My journey getting off of Hormonal Birth Control, Part 1

Here we are week 1 going into week 2 off of “the pill”, first of all let me preface with I am not a professional. I am not here to tell you how to get off of birth control but I am here to share my journey and what has worked with my own body and why I decided the pill was not right for me. I will never shame women who do choose to use Hormonal Birth Control, Im just here to tell you the facts i’ve learned and researched the past two years.

When I say getting to this moment has been a journey it really really has been a JOURNEY. I did not take getting off BC lightly, I thought about this decision for the past year and a half and I finally found a new doctor who was totally on board 100000% for me getting off birth control (although even without her I was ready to get off) I wanted to research and be ready to fully get off because I knew how much birth control really does mess with your body and mind and stopping one day can really mess with your body if you don’t do it the right and safe way. I kept thinking to myself… Every part of my life is based around Holistic and natural health why is this part of me not natural as well?!

Lets start at the beginning…

I first got on BC when I was 22 years old. It was a random decision that I just went into with out even thinking of side effects or HOW the heck BC even works in the body. BC is so complex with how it works in the body I do wish I did research before hand, it’s crazy to me that doctors don’t explain the side effects, how it interacts with the body and mind and what effects it can have on different people! Getting on the birth control was a nightmare the first two months, I had extreme anxiety and depression, at the time I didn’t even think it was the birth control and now looking back it 100% was. The first year was okay besides having way more anxiety. Let’s move to year two, three and four though thats when I really knew something was off.

Some of my symptoms through the years…

Ovarian cysts (they got more frequent as the years went on), my mood had shifted I felt like I was forever moody, lower libido than normal for me, very very irregular periods, muscle gains slowed significantly, thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies. Still SO crazy that most doctors do not tell you all of these things can be caused by BC!

Let’s chat about my irregular periods first. Periods started not happening for months and months at a time at some points OR they would be 20 days long which was absolutely miserable to say the least. When I went to my OBGYN guess what she said…. thats NORMAL. Nope, women’s bodies are not supposed to be that abnormal, so I went on and did my own research about what the heck was happening. Part of this probably stemmed from my hypothyroidism which I didn’t know I had for the longest time (which explains also my lack of energy most days) and all of that stemmed from BC. Year three I stared doing even more research because I did want to get off BC but didn’t know the right way to go about it and found a book called “Period Repair Manuel” by Dr. Lara Briden, oh man this book opened my eyes. Guess what… I saw and confirmed NO the irregularities, mood swings, cysts, headaches etc…. was not normal by any means.

I spent a year and a half researching a deep diving into hormones and BC and how to properly get off but also make sure i’m getting correct nutrients and vitamins (since BC depletes you of important ones) and make sure I don’t end up getting “post BC syndrome”. Post BC syndrome is the period after birth control when a lot of people get acne, mood swings, anxiety etc… due to not getting proper nutrients and vitamins after getting off BC. I wanted to do it the right way, PLUS I am dealing with Hypothyroidism on top of all this which made it a bit more challenging for me.

So heres what I did…

After doing extensive research, reading helpful books on BC/ hormones, listening to very helpful podcasts, getting a new Dr who was on board with me getting off, and figuring out my thyroid situation (which i’m still working on) I finally got off after almost 4 years of being on Hormonal Birth Control.

What I did was this:

Made sure to start taking necessary vitamins a few months prior to getting off: magnesium, zinc, vitamin D (which I am deficient in partly because of BC), vitamin b12 (again deficient thanks to BC), selenium and then my usual fish oil as well as a joint vitamin. Some other things I did which also has a lot to do with my thyroid as well is: eat less gluten, eat less processed vegan meats, cut back on soy, eat even more nutrient dense meals, incorporate foods that my body craves (for example: fatty fish, seaweed etc… these have been my craving my first week off BC btw)

My first week off BC:

So far so good. Somethings that I have experienced: headaches….omg these headaches have been daily but I know it’s normal when getting off because my body now has to normalize and produce it’s own hormones which it hasn’t done in years. More discharge (sorry if this is TMI) but yes I have had more healthy discharge which is also totally normal, I feel like i’m less “in a fog” when I was on BC i felt like I was in a fog all the time.

I still have yet to have my first period post BC, so i’m still waiting for that. I know my hormones have not regulated yet but I can’t wait till they do (it can take up to 6 months to a year).

I am still staying true to my diet changes, right now i’ve been eating gluten every other day even then it’s not in big quantities. Most days I eat more paleo based. Lots of whole, nutrient dense REAL FOOD. I really want to make sure I am getting healthy protein, fats, carbs and micronutrients in every single meal I make. (this goes for any day with or without BC tbh).

What i’m using besides hormonal birth control…

So a year ago when I started to research getting off BC I ordered a little thermometer called “Natural Cycles”. It’s a hormone free birth control. The method is called the Fertility Awareness Method or FAM for short.

healthline.com states “The fertility awareness method (FAM) is a natural family planning strategy that women can use to help prevent pregnancy. It involves tracking your natural cycle of fertility and your menstrual cycle, developing a better awareness of your body, and using a variety of non-pharmaceutical methods to detect ovulation.

The rhythm method is where your previous menstrual cycles are tracked on a calendar, and this information is used to predict future ovulation dates. FAM combines the rhythm method with even more attention to the body to better predict ovulation and prevent pregnancy.”

I use my thermometer every morning at 6:15am, and take my oral temperature and track it directly into their app. Of course it’s still getting to know my cycle because it can take a few months but it will give you green days or red days when you are fertile or when you are not aka when to be careful and use protection etc..

It’s right up my ally, non hormonal, all natural, and I get to really know my body inside and out because ya girl does not know what balanced hormones feel like yet or a regular period!

Whats to come…

I already know it’s all up from here, It’s only week 1.5 so far but I will keep you guys updated on any changes within the next month! I want to keep sharing my journey to getting my health back (I will be writing about my thyroid soon because thats whole other story for you all). I want to share more tips that have helped me as well as recipes that support healthy hormones etc.. so keep an eye out over on my Instagram if you do not already follow me. I have such a passion for holistic healing and natural health so I can’t wait to share the rest of my journey with you all through hypothyroidism, post BC and balancing hormones. Feel free to share your journey with me below or in my IG DMs I love to hear everyones experience!