I have to stop taking my birth control. I have to stop taking it, like, yesterday. I know it immediately and I hate that it’s true.

I’ve been on Loestrin (and more recently, Watson’s generic Microgestin) since around the time I turned 21—over four years now. It’s the only birth-control pill I’ve ever taken and it’s never given me much trouble. In fact, I quite like it. My period is light and infrequent, no cramps, no weight gain, no pregnancy, no problem.

Except maybe I’ve been shedding a bit more hair than I used to. A loose strand across my forearm in the morning, later one at my desk. The drain clogs in the shower every few days, and the clump of tangled brown hair is springy between my fingers. Alone, this is not much cause for concern. On average, humans lose between 50-150 scalp hairs each day. For me, it’s nothing so noticeable. I’m certainly not going bald, and I can’t seem to remember my ponytail ever being much thicker than it is now. The forums and message boards all cite “waking up to loose strands on your pillow” as a real indicator of significant hair loss. And so far, I’ve found none there. It has been gradual, anyway. Hard to pinpoint when the shed started. I’d never dyed my hair before this year, and I’d like to think it was the shock of bleach and toner on a virgin scalp.