There’s a reason why an estimated 95 percent of sexually active women have been on birth control at some point in their lives — it works.

Since its popularization in the late 80s, birth control has allowed millions of women to effectively prevent pregnancies. For some, it’s even been a resource to help clear acne, reduce menstrual symptoms, and protect against endometriosis.

For decades, doctors have shared these benefits with young women as reasons to consider “the pill.”  But far too often, the negatives of hormonal birth control go unsaid, causing women all over the world to experience uncomfortable side effects without understanding their cause.

With that in mind, here are four facts about hormonal birth control your doctor may not have told you about.

It Manipulates Your Hormones

This one may sound obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s easily understood.

Whether your hormonal birth control is coming in the form of a pill or an IUD, the purpose is the same: to manipulate your sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone) with synthetic versions to avoid pregnancy.

In the simplest of terms, your body’s natural hormones work on a feedback loop:

1. Stimulating hormones released from the brain tell your sex organs to produce estrogen and progesterone

2. Estrogen and progesterone work to carry out the natural functions of your menstrual cycle, including ovulation, fertilization, and preparations for a potential pregnancy

3. When those hormone levels fall, more stimulating hormones are released to initiate the process all over again.

What birth control does is introduce synthetic versions of estrogen and progesterone (progestin) into your body to stop the release of those stimulating hormones, tricking yourself into no longer producing the natural sex hormones that might lead to pregnancy.

It Can Cause Nutrient Imbalances

Adding synthetic hormones to your body doesn’t come without repercussions. Like with any non-natural or “toxic” substance, those hormones eventually have to be removed through detoxification pathways.

This responsibility largely falls on the liver, which is now forced to use up additional nutrients to accomplish the job.

What women are often not made aware of is that this process can lead to quite a few nutritional imbalances. And if these vitamins and minerals are not adequately replenished, then it is possible that those imbalances can turn into deficiencies.

Nutrients Depleted by Birth Control:

• Magnesium

• Zinc

• Vitamin C

• B Vitamins

• Selenium

If you’d like to learn more about how you can replenish these nutrients, I went more in depth on the topic in a previous blog.

The Side Effects Can Be Severe

The consequences of a nutritional deficiencies can develop over time, ranging from day-to-day nuisances to a debilitating illnesses. Many women will experience symptoms of fatigue, skin irritation, acne, gut trouble, headaches, anxiety, and more without ever relating them back to their birth control.

In more severe cases, long-term liver damage can occur when your detoxification pathways are pushed to their limits. And deficiencies in magnesium have been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Studies have also found that women who take hormonal birth control have a higher chance of developing hypothyroidism and dysbiosis, an imbalance of bacterial composition within the gut that can lead to leaky gut syndrome, SIBO, candida, and other digestive problems.

It’s Not Easy to Get Off Of

All this has led to more women deciding to get off of their hormonal birth control in recent years. The problem, though, is that transitioning off the pill is easier said than done. After years of hormonal manipulation, your body can fall victim to post-birth control syndrome (PBCS).

Symptoms of Post-Birth Control Syndrome:

• Acne or skin problems

• Absence of menstrual period

• Hair loss

• Anxiety / Depression

• Changes in weight

• Mood swings

• Fertility issues

It is exceptionally important that you support your body as you come off birth control. Otherwise, you will most assuredly experience a host of uncomfortable symptoms that might otherwise have been avoided.

What Can You Do About It?

All the while you’ve been on birth control, your body’s ecosystem has been pumped full of synthetic hormones that have overtaxed your detoxification pathways and depleted key nutrients. Returning to your natural state will take time. Here are the three main steps you will need to take to restore your normal hormone cycle:

1) Address Nutritional Imbalances

Whether through supplements or a diverse diet of vitamins and minerals, it is important to pump your body full of nutrients during this time. You’ll want to give yourself all the resources necessary to allow your liver to remove the rest of the synthetic hormones from your body and replenish its nutritional stores.

2) Support Your Gut Health

Your gut is at the center of many of your body’s most important functions, including the immune system, nervous system, and general hormone balance. Support your gut’s microbiome by adding probiotics and prebiotics to your diet. The stronger your digestive health is, the better your body will be able to absorb the nutrients needed to get you on the path towards feeling better.

3) Balance Your Hormones

As you once again begin to produce hormones naturally, it’s critical that you check all your levels. By testing your hormone levels, you’ll be able to see what’s going on inside your body, giving you insight into areas that may need additional help.

Keep A Lookout for My Upcoming eBook!

Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter for a discount on my upcoming eBook, The Effects of Birth Control — and What to do When Getting Off of It. It is an easy-to-follow guide on how to transition off hormonal birth control, with weekly meal plans, grocery lists, recipes, meal planning advice, and more!