Hormonal birth control for health reasons, some people love it, others think it's the devil. I myself, would rather no one take it and devote most of my time advocating for learning about your body and supporting its functions through diet and lifestyle.
However, some questions must be asked:
Is there a time when a woman should go on hormonal birth control for the sake of her health?
If not, why?
If so, how do you make that decision?
As someone that has never been on the pill or anything like it, I have asked my friend and cousin Monica to unpack these questions.
Due to necessity, she has devoted herself to years of research, trial and error, and seeing several doctors before deciding to go on hormonal birth control. Below you will find her story and important information you need to consider when wrestling with these questions.
Important note: We are not medical professionals and this is not medical advice. This article is meant to inform the reader of the possible pros and cons of hormonal birth control and allow you to come to your own conclusions.
My story: I started my period at 11 years old. From the beginning it was painful and I was struggling to manage. Looking back, I feel bad for an 11 year old me who thought, "yay I'm a woman and this is TOTALLY NORMAL". News flash everyone, it was not normal. It was not good. It was not healthy. It was not safe.
I struggled with my period until I was 17 years old. I began an extremely intense workout/training program in martial arts. I practically lived at the martial art school for 2 years. During that time, I had no understanding of what was happening to my body, what nutrition was, or how to train safely. I completely lost my period because I was under-nourished and overworked. I was absolutely thrilled that it was gone!
After I lost my period, I slowly started to pull back from my intense training schedule as being an adult meant I needed to focus on my career, education and future. Pulling back allowed my body to start healing enough to get my period back, but I had already done extreme damage.
At the time, I didn't know I had endometriosis and when my period came back, my symptoms were horrific. I would vomit the first 4 days of my period every month. I couldn't keep the simplest things, like water, in my body. I would get tunnel vision due to the pain. Every month, I
had to put my life on hold for 4-7 days. Even now, I cannot tolerate any dairy and the list of foods that cause a reaction in my body continue to grow.
I tried diet changes, supplements, working out to my body's natural cycle and more. Nothing was helping enough to allow me to live a normal life. I knew I couldn't continue to live taking 4-7 days off every month.
I finally turned to hormonal birth control. I'm going to go over why I love it and why I hate it.
Pros
I can function!!!! I can't even begin to express how incredible it is to FUNCTION.
I don't have to take 4-7 sick days every month
I'm saving a great deal of money on period products.
I haven't ruined any pants, sheets, or towels
I am pain free
I am so happy
I have time to focus on my career
I have taken on new projects because I'm not sick and dealing with extreme pain.
Cons:
It took almost 18 months to feel good on birth control
I puked every day for the first 3 weeks of starting birth control
I had random bleeds - the longest lasted 14 weeks straight
My sex drive is very limited
My hair has thinned
I don't really recognize myself
I can't always get in touch with my emotions.
I can't always cry when I need to release a lot of emotion
I don't build muscle easily
I don't lose weight easily
I have to put a significant amount of attention into magnesium, fiber and my diet to have regular bowel movements
I don't sleep very well
My food sensitivities and reactions have gotten worse - I cannot tolerate dairy, citrus and most spices.
I firmly believe that birth control saved me, but I also hold the uncomfortable truth that it is causing damage to me. I chose to take birth control as a last possible resort to simply function. It has helped me, but it is also hurting me.
I believe that all people deserve to give informed consent in every aspect of their lives, including their medical choices.
So here's some points that I knew and understood completely, before starting hormonal birth control.
I chose birth control:
knowing I did everything else besides surgery to handle my endometriosis symptoms.
knowing it can deplete my minerals and iron
knowing it might cause blood clots.
knowing I could lose hair.
knowing I could lose bone density and muscle mass.
How I am caring for myself while I'm on birth control:
I drink mineral cocktails to replenish my minerals
I take baby aspirin daily to prevent clots
I started lifting heavy weights to help my bone density and muscle mass
I've added collagen and biotin to my diet to help with hair loss
I've focused on my red meat intake to help with iron absorption
I've put intention behind having regular bowel movements to keep toxins from hanging out in my intestines
I'm hoping that these steps will mitigate the negative impact that birth control is having on my body. I am also hoping that I can get off birth control in the next 2-3 years.
I will forever be thankful that it gave me short term relief.
If your story sounds like mine and you're desperate for a break, start doing research. Start asking questions. Read the warning labels on birth control. Follow this blog. Listen to podcasts like "Are You Menstral?" or "The Freely Rooted Podcast" My personal favorite is "Get Your Shit Together" with Adina and Diane.
My fellow warriors, our bodies are designed and made for a purpose. They are beautiful, strong and resilient. If you need to give yourself a break and hop on some fake hormones, do it with intention and grace towards yourself. You're not winning if your mind and body are on the brink of a collapse and you do nothing. You are not failing if you choose hormonal birth control.
Until next time,
Monica
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