Is The Hormonal Birth Control Pill Really Bad For Us? Everything You Need To Know.
The hormonal birth control pill has a long history; It fought its way into the market with a lot of opposition (i.e., the church) but finally made its official appearance in 1960.
The contraceptive pill is one of the most effective and popular contraceptive methods with 90+% effectiveness.
Today, a lot of women are revolting against the pill and want to go off because they claim “it’s so bad for us”. I am one of those women and I don’t regret my choice. But I do feel like we’re all getting off birth control following a movement without really knowing why we’re doing it. So I decided to geek out on the pill and share my findings here.
Let’s start by what the birth control pill is (and is not).
There are different types of birth control pills but the most common one we’re mostly talking about is “The Combination Pill”. It’s called that way because it’s a combination of a synthetic form of two female hormones; estrogen and progesterone. These hormones prevent fertilization of an egg. Ovulation (when an egg pops out) is prevented by these hormones. In addition, the hormones also cause thickening the mucus on the cervix which makes it difficult for a sperm to reach an egg. The pill has created a mucus wall and blocked the egg from developing or popping out.
What is period blood if no ovulation
Period blood in a regular woman’s cycle (not on birth control) is caused by eggs that don’t fertilize after ovulation. So what is the monthly period blood on birth control if no ovulation? The answer is something called withdrawal bleeding, referring to the withdrawal of hormones in your pill, and in the body. The drop in hormone levels causes the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) to shed. Basically, “fake periods” caused by the “fake hormones” of the pill.
Can birth control help with hormone balancing
Birth control does not balance hormones; it switches them off. By switching off ovulation, birth control switches off estrogen and progesterone and induces a state similar to temporary chemical menopause.
Can birth control affect fertility
The official definition of “infertility” is having 1 year of unprotected sex without getting pregnant. This is a sensitive topic for a lot of women and still a hard one to discuss openly, but the official rates of infertility are around 15%. Unlike common notions that birth control affects fertility it turns out to be not true.
Birth control, of course, affects fertility while we are on the pill. But, when we are off the pill it doesn’t. When women have a hard time conceiving after getting off the pill it’s not because of the pill but because of another condition called Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Women with this condition ovulate less because of a distinct hormonal state. When they are on the pill it somehow regulates their cycle and when they get off they go back to their normal programming (irregular/poor ovulation) which is confused as the pill messing with their cycles. Though, it turns out for women with this condition the best chances of getting pregnant is right after getting off the pill.
Now let’s look generally speaking how the pill affects our bodies.
Effects of birth control on the body
Pros of Birth Control
Well, obviously the first big advantage is that it prevents us from getting pregnant with an effectiveness rate of 90%+. This makes the birth control one of the most effective contraceptive methods (along with other methods such as the patch, ring or IUD) . This also entails the peace of mind that comes with not having to worry about unwanted pregnancy. Second, it has shown to lessen several physical symptoms such as menstrual cramps and migraines and overall lighter periods (so also decreased risks of anemia/iron deficiency from heavy periods etc.). It can also really help with acne problems, regulate irregular menstrual cycles and remove ovarian cysts. Lastly, researches show that it protects against ovarian and uterine cancer (especially for women who have been on birth control for a prolonged period of time).
Cons of Birth Control
First, the pill can have several direct influences on the body. In certain cases, the pill can deplete our body of important vitamins and minerals such as selenium, zinc, and the amino acid tyrosine, which all have an influence on our hormonal functioning, affecting our thyroid in particular. It can also create imbalances in the immune system, perpetuating other autoimmune conditions. It can also disrupt our bones and blood functioning. It can increase the risk of certain cancers. Some experience headaches, migraines, nausea, acne, vaginal dryness.. as side effects of the pill too.
Second, the pill can alter our sexual drive and mate preferences due to hormonal changes.
Third, the pill can affect our moods, creating extreme mood swings, increased anxiety and depression.
Although some women claim they have gained weight because of birth control studies show it’s not directly caused by the pill. The pill may cause you to retain more fluid, which can make you feel as if you've put on weight, particularly in your breasts, hips and thighs. The estrogen in birth control pills also affects fat (adipose) cells, making them larger but not more numerous. Plus, the change in hormones might affect levels of appetite and hunger.
And lastly, in my opinion the most interesting point, is that the pill can lower our confidence and agency because of the reduction of testosterone (the male hormone) in our body. Originally we have much less testosterone than men do but the little amount we do have plays a big role in the way we carry ourselves and our power in the world!
So where does the Western “anti-birth control revolution” come from?
As we can see from the pros and cons above the effects one can experience from being on or off the pill can vary or even conflict from person to person. Some may experience headaches and migraines from being on the pill while others from being off the pill. Same with different types of cancers caused by being on the pill or off the pill… So where does this “anti-pill movement” come from? Why are we, women, as a collective revoloting against the pill and saying that “it’s so bad for us”?
A study from Louvain La Neuve (2021) investigated exactly that; the reasons why Western Countries started widely rejecting hormonal contraception. They came up with 8 reasons from their participants; including some of the reasons mentioned above such as physical and emotional effects, worries about their fertility and future child’s health etc. But an interesting point they also mentioned was the participants’ need for “Returning to Nature”. Women and men (partners of the “anti-hormone women”) said it’s important to them to take hormonal-free contraception and that the pill didn’t feel natural to them or disrupted their natural’s body balance.
In general, I think the “anti-birth control movement” is part of a larger movement in which the Western world longs to reconnect with nature, its roots and the essentials. We’ve been so cut off from Nature in the last decades that the world revolts itself with a “counter-movement” of deep re-connection with Nature. Other waves also like that are The Plant-Based Diet or Natural Holistic Medicine.
Birth Control Alternatives
It depends whether your motive for getting off the pill is or was to go hormone-free or not. With hormones there are few popular methods such as the contraceptive patch or ring and hormonal IUD. These are identical to the pill (sometimes a bit less hormones) but applied in different ways (i.e., on the skin, inside the vagina or inside the uterus).
The most common non-hormonal contraceptive method today is the copper IUD. It’s is a small, hormone-free copper and plastic device. It is inserted into the uterus by a doctor, the use of local anesthesia is not always necessary. The copper IUD is generally placed for a period of 4 to 10 years. It’s effective up to 99%. The disadvantage of this method is that your uterus might fight the “unrecognized device” in your body which can be painful and periods are usually also more painful (doctors usually prescribe pain killers to take with it during menstruation).
If you want to go All Natural and don’t want to use any contraception, your best options are condoms and tracking your cycles. There are useful apps that help in doing that such as Clue or Natural Cycles.
Natural Ways to Balance Hormones
When you go off birth control it can be quit a ride getting back to your hormonal equilibrium. I have struggled with various effects but mostly with acne. Here are some natural tricks that have helped me a lot with hormone balancing:
Sleep: Good sleep plays a huge role! I can feel a big difference when I have a good night sleep versus a bad night sleep.
Keeping your blood sugar under control (avoid spikes–you can learn most about that on @glucosegoddess ig); some ways I do that is by starting my meals with savory (i.e., preferably greens with vinegar) and having sweet only at the end of a meal, drink camomile tea with sweets, don’t start the day with coffee on an empty stomach, favor savory breakfast versus sweet ones, eat enough and consistently during the day.
In general eat your veggies and add a lot of spices and color and wholesome foods to your diet.
Exercise regularly
I tried seed cycling (I can’t say if it helped me but it’s worth the shot); Adding 2 tbsp of pumpkin seeds and flax seeds daily to your diet in the first 14 days of your cycle (1st day of menstruation till ovulation) and adding 2 tbsp of sunflower seeds and sesame seeds daily to your diet in the second part of your cycle (from ovulation to menstruation). Those seeds contain vitamins and minerals that support the hormones needed in that phase of the cycle.
Sipppping on spearmint tea: has anti-androgen effects, it helps to reduce testosterone, to keep hormone levels in better harmony. Another symptom of excessive androgen levels is the growth of hair on the face, chin, chest and stomach.
Not related to hormones but if you suffer specifically from acne after getting off the pill, I can really recommend being consistent with double cleansing your face every evening with a natural face cleanser and washing it with a clean towel!
This might be a bit too hippie for some, but I also believe that the more “chi (life)-energy” circulates freely in our body the better our skin is. So, doing a lot of things that are good for the soul and limit stress (high cortisol levels is the enemy).
Magnesium supplements: also really help in hormone balancing and anything related to emotion regulation really (sleep, mood, pms…)
Conclusion
We can conclude that the answer to whether the pill is good or bad for us is not a collective question/answer. The answer to this question cannot be “the pill is so bad for us (women)” because our bodies are all different, our experiences all subjective and our values all placed in different places. To decide whether it is for you or not you have to compare how you feel and make conscious decisions in regards to what matters to you.
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