The hormonal contraceptive pill switches OFF our hormones, our ovaries, ovulation, and our HPA axis communication. It does this in the short and long term and causes short and long term health effects. The patch and the Nuvaring also shut off ovulation and the Depo-Provera, the mini pill, Mirena, Nexplanon, and Skyla can also do this.

Listen to my podcast episode on this topic here.

The Pill

• There are many different brands and dosages, but two main forms of the pill are: the mini (progestin only) and the combo (synthetic estrogen and progesterone).
• There are better, safer ways to prevent pregnancy. The pill was created in the 60’s and has barely changed. It is truly outdated. 
• It can NOT “regulate hormones.” The synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone not only do not have the same, incredible benefits as our natural hormones do, and they can cause dangerous side effects.
• Progestin (drospirenone and medroxyprogesterone) do NOT have the same effects as our natural hormone. Women and doctors have been tricked into believing that they’re the same, when this couldn't be further from the truth. Synthetic P can cause depression, hair loss, abortion and fatal blood clots. Wonderful progesterone does pretty much the opposite of all that. 
• Synthetic estrogen: ethinylestradiol. Potential side effects are weight gain, water retention and swelling/bloating, headache, GI distress, breast tenderness, nausea. 
• More common symptoms:
• Depression
• Progestin side effect
• Lack of ovulation
• Lack of normal production of hormones and our hormones, especially estrogen, are closely linked to our feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. 
• Low libido
• Via the reduction of testosterone and DHEA
• Increase sex hormone binding globulin. We see that it can take years post-pill for levels to return to normal, if they ever do.
• Hair loss
• Progestin side effect
• Weight gain
• insulin resistance, sugar cravings, and prevents the muscle gain that women should expect to see with exercise. 
• Sometimes the metabolic damage is not so easily reversed just by stopping the pill
• Post-pill PCOS
• Stops ovulation
• Most are given a PCOS diagnosis after stopping the pill and the only solution offered is the pill, which caused it in the first place.
• Post-pill acne
• Acne is not fixed by synthetic estrogen, even though it dries up oils and clears up skin acne for some. The underlying root causes (gut and liver dysbiosis) will be there, perhaps even worse, upon stopping the pill due to the estrogen withdrawal for the 3-4 months following your cessation of the pill. Zinc, herbs, nutrition.
• Blood clots
• The newer progestins like drospirenone (Yaz) carry a frighteningly high risk for blood clots, but all hormonal contraception is associated with some risk.
• Best methods:
• Condoms / barrier
• FAM 
• Non-hormonal IUD
• Listen to my podcast episode on the Fertility Awareness Method here.

To safely stop the pill, please listen to my podcast episode here and start taking my herbal supplement, Soothe.