Davina McCall’s documentary on women’s contraception was met with wide praise (Picture: Channel 4)
Viewers have praised Davina McCall for her informative TV programme about women’s contraception, pointing out that it’s been ‘a long time coming’.
The popular presenter, 55, explored the state of contraception in the UK and the struggle women face to access it in her hour-long Channel 4 documentary Pill Revolution.
During the sexual health show, Davina investigated the pill, which was invented more than 60 years ago, as well as its side effects and the four alternative forms of contraception.
That includes the implant, the contraceptive patch, the vaginal ring and the coil which was a ‘game-changer’ for the TV star, who still uses the Mirena type now to supplement her HRT therapy.
As part of her documentary, Davina was filmed having her coil removed and replaced by a gynaecologist in order to demystify the 10-minute procedure which other women have often reported as incredibly painful, putting many off the form of contraception.
In a groundbreaking scene, the mum of three was shown reacting in real time as Professor Dame Lesley Regan, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and women’s heath ambassador, talked her through the procedure as she performed it on her.
The presenter had her coil removed and replaced on camera (Picture: Channel 4)
She wanted to demystify the procedure and surrounding pain (Picture: Channel 4)
Using numbing gel at the start made a big difference to Davina’s experience, and the former Big Brother host also called Dame Lesley’s advice to breathe out at a particular point as ‘mind-blowing’ in the way it helped her cope with the discomfort.
She did admit to two incidents of pain during the coil fitting, describing the most severe one as like a ‘scrape’ against her uterus, and also reported feeling moments of cramping.
However, in her experience Davina felt it was worth it for ‘five years of not having to think about it’ as coils can be left in place to work effectively for that length of time.
The coil is one of five contraception methods available to women and people with uteruses in the UK (Picture: Channel 4)
Davina with Dame Lesley Regan, who performed her coil removal and replacement (Picture: Channel 4)
Another of the programme tackled the common misconception that women need to take a seven-day ‘break’ between packets on the pill in order to have a period.
However, it’s actually a withdrawal bleed rather than a period, and it’s perfectly safe to continuously take oral contraception and may also be more effective at preventing pregnancy or reducing problems associated with periods.
Viewers were celebrating the amount of information that was new to them that Davin was sharing.
‘How bloody fantastic to watch such an informative programme that makes us feel heard!!!’ enthused one fan, while another added: ‘This is crazy! I’ve learnt so much in the first 15 minutes!’
‘Thank you @ThisisDavina! You are making such a difference to millions of women’s lives.’
One viewer shared that they were ‘so so happy there’s finally been documentary on women’s contraception’, as someone else tweeted: ‘God we needed this documentary back when we were teens!’
‘I’ve learnt more about contraception, side effects and my body in half an hour than I ever have done in my entire medical history/doctors appointments,’ shared one viewer.
Viewers were stunned by how much they learned (Picture: Tom Barnes/Channel 4)
‘We need more documentaries like this to highlight real life experiences/create a safe environment for women [sic].’
Another woman echoed her as they admitted: ‘I have genuinely never felt this angry about something, I’ve learnt more in this documentary then I have from my doctors.’
‘I’m honestly so glad this programme is on. Long time coming,’ chimed in a separate viewer.
Davina McCall’s Pill Revolution is available on All4.
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‘I’ve learnt more about contraception, side effects and my body in half an hour than I ever have done in my entire medical history.’
