Getting off of Birth Control 

Getting off of birth control or having symptoms pop up after coming off of the birth control are two common reasons I see women in my practice. Many were on it for contraception and ready to try to conceive. Many started the pill when they were in their teens or 20s for acne, irregular periods, painful/heavy periods or PCOS. Whatever the reason, I’m here to talk today about some strategies to make coming off the pill a little easier!

Common symptoms when getting off of oral birth control

When coming off of birth control your body is adjusting to fluctuation hormones – estrogen, progesterone and testosterone which can create some unwanted symptoms that include:

• • Acne
  • Post-pill amenorrhea (lack of period)
  • Irregular periods or spotting
  • Cramping
  • Mood fluctuations 
  • Weight changes
  • Breast tenderness
  • Headaches
  • Change in ibido
  • Hair loss or unwanted hair growth

How to support your body getting off of the pill

1. 1. 1. Support your hormones. That may seem like an obvious thing but there can be many fluctuations as cycles are restored to their natural rhythm. Sometimes we will see high estrogen compared to progesterone or what is called “estrogen dominance.” Rising testosterone which can cause more acne or oily skin. Low progesterone can cause lack of a cycle or infertility post-pill. Testing hormones is one piece the puzzle but having a trained practitioner get a good history often gives a lot of clues as well. One supplement I like for the transition off of birth control is Vitex or Chasteberry which helps to support estrogen and progesterone and can minimize symptoms and restore regular cycles in many cases.
      2. Add strategic Vitamins and minerals. Oral contraceptives deplete the body of many nutrients and this is one reason I will advocate for women to be on a high quality prenatal vitamin or multivitamin before coming off of birth control for at least a month or two. Even better is getting micronutrient levels checked so you know exactly how much to supplement with. The nutrients depleted by oral birth control include: b vitamins, zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, selenium and Vitamin E. These will all be found in good amounts in a high quality prenatal or multi.
      3. Nourish your body. I’m always an advocate of using food as medicine and the case of getting of of birth control is no different. We want to maximize real, whole foods. Minimize refined sugars and ultra-processed foods. Incorporate high quality protein and fiber sources and eat the rainbow to give our bodies exactly what they need to restore balance. Pro tip #1: flaxseeds have estrogenic and anti-estrogenic features which makes them the perfect food to add for hormone balancing. Pro tip #2: eat all the greens including those with sulforaphane like broccoli and the brassica family. Sulforaphane is activates glutathione (our bodies master antioxidant) and also helps with estrogen detoxification.
      4. Prioritize Sleep and relaxation. Prioritizing sleep and relaxation allow our bodies and nervous systems to heal. Allowing our bodies to get into a place where cortisol (our stress hormone) is not constantly pumping is going to put less work on the rest of our HPA-axis so that our sex hormones have an easier time regulating. 
      5. Seek a partner in health. Find a practitioner (like Alison at Wild Rice Wellness) if you are looking to come off of birth control or if you have recently stopped it and are having symptoms. Alison treats a range of womens health and hormonal concenrs – painful periods, PCOS, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum to perimenopause. Book a free 15 minute call below to discuss how a personalized functional medicine approach can help you today!