Irritating Itchy Yeast Infections
Lower estrogen levels while on the pill can increase the frequency of yeast infections for women who have other risk factors. And women on the pill who have poorly controlled diabetes, a diet high in sugar or alcohol, or a weakened immune system may also experience more yeast infections, says Alyssa Dweck, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Mount Kisco, New York. Treatment with an over-the-counter vaginal antifungal cream or a prescription medication typically cures a yeast infection. But if the problem is chronic, says Dr. Dweck, it may help to switch birth control methods.
The Birth Control Pill Can Trigger Indigestion
If you have been on the birth control pill or patch or even an IUD with hormones, and you have symptoms of indigestion, it is important to find out if there is a connection between them for you.
According to Dr Andrew Weil, a pioneer of natural medicine, the use of birth control pills can trigger heartburn symptoms.
You may be tempted to ignore indigestion symptoms such as heartburn, stomach pain and nausea, or to blame them on something you ate. But if these symptoms are recurring they may be triggered by your birth control method.
First, the hormones can cause relaxation of sphincters that are normally not relaxed, causing symptoms of reflux. Secondly, the hormones are processed through the liver which can result in thickened bile. This in turn can cause nausea, bloating and pressure.
Symptoms of indigestion caused by birth control hormones can be an early warning sign that your body is not handling the excess hormones well. If not addressed, you may be at increased risk for more serious side-effects such as blood clots, strokes and heart attacks.
If you are on the pill and are suffering the side effects of its use, a holistic health care practitioner may help you deal with the problem naturally by supporting normal liver function.
Do you know anyone who has experienced side effects from birth control medications? Please write in the comments below.
Diarrhea Might Interfere With Your Birth Control Pills
Diarrhea can make birth control pills less effective. If you use oral contraception, even one episode of diarrhea can slightly increase your risk of becoming pregnant.
This article explains how diarrhea can negatively impact birth control and when you should use backup contraception. It also discusses other birth control options.
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Incredible Hair Skin And Nails
Paige started out losing hair, but within 6 months her head was covered in the fuzzy joyous sign of new hair growth! Some women experience increased acne with certain hormonal contraceptives, and others experience hair loss, itchy skiin other skin symptoms. Whatever your symptoms, they have a root cause and you can support your body in healing.
Paige was able to clear her skin, bump her natural glow and grow some luscious locks.
Migraine Headaches Caused By Hormones
Some women who already experience migraines may notice that their headaches get worse when theyre on the pill, Dr. Peña-Robles says. A study published in June 2014 in Current Opinion in Neurology found that a drop in estrogen levels can trigger migraines. Peña-Robles says this can happen just before your period and later in your menstrual cycle. Consider talking with your doctor about switching to a pill with fewer placebo days or a change in the method of contraception to ease the hormonal fluctuations that can contribute to migraines, she suggests.
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How Many Of These Common Birth Control Side Effects Are You Familiar With
- Nausea, vomiting, constipation, or bloating
- Irregular menstruation and spotting
- Links with certain cancers such as cervical cancer
- Blood clots in legs, lungs, heart and brain
- Jaundice
Sounds scary, doesn’t it? These potential health risks are not something to be taken lightly – manipulating your hormones is serious business. Remember all of the fuss when HRT was found to be more dangerous than previously thought for women in their menopausal years? Why, then, is it still considered “safe” to manipulate women’s hormones during their fertile years?
It all comes down to choice.
We’re not telling you all of this to scare you – many women will continue to use hormonal birth control methods, and will be pleased with their effects. Our goal is simply to empower you with all of the information, so that YOU can make the best choice for YOU. As it stands, the last 70 years or so is the first time in human history that we’ve manipulated female hormones to this degree. Hormonal imbalances are common in women, and infertility is at an all-time high. Can we say for sure this is all connected? No, but we also can’t say for sure that it isn’t. With so many options available for re-connecting with our cycles as a powerful source of our feminine energy, why take the drug?
*Want to learn more?*
If you’re interested in reading more about hormonal birth control, here are a couple of good articles to start with:
Irregular Or Heavy Periods
Your periods will change after you get the device. Hormonal IUDs +utrn/details” rel=”nofollow”> Kyleena, Liletta, Mirena, and Skyla) often make periods lighter and shorter. Sometimes they stop menstruation altogether.
The copper IUD may make your periods heavier for the first few months.
Some women have spotting or bleeding in between periods. Your cycle may return to normal within 6 months after you get an IUD.
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How Birth Control Pills Can Cause Pelvic Pain:
Oral contraceptives signal your body to stop producing normal levels of specific hormones which support ovulation. This reduction also signals your body to reduce other hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, which are important for your sexual health. But dont birth control pills contain estrogen and progesterone? you may be thinking. Thats true, but they are synthetic versions which means they dont match your bodys natural hormones perfectly.
Compounding this lack of natural estrogen, progesterone, and other important hormones called androgens is the increase in Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, or SHBG. When the synthetic hormones in birth control pills are processed through your body , they cause an increase in your bodys production of SHBG. This is bad because SHBG attaches itself to sex hormones and makes those hormones inactive. Thus, even if you had sufficient amounts of sex hormones in your body, they are no longer working to keep you sexually healthy.
Birth Control Shot Side Effects You Should Know
When you hear the term birth control, the Pill probably springs to mind, followed by methods that are growing in popularity, like intrauterine devices and the Nexplanon implant. But there’s a slew of other options out there, including one that doctors say is popular but often overlooked in birth control conversations: the shot.
Depo-Provera, the brand name for medroxyprogesterone , is a contraceptive injection for women that contains progestin, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. Its given as an injection once every three months, the Mayo Clinic says, and it works by suppressing ovulation, i.e., it keeps your ovaries from releasing an egg each month that could get fertilized, resulting in pregnancy. The shot also thickens your cervical mucus to keep sperm from reaching an egg.
According to Planned Parenthood, the shot is more than 99 percent effective when its used perfectly but, in real life, the shot is about 94 percent effective because sometimes people forget to get their shot in time. That means about six out of every 100 shot users will get pregnant each year.
Rebecca Starck, M.D., an ob/gyn and clinical assistant professor of surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, tells SELF that she tends to prescribe hormonal birth control pills, IUDs, and the implant more often than the shot, but Depo-Provera is among the range of options she discusses with her patients.
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What Can I Do To Combat Birth Control
If the nausea isnt particularly severe and you started your birth control fewer than 3 months ago, your body just may need more time to adjust to the hormones in the pills. It may be frustrating to hear, but sit tight and be patient. The nausea is very likely to subside over time. To help prevent nausea, dont take your birth control pill on an empty stomach opt for taking it after dinner or with a snack. If youre hoping to dampen the effects of nausea after you take a pill, drink clear liquids, consume light, plain foods like crackers, and avoid activity after eating.
If the nausea persists past 3 months or is particularly severe, it may be time to consider another form of birth control. There are a number of low-dosage birth control pills available that are highly effective but dont cause the same side effects as regular-strength birth control pills do.
Some women may also want to consider birth control options that are free of estrogen entirely, such as the birth control shot or the IUD.
Is Birth Control Bad For Your Gut
Leaky gut, good gut bug chaos and autoimmune disease are all on the table when we start birth control. I’m not shaming you if you’ve been using birth controlrather, I want you to know the risks if you do decide hormonal birth control is best for you.
I was a kid with chronic gut issues who turned into a teen who popped a daily pill thinking she knew better than her body. We can all be grateful I went to natural medical school and didn’t get pregnant in the mix. Thank you birth control! But man, I really wish I knew that all those food sensitivities could have been due to the pill.
And I really wish my patients had the info they needed before they started birth control and ended up in my office with SIBO, yeast infections, gut dysbiosis, heartburn, or me having to give them a new diagnosis of autoimmune disease.
But look, I’ve been there, you may have been there, or someone you love as has been thereusing hormonal birth control without a clue that it could cause gut issues.
And maybe you’re reading this now, on hormonal birth control, and thinking OMG what do I do? Or maybe that’s just me thinking what I would think as my teenage self.
Look, wherever you are in your journey, I got you. If you’ve ever taken birth control then there is a serious need to love your gut up and if you’re on it now, read on!
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Stomach Inflammation Fast
Your Weight Will Probably Stay The Same
Don’t ditch birth control solely to drop a few pounds. Though many women believe they’ve gained weight on the pill, scientific research hasn’t actually found a link between oral contraceptive use and weight gain. In a 2014 review of 49 relevant trials, birth control did not appear to have a major impact on weight. “There has been no definitive evidence showing that startingor stoppingbirth control pills will affect your weight,” says Neha Bhardwaj, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Rare Serious Side Effects Of Birth Control
Overall, birth control pills are extremely safe. Tens of millions of women use them without any significant issues in the US alone, with hundreds of millions of safe, healthy birth control users worldwide.
Despite this, it is possible for birth control pills to cause potentially serious side effects. These side effects are mostly cardiovascular in nature and occur rarely, usually in people with certain lifestyle or genetic risk factors. These risks increase in women over the age of 35 and who smoke.
Below, weve listed the most serious potential side effects of hormonal birth control, as well as any relevant scientific data on how these side effects occur, how frequently they occur and the key factors that can contribute to them.
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Why Is My Birth Control Making Me Bloat
#1: Hormones.
Birth control bloating is similar to period bloating. You bloat during your period due to hormone fluctuations leading to increased water retention. Since the pill contains synthetic hormones to manage your menstrual cycle, the introduction of birth control hormones to your system causes significant fluctuations in your sex hormones. Like your period, this leads to water retention. Hormone levels usually stabilize after three months and the birth control bloating and gas should disappear by then too.
Rising levels of hormones also affect your gastrointestinal tract. The fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone causes your GI tract to empty at a slower pace. Consequently, women often feel both bloated and constipated when first starting birth control. The irregular levels of hormones also introduce more gas-producing bacteria into the gut, thus making us feel gassy and bloated.
Optimizing detox pathways in your body can help with speeding up your GI emptying. NAC does just that, while also acting to increase antioxidant activity in your body. Sometimes you might need a little extra push to get your gut moving. In those cases, magnesium is your friend.
#2: Depression.
Knowing the gut-brain connection, it is so important to make sure you have a good gut flora by introducing selected friendly probiotics.
More Questions From Patients:
Nope. Theres been a ton of research on the birth control pill, and studies show that using the pill does not make you gain weight. And there are no birth control pills that make you lose weight.
Some people think that the hormones in the pill cause weight gain or weight loss, but thats not true. The same goes for the birth control ring and birth control patch these methods of birth control have the same hormones that are in most birth control pills, so the patch and ring wont change your weight either. The hormonal IUD and the copper IUD also wont lead to weight gain or loss.
There are 2 methods of birth control that may cause weight gain in some people who use them: the birth control shot and the birth control implant. But this doesnt happen to everybody who uses these types of birth control. Many people use the shot or the implant without gaining weight.
Breakthrough bleeding is when spotting happens while youre not on your period. Breakthrough bleeding while youre on the birth control pill is normal and usually nothing to worry about.
Here are a few things that may help lessen your breakthrough bleeding:
- Yes
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Visual Changes With Contact Lenses
Hormonal changes caused by the birth control pill can lead to fluid retention which, in turn, can cause the corneas to swell or change shape. When this swelling occurs, contact lenses may no longer fit comfortably.10
Contact lens wearers should consult their ophthalmologist if they experience any changes in vision or lens tolerance during pill use.
It is important that anyone who experiences any of the following side effects while taking the pill contacts their medical provider or visits an emergency room immediately, as they may signify a serious condition.4,11
Birth control pill side effects that should be investigated are:
- A: Abdominal/stomach pain
- C: Chest pain
- H: Headaches that are severe
- E: Eye problems such as blurred vision or loss of vision
- S: Swelling or aching in the legs and thighs .
These symptoms can be remembered using the acronym ACHES.
Birth control pills have also been associated with an increase in blood pressure, benign liver tumors and a slight increase in the risk of developing cervical cancer.4
Heightened Sense Of Smell
Pregnant noses aren’t the only sensitive sniffers. If you haven’t ovulated in a while which you wouldn’t have while on hormonal birth control you may be surprised by just how much your nose knows about when you’re at your most fertile.
In fact, ovulating women’s noses are more perceptive than those of women in other parts of their cycle . This could be because estrogen and progesterone affect your sense of smell, so as those hormone levels fluctuate throughout the month, your sensitivity to scents may differ.
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Birth Control And Diarrhea
On the flip side, lowering the levels of these hormones may cause diarrhea. Some women experience this without birth control medication, some women have worsening symptoms with birth control medications.
Some women find that their symptoms are more mild if they are on a form of birth control medication that has consistent levels of hormones .
What Are The Side Effects Of Birth Control Pills
All birth control pills are different, so its possible your doctor can find one that has a lower dose of estrogen and doesnt affect your appetite or your weight. Shortly after you begin taking birth control, you may notice other side effects in addition to water retention. Common side effects of birth control include:
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Weight Gain Is A Concern
Its a myth that birth control pills make women gain weight, but there is one type of birth control that has been shown to make you put on a few: the Depo-Provera shot. I find that most women gain approximately five pounds with Depo, says Alyssa Dweck, MD, an ob-gyn and co-author of V is for Vagina, however, this isnt universal. A study in the Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology revealed that one factor contributing to weight gain from the shot is the quality of your diet: Researchers found that adolescent women who ate a lot of fruits, veggies, and whole grains were less likely to gain weight after getting the shot, even if they ate junk food as well.