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Angela began the pill after her doctor offered it up as a solution for her menstrual pain and suggested that it would help control her acne too.
In fact, one study found that the pill was partly responsible for an estimated 30 percent increase in women’s wages by the 1990s. Access to the pill also contributed to higher college enrollment and completion rates among women in the 1960s and 1970s.
Well, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association of over one million women showed that women who began the pill were more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant—which means it contributes to a bit more than moodiness.
increased risk of autoimmune disease, heart attack, and thyroid and adrenal disorders?
hormonal confusion: missing or irregular periods, light or heavy periods, short cycles, infertility, headaches digestive problems: leaky gut, gut dysbiosis, inflammatory bowel disease energy reduction: fatigue, adrenal and thyroid dysfunction skin issues: hair loss, dry skin mood disruption: depression, anxiety lady part disturbance: low libido (Oh, hell no!), vaginal dryness, chronic infection, pain with sex vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant depletion (such as folate, B12, and magnesium)
In fact, there is a 300 percent increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease if you take the pill.
PBCS symptoms can range from hormonal irregularities, which may include loss of menstruation, infertility, pill-induced PCOS, and hypothyroidism, to gut dysfunction and autoimmune symptoms.
I feel irritable or experience mood swings.
I have gained weight or have difficulty losing weight, especially around my hips, butt, and thighs.
I sometimes cry over nothing.
I’ve had gallbladder problems or had my gallbladder removed.
I struggle with depression, anxiety, or lethargy. I have night sweats and/or hot flashes.
I have difficulty sleeping and wake at night.
I have dry or thinning skin. I have no interest in sex. I have vaginal dryness or pain with intercourse.
I feel anxious often.
I have painful, heavy, or difficult periods. My breasts are painful or swollen before my period.
I have abnormal hair growth on my face, chest, and/or abdomen. I have acne. I have oily skin and/or hair.
I’ve noticed thinning hair on my head.
I struggle with depression and/or anxiety. I have PCOS.
I have a low libido or diminished sex drive. I struggle with depression, have mood swings, or cry easily.
I’ve had weight gain. I have anxiety or panic attacks.
I feel tired in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep.
I want to take naps most days.
I crave salty or sweet food.
I feel at the mercy of stress. I have difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep.
My life is crazy stressful. I feel overwhelmed by stress. I have extra weight around my midsection. I have difficulty falling or staying asleep. My body is tired at night, but my mind is going a mile a minute—“wired and tired.” I get a second wind at night that keeps me from falling asleep. I wake between 2 and 4 a.m. and can’t go back to sleep. I feel easily distracted, especially when under stress. I get angry quickly or just feel on edge.
I’m losing hair (scalp, body, outer third of the eyebrows).
My periods are sporadic or occur more than thirty-five days apart.
I have dry skin.
I am in a low mood or struggle with depression.
I have high cholesterol.
Estrogen is the main player in the first half of your cycle. It spikes around days 12 through 14 to trigger the release of luteinizing hormone (LH), which marks the beginning of the ovulatory phase and stimulates your ovaries to release an egg, aka ovulation.
if one hormone is out of balance, it affects the whole system.
Her doctor had told her there was no chance of her managing her symptoms without it, but Em had a strong belief in her body’s ability to heal and find balance without the pill.
These symptoms will generally appear within the first four to six months after discontinuing the pill.
Ask a woman with endometriosis how long her chronic pain, heavy bleeding, and gut symptoms were dismissed before she finally found a doctor who listened. The New England Journal of Medicine reported in a 2000 study that women were seven times more
likely to be discharged and misdiagnosed while having a heart attack. A heart attack!
advanced fertility curriculum that my clinical instructors began to share that women should come off of hormonal contraceptives years before they want to become pregnant because there may be a significant delay.
vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc, all of which are depleted by the pill.
If you have signs of too little progesterone, incorporate foods into your diet that are rich in B6, like wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, chicken, sweet potato, spinach, and banana. Especially if you’re still on the pill, you’ll want to start
bringing in these foods and fixing your gut as soon as possible (there will be more on your gut in chapter 6).
100 milligrams per day may be the most beneficial B6 dose for treating PMS and mood-related symptoms.
magnesium, which helps thousands of processes in the body—I
Magnesium is found in fish, spinach, almonds, and molasses, but because our food supply isn’t as rich in magnesium as it once was, I recommend taking a magnesium supplement of 300 to 600 milligrams daily.
Zinc is another critical mineral for women with
Aim for 15 to 30 milligrams of zinc per day, depending on how much of it you are also getting through food sources.
Here are some natural remedies for those annoying (and seriously painful) hormonal headaches:
Hair loss is a sign of a deeper hormonal imbalance, and it’s important to seek treatment immediately if you’ve begun to feel like you’re shedding hair everywhere.
A number of tests can help you identify the root cause of your hair loss:
What to Do About Hair Loss
