wanna think about it and look at it, and it explains a lot for me.
You know. Um, the other thing is, um, this is, this was kind of weird for me and I, I haven't quite unpacked this one yet. And it is, um. The pill and it's on page 45 and it says section of this. And I did this, it's funny 'cause I, I listened to the audio book and then I got the book, which [00:15:00] I always do. I don't know why I do that.
But I listen to the audio books and then I get the books and I start going through and highlighting the stuff that like really stand out to me. Um, but it's on page 45 and it's the pill influences who women are attracted to being on the pill may inadvertently influence who women choose as partners.
Joe Woolworth: What. In what way?
Christine: Well, that's what's crazy. It
Joe Woolworth: doesn't
Christine: say . Well, it's, it's, but women are more likely on, on, on the pill to choose partners based on stability and less on genetic compatibility. And, and because, and one of the reasons why I, I, I talk about genetic compatibility and is the, the, this book introduced for me.
The first time, and if I sound confused or if it doesn't sound like this is an easy to listen to episode, I'm sorry, but I'm not, because I'm still working through this. So this is kind of like we're baking the cake together. Um, but this [00:16:00] book kind of introduced a vision of looking at myself as a genetic creature.
As a biological creature based on, um, the survival of the fittest and, and, and, and how those genes worked in me over, over thousands of years to be into who I am now, if you've got an issue with that thought and that process, this may not be the book for you, but I'm just saying you may wanna pick it up anyway,
an example is when a person can get that they use in the, in the book is she's talking about, um, she's on the pill and, um, one particular instances is that she does not want to have sex with her partner. She got on the pill so she could have sex with her partner. And, but she can't stand like, and it's fine for a while, and this is actually very, something that happened with me is it's like it's fine for a while and then all of a sudden it's like, no, [00:17:00] not only hell no, I wanna have sex.
Me. I don't wanna have sex with you. But it's like, then you go off the pill and all of a sudden, man, you're the like, oh boy. And it's just amazing how that can happen. Being on versus being off and. It's just kinda like you get off you, you've been, you know, there's women that have, I've talked to friends who've had been on the pill and then they get off and now they can't stand the smell.
They're the people that they've been dating the smell. And Joe's over there kind of looking at me like, what the smell? But women we pick up on like, that's . That's like us, like I, I will definitely tell you, Ooh, I can't stand this anymore. Whatever. And it, and it has to do sometimes with this. And just to note that it is a contributing factor to some things like this.[00:18:00]
I'm not saying it does everything, but is it even on your board of thought? Like, I don't ever think I went through and was like, Ooh, I picked that partner because I. I'm on the pill or that was even on the board to have an influencing factor in it. No, I picked that partner because of this reason, that reason, this reason, and I just need a little bit more therapy and I'll pick better partners in the future or whatever.
That's what I'm saying though, is it should be on the board for us to, to look at that. If we're on the pill or taking something that regulates our hormones. [00:19:00] Another thing that I, that I really didn't know, and I wish I was, never, ever told this, 'cause you've heard me talk about this before. I've had depression most of my life.
Um, severe depression at times. And I'm starting to go back through and kind of look at, um. [00:20:00] What I'm starting this book has helped me start to do is I've started to go back through and go, okay, what are some major events in my life, um, that I remember and went through and where was I on my taking the pill or my IUD or whatever in, in my birth control?
And I'm just starting to look at it through that lens. Was there any contributing factors? But I never once in my whole time of my clinical depression was, did anyone ever ask me? In any detail other than the check on the intake box that I was on the pill. And on page 1 42 of the book, there's about five to 10% of women experiencing negative experience, negative mood changes with combined birth control pills.
Okay? So what? What does that mean? It's not just PMS. Okay. And it's all in my head. And I think we kind of talked about this a little bit, but [00:21:00] it, it controls the birth control pills control. They decrease the serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood, you know. Um, and then also there are studies out there that it's a higher risk of depression and anxiety, especially in teens.
And, um, there's. There's a Danish study that, that, you know, I was starting to read and I got confused and, but it, it goes into that. And again, I just, I'm not, I, I haven't vetted all this yet, ladies. Um, and I'm sure I'll get all sorts of information back, , but I'm saying let's have a conversation. Let's look at that.
You know, what does it play? How does it interact? When's the last time you asked your counselor that? When's the last time you asked your, your psychiatrist? That, um, [00:22:00] I mean, I was on regular meds. I would, I I was on maintenance when, and for any of you that, that have been on, um, clinical depression, you know, that maintenance and, and Joe, I don't know if you're familiar with maintenances, but like maintenances is where you are on a set steady.
Dose of your meds for your depression medication. And you don't go in for therapy. It's just a set med, like it's on cruise control. And you go in about every three to six months, depending on where you're at. Okay. And it's literally cruise control, which is another. I look back and I go, God, I was just on cruise control because I was doing a ton of other things.
Going to college, I was going, getting a degree. I was just all this other stuff. So no, I didn't have time to think about, oh my God, maybe I shouldn't be on cruise control here. Maybe there's some hormonal thing that I'm going through because I'm on, you know, I just didn't know.
Had I known, would I have done something different? I don't know. [00:23:00] But now, you know, it could be so at least you can ask, you can think about it. It's more information to make better decisions. Maybe it's the same decision you still make and you succumb to the same conclusion, but at least you know. So again, it's not just all in our heads.
Joe Woolworth: I think too, there's, there's a sim. We try to make things simpler. We try to make complex things simple and that can bite us in the butt sometimes. So for example, in this case, like let's say there's, there's something off. Could it be your environment? Yeah. Could it be psychological? Sure. Could it be hormonal?
Yeah. Could it be emotional? Yep. But we just wanna name one of them and move on. Like, that's the one. Take a pill and we'll fix it. .
Christine: Yeah.
Joe Woolworth: But it's never that simple.
Christine: Take a pill, say a prayer, you know, say three Ro Harold, my, you know, see, read, read your rosary three times and, and, and you're good. [00:24:00] Um, and I say that because it's literally what my, my mom used to do.
Joe Woolworth: I think it's something culturally we've lost the ability to hold two truths in her head at the same time anymore. Like, oh, that can be true. And so can that, and soak in that. Oh, yeah. And soak in that.
Christine: I, I . Think that for me, I don't know who I was talking to the other day, or maybe it was you, Joe. I can't remember.
'cause I have menopause and I have brain fog still hasn't lifted. It's lifted some, but it hasn't completely lifted. And I was talking about we just want the, the lazy way out. It doesn't take as much energy. We don't have much energy. I know what that's like. I don't want five options because I can barely make up my mind with two.
But by doing that, when I do that, when I want you, and I've talked this about my podcast, if you came here for five things that you do to make [00:25:00] your life live like an HBIC, I'm not, I'm not the podcast for you. I've got, this is what I've got information that you get to figure out and figure out what your recipe is for your happiness and fulfillment, but
I feel like we want to, we want you to, I want, Joe, I want you to give me the answers for my life, and then I wanna bitch to you and yell at you when it doesn't work out. .
Joe Woolworth: Right.
Christine: You know, and the, the easiest way I can explain this is I wanna bitch about the government and my taxes that I pay, you know, and how they shouldn't be in their ship, but God dammit, fix that pothole.
you know, it's like, wait a minute. Right? I need to participate. And that is part of participating. And I heard this, I think I said this the other day on the, on one of my podcasts, but again, it, it just kind of sticks in my head. Drew Barrymore was having a guest on her show and I got it on TikTok or Instagram or one of the social media [00:26:00] things.
And he said to her, he said. The only human that you're responsible for is you. You are the human that you're here to put take care of. You are the human that you are here and supposed to be responsible for taking care of. And if that is my job, then why the hell am I not spending more time on this? No one else has my answers, but they have information.
My unwillingness to seek information about my body, about my difficult things in my life and to just go, oh, it must be depression or it must be this. I am completely, it wasn't the doctors. Yes, it was to a point, but it, but I could've read any book. I could've gone outside. I could've taken five minutes.
And it's like I said before, when it's not important, I don't search, and until it becomes important, then I do something different until it moves up in the priority list. , but if I treated myself like I was the human being that I was [00:27:00] responsible for taking care of today, it would look a lot different. And it is starting to look a lot different for me.
So again, think about this and I, I thought for a long time I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll say one more thing on that is I thought because of my abuse in the past. Because my abuse was sexual and physical, but a lot of it was sexual was it affected a lot of my interactions with men after I got in relationships.
And what I didn't know was I would start the pill when I'd get into a long-term relationship. And it decreases your sex drive for a lot of other reasons. It women tend to, you know. There were time, but, and it would be like, what? I would literally, I remember this literally being like, why am I not attracted to you anymore?
What the hell is going on? And thinking it was, oh, it must be something. This must be some of my trauma. [00:28:00] It must be this, or it must be that. And I, and I, I mean, I, I don't know if any of you other women have felt like that, where you're just like, what the fuck is going on? I really like this man. I really love this person.
I really care about this person and I just don't wanna have sex. Oh, like ever. Like there's no amount of foreplay that's gonna make me have that. And you're like, what the hell? There must be something wrong. And this is what I would like to just put out there, is I, my default was always, there must be something wrong with me.
So what I've learned to say is there must be something going on with me. It's not a right or a wrong. Okay? There's something going on with me. There's something happening. I talked about it in my very first podcast about, I'm gonna say things that make you go, Hmm hmm. And [00:29:00] take note, what do you believe?
What's going on? Pay attention. So what's going on with you, and do you think, or do you know? Do you think. I think it's because of this, or I think it's because of this, or it might be this, or it might be like you said, Joe, it might be psychological, emotional, you know, physical, environmental. Okay. It could be all of those things, but then go find out and know, care enough about yourself to demand knowledge and answers about yourself from whomever.
But that has to start with me. I can't, I can't wait for my doctor to run in the room and go, Hey, Christine, did you know this study came out? No, because I'm too busy scrolling on YouTube or, you know, whatever, or, or making that, you know, sending that [00:30:00] email at midnight to a partner who's fucking asleep. You know, those are the things that are important.
I just look back and I go, wow, if I would've spent maybe, I don't know, 10 minutes a week just learning about what the hell is going on with my body, I don't know that I would've made any difference in my decisions, but I can tell you, I wouldn't have thought there was something wrong with me all the time.
I would've thought, wow, this is what's going on with me. And then I could have at least had the options to talk about it and communicate that. So my partner didn't go, you just don't love me anymore. You don't, you know, I mean, think about that. Think about how it affects everything around us and how it, [00:31:00] the, the answers that I make up in my head or
Take from others without question those answers, then ex, you know, I put that back out into the interactions and my relationships. So something very physical that happens in our physical bodies is, is having us interact in a relationship or impacting a relationship. But yet I'm not even looking at that.
I'm, oh, I'm just abused over here. And so therefore it's trauma and therefore it's all that. Yeah, I, I've, I've chosen wrong men because of that reason to, but again, it's on the board for discussion. So, ladies, this is great. Find out and, and if you've already found all this shit out and gone, ah, it turned me off a while ago.
Great. Then go tell somebody else. Talk to another woman. But if you're just listening [00:32:00] to this and going, huh, talk about it with your girlfriends. What books do I need to read? Send me some. I don't know, but this is exciting for me because I wanna know what the hell is going on with me, because once I know.
Once things are on the board and I start understanding, then I actually can make decisions and maneuver in my life and then I can actually be fulfilled. But I'm done going, this is what's wrong with me. Okay, ladies, this is fun. I don't know, this didn't feel like a really upbeat, sarcastic, funny segment.
But you know, I'll tell you this, I'll leave it on this. I just thought of this. I'll leave it on this next time, [00:33:00] your boyfriend. 'cause I, I've dated the guys who are like, no, I won't wear a condom. You're gonna be on the pill. I don't know, I thought it was okay to have him say that. But next time you're, you're, you're, this is really bad, but I'm gonna say it way next time.
Your, your loved one goes, ah. You're not in the mood. I want you. Well, you're never in the mood, okay? Okay. And just throw him a condom and say, all right, you start putting those things on, I'll get off the pill. We'll be fine. You know, maybe, maybe you'll have your sex bike drive back. You know, maybe not.
Maybe you'll think that he smells after you get off the pill. I don't know. But again, ladies, this is your body. This is your health. This is your physical being. Understand it, own it, and there's nothing wrong with it. Okay? Figure out what's going on with it. Take control of it, and [00:34:00] be fulfilled. Until then, tubs.