Model Ariela has shared how her worst time in her life was when her pharmacist suggested she try two morning after pills to help her weight.
Lucy Bennett from London said that she weighs in at 14st. The clinician told her to take two pills and to increase her dosage because of her large stature.
She posted on Instagram: “What transpired? A kick in my gut to my mental and physical health, thrush, viralosis, and the worst period of my life.” These were pains you would only experience during childbirth.
Lucy was referred to a sexual clinic by a nurse who informed her she had received the wrong dose.
Lucy Bennett, from London, revealed how she was left with ‘the worst period of her life’ after her pharmacist advised she take two morning after pills because she was ‘too big’ (pictured)
Last week the model posted online that she was signed by Wilhelmina Models London. She has previously posed for Dorothy Perkins, Body Shop and other brands. Hey we all f*** up don’t we?!’
Refinery29 spoke with Lucy who said she’d had an abortion before and had used fertility tracking apps as a way to contraceptive. She went to the doctor after a condom malfunction.
The woman claimed that she was taken to a side room where she was asked various questions. One of these was her weight..
He advised her to take twice the amount of morning after pill for women who are more than 70kg.
Lucy received two pills from the physician.
In a post on Instagram, she revealed that the pharmacist had told her to take twice the amount of morning after pills.
The pharmacist told her that she was too large to swallow one pill. She advised that two would be necessary.
“I was apprehensive about it, particularly as I wasn’t on any contraceptives because of the effect they had on me over the years. But, under the direction that I didn’t want to get pregnant, both were taken.
Lucy called her GP a week later because her labia was bleedin’ red and was having trouble. An ‘incredibly difficult and painful period’.
Lucy was in pain and decided to visit the clinic for sex.
She explained: ‘I was seen by a female nurse who almost instantly told me I’d been prescribed incorrectly.
“She told me that I would only have one pill after I had a meal, so it was no surprise I felt shocked.”
Lucy continued: ‘For me, this is only the most recent tip of the iceberg when it comes to struggling with diagnosing and treating female health issues correctly and I’ve definitely found myself feeling bitter about how for women it seems sex is never “no strings attached”.
“Besides that, all I was interested in is for anyone who has my body to hear about it and not feel pressured to eat fat.
TikTok posted a follow-up video in which she said: “When our bodies respond in a certain manner, why aren’t we react to it?”
“Just because the guideline is accepted, why don’t we question why this has to be our suffering?”
The 2017 guidelines for morning-after pills warned those over 11 stone that they could be dangerous.
According to sexual health specialists, those with a BMI of 26 or more are at higher risk.
Levonelle, ellaOne and ellaOne remain the most commonly used morning-after tablets. However, they may be less effective in heavier women.
This drug is known to be less effective in women with larger bodies or more rapidly broken down by their bodies.
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, (FSRH), now advises doctors and pharmacists to tell women of the potential for failure.
The doctors have advised them to take two morning-after tablets – twice the dose – or that they use the emergency coil.
FSRH is an academic unit of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Later, the model shared how a female nurse saw her after she told her she had received incorrectly prescribed the morning-after pill.
At the time, Dr Jane Dickson, vice president of FSRH, said: ‘The morning-after pill works by delaying interfering with the release of eggs and disrupting fertilisation through delivering a higher dose of the hormone progestin that is found in regular birth control pills.
The drug could be more effective in women who are heavier than usual because of the way it’s diluted in their bloodstream.
Research has led to the 11-stone figure. The figure is a rough guideline and may not be accurate for all women. For safety, 11 stone is considered safe and a BMI above 26 may be considered dangerous.
Dr Dickson stated that large women concerned about pregnancy following contraception failure, unprotected sexual activity or a failed birth control pill could need to wait two days before taking tablets.
Lucy stated that she wanted to tell her story to help others with their body types, and she didn’t want to feel pressured by white coats.
The BMI is now a standard for determining your healthy weight and height.
FSRH recommends that health professionals tell women to use an intrauterine device, also known as the coil, for emergency contraception.
Dr. Dickson stated that the coil’s effectiveness does not depend on a woman’s body weight. It works in a different way to stop fertilisation. The coil is toxic to eggs, sperm, and it only works locally.
“And, weight problems aside, it’s more effective than taking the morning after pill.”