What You May Not Have Been Told About Birth Control
Let’s talk about birth control, shall we?
To be honest I was pill popping anti contraceptives since my late teenage years. Why? Because the pill promised me things like: clearer skin, reduced cramping, lighter & shorter periods, as well as pregnancy prevention should I need it. “WOW what a miracle drug!” I naively thought. To top it off all my friends were doing it too! They all had their birth control alarm set on their phones and the FOMO in me was like “I gotta have this in my life!” However, later down the road I started dealing with the complications that come with unnatural contraception methods. Read on to learn the details of my story, how the pill negatively affects your health, & discover alternative options that may be the best option for you in this season.
Girl, do not get me wrong. If hormonal contraception is the ONLY option you currently have to protect yourself then I support you! I really do. However, I am speaking to the masses here, the rest of us who have so many options to reduce our unwanted womanly symptoms & avoid pregnancy until we’re ready to be a mother. If you are currently taking birth control I do want you to consider why you’re taking the pill, ring or IUD. Are you being prescribed this method because your man is pressuring you into being solely responsible for protecting you both from undesired pregnancy? Or is this method a form of freedom and empowerment provided by your doctor? Make sure your choice is for YOU and not for anyone else.
Now that we’ve got that discussion out of the way, let’s rewind about ten years ago to when I practically skipped out of my OB/GYN’s office with my new birth control script in hand. What my doctor DID NOT TELL ME before I started pill poppin’ was that the pill is actually a bandaid, not a cure, and would even make my PMS symptoms worse later on! I don’t necessarily blame my practitioner back then. She was doing for me what she was taught is best. I do blame the pharmaceutical companies for their biased ad claims, profit-driven propaganda, and failure to present clearly what taking the drug can actually do for you & to you.
I truly believe my years of hormonal contraception were ONE of the major catalyst to the deterioration of my health which would propel me into autoimmune disease and chronic illness. The steroid hormone content of the drug was suppressing my immune system so it could not fight off the virus stimulating the manifestation of autoimmune disease in my body. The pill contains synthetic hormones, or endocrine disruptors -chemicals that can be thought of as “pseudo hormones.” These hormones can do a few of the same things that our natural hormones do, attaching to their receptors, like a key fitting into a lock. But they don’t necessarily open the door or open it fully. It’s like substituting diesel fuel for gasoline in a car. It may pour into the tank but clearly will deliver a different outcome when the gas pedal is pressed-which in turn reeks havoc on your body!
Hormonal contraception (I later used other methods like the ring) I believe contributed to my poor digestive health and later early stage PCOS as well as endometriosis. I had it all! Endometriosis, early PCOS, and pelvic inflammatory disease which at the time I just thought was normal, ugh! No your cervix is not supposed to hurt ladies! When our bodies are overwhelmed with pathogens, toxins and illness our bodies are so smart that one of the first vital organs they’re going to inflame around to protect is our reproductive health! Our body puts up the Great Wall of Inflammation to protect and heal our reproductive capabilities first! Our body clearly wants to preserve its ability to be fruitful and multiply.
Not to mention the short term side effects like bloating, nausea, mood swings and weight gain that ensued after beginning synthetic birth control. These are enough to make you question your necessity for the hormonal contraception!
So why do these symptoms happen when we begin taking pharmaceutical birth control?
Rather than containing natural hormones, synthetic versions of endogenous estradiol and progesterone are used to prevent a woman from ovulation + simultaneously changing the composition of her uterine lining & cervical mucous. Mother Nature has never seen these synthetic versions of hormone at any time in human evolution so she’s not quite sure what to do with them. In a sense, these synthetic hormones are endocrine disruptors -chemicals that can be thought of as pseudo-hormones. They can do a few of the same things that hormones do, attaching to their receptors, like a key fitting into a lock. But they don’t necessarily open the door or open it fully. The end result is a different outcome! It’s like substituting diesel fuel for gasoline in a car. It may pour into the tank but it’s clearly going to deliver a different outcome when the gas pedal is pressed.
Each pill is manufactured a bit differently but the premise of “fake hormones” remains the same across the board. Different hormones affect the body in different ways. Estrogen, for example, can cause cells to grow and make it easier to produce antibodies, while progesterone can affect T-cells. T-cells help the body respond to different invaders, like bacteria and viruses which with chronic illness were having a hard time fighting off anyways. Additionally, hormonal birth control can suppress the gonadotropins, hormones secreted in the pituitary gland. Bottom line: the consumption of artificial hormones throws off your ability for natural hormone production— this can mean chaos for your immune system.
COMMON LONG TERM COMPLICATIONS OF BIRTH CONTROL:
(1) Poor Digestive Health: did you know the pill is just as destructive on your gut health as antibiotics?! I wish someone would have told me that years ago when I was taking it and wondering why my IBS, SIBO and candida (yeast) were growing out of control. The pill makes women estrogen dominate, and pathogens like in this environment which leads to bacterial and yeast overgrowth. Estrogen is not bad! We just want our bodies natural balance and hormonal composition. Oral contraceptives adversely effect gut flora which also adversely affects estrogen metabolism. A recent Harvard study linked oral contraceptives to a 300% increase in risk for irritable bowel disease such as Chron’s and Ulcerative Colitis.
(2) Mood disorders: Altered gut health directly relates to altered hormone production (think serotonin) and contributes to conditions like depression and anxiety. All disease starts in the gut!
(3) Blood Clots: pay attention to this is you’re overweight, smoking or above 35 years old. This can be a serious complication! Regularly monitor your blood pressure as there is heart attack and stroke risk associated.
(4) Nutrient Deficiencies: what can cause digestive disorders? Nutrient deficiencies. What can cause nutrient deficiencies? The pill. for the body to metabolize the pill, the liver requires extra amounts vitamins (including vitamin Vitamins B2, B6, B12, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Selenium, and Zinc), so long-term use depletes these vitamins. Not only can this disrupt your gut function, but these deficiencies are also primary contributors to disease, and are highly linked with healthy brain function (our neuroendocrine system). I definitely dealt with this, as when I first came off the pill I was extremely deficient in Vitamin B, D, and Magnesium. These deficiencies explained a lot of my hormonal imbalances, digestion problems, and thyroid dysfunction. What’s even worse? If you become deficient in certain nutrients from hormonal birth control pill use, your period may be irregular or even nonexistent even after you come off the pill.
(5)Lowered Testosterone: doesn’t sound scary for us girly girls but we actually need this hormone for health muscle mass, energy and libido! The way in which the pill alters our natural hormone profiles can also cause complications when trying to get pregnant soon after taking the pill.
While it’s true the pill can decrease your risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer it can INCREASE your risk of breast, liver and cervical cancer, as it is placed in the same category as tobacco and other carcinogens. Surely we cannot protect ourselves against all cancer best way to protect yourself is to strengthen your immune system naturally through nutrition, movement, and avoiding environmental toxins/exposure.
Okay, so now you’re thinking about talking with your doctor about coming off hormonal contraception.. but you’re really nervous to deal with the flood of symptoms that may potentially come back with full force.
Here’s the good news, you CAN DIMINISH those symptoms by addressing the root cause & committing to healing your body!
Not to toot my own proverbial horn, but to share with you the POSSIBILITIES, I am overjoyed to say I have healed my own body from reproductive system distress! I focused heavily on nutritional therapy, minimal but proper herbal/natural supplementation, and other holistic habits that would return my body to natural rhythm and health. I now track my cycles to know when my period is coming and will use fertility awareness one day when I wish to conceive or avoid pregnancy. I stopped using synthetic birth control a few years ago & now feel amazing each and every day! My pelvic pain/inflammation is gone and Aunt Flo is a silent monthly visitor that I hardly notice is there! I have come so far from the days of healing and shedding my endometriosis while I lay shaking and literally puking on the bathroom floor. Sometimes healing is not easy but gosh dang it was WORTH IT!
Women are amazing rhythmic creatures and require the beautiful dance of their hormones to be healthy. Now, a woman should be able to avoid having a baby before she is ready. However, knowingly putting synthetic hormones that disrupt the endocrine system into our bodies is destroying that rhythm and destroying fertility. Sadly, fertility and the health of females (and males) are one and the same thing. We must accept reality and then work to design effective contraceptives, or more natural ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies, which do not slowly destroy the female body by replacing vital hormones and rhythms with chemical endocrine disruptors. Effective contraceptives is absolutely needed. Although sacrificing female health is not an option and we must be educating our mothers, sisters & daughters with the truth + alternative options!
Have more questions? Want to chat with me about your health?
