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I went off birth control in the spring of 2013. I had many personal reasons for doing so: I didn’t like the side effects (sensitive stomach, anxiety, low libido, etc.), I didn’t want to put chemicals into my body, and I wanted to live a more natural life. Birth control pills produced waste and cost a lot of money in the long term. While these reasons would be enough, in my research, I have encountered many more reasons why avoiding artificial hormones in general is the best choice for any woman. But don’t take my word for it! Check out my sources, and their sources. If you are on birth control, read the information insert that comes with your pill pack.
Why You Should Avoid Hormonal Birth Control
There is a risk for blood clots. This is the one everyone knows about. If you are over 35 or a smoker, don’t take birth control because of clotting risk. If you are low risk, you are fine. Not true. I know young, non-smoking women who have had blood clots while taking hormonal birth control. Yes, the risk is small, smaller than when pregnant, but it is still a risk to consider. (source)
Birth control pills increase the risk of certain cancers. Although the pill reduces the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, there is an increased risk for breast, cervical, and liver cancers. If you believe you are at risk for any of these cancers, you may want to rethink the pill. Luckily, studies have shown that once discontinuing birth control pills, breast cancer risk begins to decrease back to normal. (source)
Birth control pills are classified as a carcinogen. Oh, yeah. Carcinogen, the word that is always associated with cigarettes. Because of the increased cancer risks, that means that birth control pills are a carcinogen. (source)
There is an increased risk of bone loss. Women who use Depo-Provera (the shot) have been found to lose bone mineral density in long term use. Luckily, provided the woman has not reached menopause, bone mineral density begins to increase again after discontinuing Depo-Provera. Despite these findings and evidence gaps (such as whether women using Depo-Provera are able to achieve peak potential bone mineral density after discontinuing), The World Health Organization unfortunately does not recommend any restriction of this form of contraception. (source)
They damage your gut and deplete micronutrients. The birth control pill destroys the good bacteria in your gut. This can lead to leaky gut syndrome, yeast overgrowth, infections, and a host of other problems. I noticed this big time when I was on the pill. While I used to have an iron stomach, I became very sensitive while on the pill. I never had any food sensitivities before hormonal birth control. This imbalance of gut flora can also be passed on to any children the woman has. Just some of the nutrients that the pill depletes are folate, B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium. (source)
They screw up your hormones. This is where the pill hit me the hardest. My libido tanked, I had really bad night anxiety, and my hypothyroidism was triggered (and all the lovely symptoms that come with that). Even though I have been off the pill for 2 years, I still struggle with all of these things. However, going off the pill did see an increase in libido and a sharp decrease in anxiety. My cycles are still out of whack. In fact they are way worse than they ever were before the pill. Once again, it triggered my hypothyroidism. Of everything the pill did to my body, I am angry about that one.
The reason all of this happens is because you are feeding artificial hormones into your body. It then stops making its own versions of those hormones because it doesn’t need to any more. But the hormones are artificial and are suppressing the natural rhythms of the female body. This knocks things out of balance. Then when you go off the pill, depending on how much damage has been done, it may take a very long time to heal these hormones as your body relearns how to produce hormones properly. The heartache this brings to those who are trying to conceive is completely unacceptable and could have been avoided. (source)
(can you tell I have some strong personal feelings about this point?)
It’s a Band-Aid. It comes down to this. If you are on the pill to “treat” a health problem, you are not actually treating it. In fact, the pill has not been approved by the FDA for these alternative uses. And yet it is given to every woman who even thinks about complaining about menstrual problems or acne. These women don’t know that there are better options, or that these problems will come back as soon as they go off the pill. They don’t know about the consequences of artificial hormones.
Rather than working naturally to heal the body, women opt for the pill, which damages the body. Rather than working naturally to regulate and heal fertility, women suppress their fertility. By the time they are ready for a baby, their body is not because the underlying hormonal issues are still there. As mentioned in the previous point, they may be worse.
In Conclusion
As a note, while for simplicity’s sake, I just talk about birth control pills (except on bone loss, which is Depo-Provera specific), these concerns apply to all methods of hormonal birth control, and even more so for the long-term ones. The hormonal IUD has the added concern of being a foreign object implanted in your uterus, and the risks that come with that.
Overall, the take away is that, as with all chemicals, women should be fully educated about not only the risks of what they are putting into their body, but also that there are alternatives available. As I mentioned, most health problems “treated” by birth control are just being covered up. When the woman goes off the pill, the condition will still be there and frequently will result in trouble with conceiving. If the woman instead pursues treatment for the cause of the issue, not the symptoms, she can preserve her fertility and truly be free from whatever is causing her distress, be it PCOS, endometriosis, or simply irregular cycles.
We need to be educated on how to actually heal our bodies through natural means. GAPS is a fantastic option for intense gut healing and Nicole Jardim has great programs to help balance hormones. I’ve taken these courses myself and highly recommend them for anyone who wants to learn more about healing their cycles instead of slapping on a Band-Aid. For the more severe concerns, NaPro Technology can be a particularly useful tool.
And what are your choices for contraception? Read my review of birth control options here. My personal favorite is Natural Family Planning. Even if you don’t use it for family planning, everyone should be charting their cycles!
Why do you avoid hormonal birth control?
Learn More:
Sweetening the Pill
Are Birth Control Side Effects Ruining Your Life?
Dangers of the Birth Control Pill
4 Ways to Repair the Hormone Imbalance from the Pill
The Dangers Every Woman Needs to Know About the Birth Control Pill
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I think it is great to practice Birth Control without pills or Other Invasive Method!! I have used a Natural Method with My Husband for nearly 20years. 🙂
Good for you! I love hearing encouraging numbers like that. On Friday I am posting about Natural Family Planning. I don’t get to practice it just yet, but I have been loving learning it!
I stopped BC pills a long time ago due to these side effects. My body just couldn’t tolerate the constant nausea from those poison pills. I decided to use the basal thermometer method instead and learned my cycles. Thanks for the informative article ~
Sorry if this comment is “too personal”: I have multiple genetic bleeding disorders similar to hemophilia. When I have my “lady times”, I’m practically wearing a diaper and still having to buy new clothes and sheets, etc. The doctors decided that I should be on the Pill nonstop, so I haven’t had a “lady time” for over 2 years. I wish the doctors had also told me that it would cause a hormonal imbalance. I have had multiple side effects, but I took my health in my own hands and have started taking herbal medicinal teas to balance my hormones. I am still on the Pill, however, because I am afraid of the bleeding problem. Any advice for that? I will gladly get off the pill if I figure out a way to deal with my bleeding disorders.
The main problem is that birth control suppresses hormone production, so taking herbs to balance hormones won’t do much. Why you went through sounds awful and I don’t blame you for wanting to stay on the pill.
I would recommend seeing a NaPro doctor. They will work with your body to solve what is happening to you and treat it naturally, without artificial hormones. A holistic healthy practitioner may also be helpful.
Research organic blackstrap molasses for heavy periods…I haven’t used it but I’ve heard it’s amazing. Might take a couple months of daily use before you see results though.
Do you happen to know if that can stop periods altogether? I’m looking into HBC because I hate the hassle that comes along with having a period and just want it to go away.
I can’t believe doctors prescribe those pills…I used them up until a few years ago, and I’m so glad I stopped. I had told my doctor that I thought they decreased my sex drive, but he said they couldn’t do that…it was all in my head – yeah, right! I’m so glad we stopped using them, especially when I realized how unhealthy they were.
I can’t believe your doctor would say that! My doctor was totally upfront about that being a side affect! In fact, I know very few people who haven’t noticed that.
What is this cure for endometriosis?? My doctor says there is none. I already follow a real food diet and take herbs. I had a lap but the pain is starting to come back. After we have a baby I plan to go back on BC. Living with horrid pelvic and lower back pain is not worth it.
I do not personally know the treatment. You will have to talk with a NaPro doctor, or some other holistic health professional, to discuss your options if you do not wish to go back on birth control.
I have read all the things said about BC. I am considering them not to prevent pregnancy but to help with my heavy periods and severe cramping. Need some advice.
Have you looked into natural, holistic remedies for period pain and hormone balance? Heavy and painful periods can be a sign of a greater problem that should be addressed. While not always the case, I would recommend looking into that with the help of a supportive doctor, rather than just covering it up.
This makes me pleased I could never remember to take the pills for them to actually work so it wasn’t worth taking them at all. Taking Charge of Your Fertility is an amazing book for those who struggle with the Natural methods to help them understand the queues their body is putting out to have success with it
Thank you for your comment! It’s great to hear from people who have read TCOYF!
The book came with a “fertility tracker” that I bought. It’s like a thermometer, but has a self-calibrating mini-computer build in, so it gave me a read-out for fertile and non-fertile days when I pushed a button. Neat! BTW, it worked “both ways” — to avoid a pregnancy, and to achieve one when we were ready. Need to get back to it.
My SIL introduced me to “Cycle Beads” http://www.cyclebeads.com/shop/CB You can even see in the dark if you are at a fertile day or not! 😉 — Alas, with those, one needs cycles of 26 days and longer (one cycle per year less than 26 days is ok, but if you have more short cycles, this is not for you). I’m often below the 26 days mark — other than that, I love the idea. 🙂
I’m not sure I trust cycle beads, but I also have irregular cycles that tend to be long. I wouldn’t trust anything I can’t see on my own body, like temps and mucus. I think it totally depends on what the couple is most comfortable with, though.
Interesting article, scary too. My daughter has been taking birth control and it works for her because she has hypothyroidism, which requires taking another synthetic hormone everyday. Any information you might have on whether the two pills at once are carcinogenic and what are the side effects, would be helpful.
I don’t know how those two medications interact, however hypothyroidism is something I have been meaning to look into. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.
I have endometriosis as well. My dr told me there is no cure. I have done my own research and he is right. I take BC for that reason. I tried getting off but couldn’t handle the side effects of endometriosis so I got back on
I looked up endometriosis in my textbook on NaPro Technology. Birth control, as well as any other medications, will not cure endometriosis and it will do nothing to help fertility. However, there are surgical procedures to remove the disease that have a less than 20% recurrence rate. Combined with treatment of the underlying problems, fertility can even be regained.
You can learn more by going to the NaPro website I link to in the post and finding a doctor that specializes in this. You can also find doctors at this link: http://www.fertilitycare.org/ or conduct your own search of holistic health practitioners.
I take it for a low dose of estrogen because of extremely heavy periods. All natural methods I tried didn’t work and I was tired of having to stay home my first 3 days of my period due to it.
Before you go all fruit loops some other facts you should know: BC pills can actually lower your risk of cervical and breast cancer. I have a bleeding disorder and if I don’t stay on b c pills I will end up with cervical cancer (per multiple gynocylogocal specialists). Also. before b c pills were invented women were at their husbands mercy of whether they would get pregnant or not. Many babies have been born with the rthym method. With b c pills women have the CHOICE of whether to be pregnant or not without having to give up intimacy. This is freedom. I can do what I want with my life. So while you are knocking b c pills please remember everything contains a small amount of risk. Everytime you drive your car you could get in an accident. Whil Your nlackstrap molasses could have bacterial contamination (its rare but has happened). You could get pregnant while thinking you are safe using natural method of birth control. In my mind the risk of pregnancy is a whole lot worse for me than the fairly rare problems that COULD be caused from b c pills.
You are right, everyone needs to weigh their own risks. The problem is that I was not informed of either the severe nor the “less harmful” risks of the pill when I was put on it. I know so many people, including myself, whose health and mental well being were affected very negatively by the pill, and it is important for me to show women the other side of artificial hormones. Personally, avoiding harmful and artificial chemicals is what is most important to me. And remember that you can still get pregnant on the pill! I trust fertility awareness (which is not the rhythm method) significantly more than I ever trusted the pill for pregnancy prevention, so for me that risk also leans toward not being on the pill. And with fertility awareness, I have control over my body and am in fact less at my spouse’s mercy. At the same time, he gets to be just as involved in family planning as I am. Without the pill, I have freedom in so many areas of my life that I never had with the pill!
Additionally, many fertility experts (including doctors) are concerned about the fact that women often are not informed that the birth control pill can cause an chemical abortion as well as prevent pregnancy. Despite the hormones’ ability to prevent the release of eggs, sometimes a “breakthrough ovulation” takes place.
A woman can still conceive a baby (embryo), who because of synthetic hormones cannot attach to the uterine lining and is aborted. The pill’s third mechanism is to change the lining of the endometrium, which creates a hostile environment for a newly created human life.
The similar and even worse mechanism works in case of IUDs (coils), like Mirena, where one of the mechanisms incorporates a physical intrusion to prevent implantation of already conceived baby (embryo).
I use Lady-Comp for NFP / FAM – and its absolutely great & smart and easy to use fertility monitor….
Thank you! I didn’t even think to address that aspect in this post. And, of course, doctors can get away with saying it is not an abortificant because they have changed the definition of conception from fertilization to implantation.