I want to be clear: there’s no judgment from me if you’re currently on the pill. I was there, which had contributed to my hormonal issues post pill. I just wish everything was transparent before going on it, which is why I wanted to do this post.

Unfortunately, too many women are prescribed the pill for non-contraceptive reasons like painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS, acne etc, without being told of the possible complications on their body and hormones. 

The hormones in the contraceptive pill stop and prevent your ovaries from preparing and releasing eggs. They stop the usual hormonal “cycling”, including ovulation, the typical growth of the endometrium, and the natural period. 

The pill essentially shuts down the conversation between your ovaries and your brain, so it’s no surprise that once you stop taking it you may encounter challenges with reestablishing that connection.

Without understanding the root cause, using the pill is like shutting off the faucet, once you turn it on again, the underlying issue is still there right?

Some things that you may want to know about the pill:

·     Shuts down your natural hormonal production and replaces with it with synthetic hormones.

·     Natural hormone levels of a woman on the pill closely resemble the hormonal profile of a woman in menopause 

·     It does not regulate your period, it switches it off and replaces it with a “fake” cycle.

·     You don’t actually have a real period bleed, you have something called a withdrawal bleed (response to the withdrawal of the hormones in the pill)

·     The number of days in a pill-induced cycle is arbitrary. They could have easily selected 100, 36, or 75 days, but the fake 28-day pill cycle allowed these women to think they were still getting their periods so they wouldn’t “freak out”

·     Can lead to infertility as it stops your natural ovulation

·     Can cause the uterus lining to become very thin so implementation becomes harder (infertility/miscarriages issue when you decide to have kids)

·     Pill can make you gain weight or cause you to be “moody.” Hence why so many are prescribed an antidepressant

·     Low libido (Oh, hell no!), vaginal dryness, chronic infection (UTI’s/vaginosis), pain with sex

·     Thyroid issues

If you feel like you want to get off the pill and not sure how to and need the support, the 1-1 on coaching is perfect for you!