ACCORDING TO A LOT OF DOCTORS:

Got acne? Take the pill.

Got PMS? Take the pill.

Got irregular cycles? Take the pill.

Don’t want to get pregnant? Take the pill.

 

BUT WAIT A SECOND—SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

 

Why not instead:

  • Address the gut for inflammation, digestive weakness, and food allergies for acne?
  • Address nutrient deficiencies to regulate progesterone production NATURALLY to address PMS?
  • Address malnutrition, a calorie deficit, hormone synthesis for irregular or non-existent cycles?
  • Address relationship status and have a real talk about how to responsibly prevent pregnancy without taking synthetic hormones than can be harmful?

 

WHAT IS THE PILL?

Birth control pills are made up of synthetic hormones estrogen (estradiol) and progestogen (progestin). And what are hormones exactly? In short, hormones are messengers, “a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another” So if hormones are messengers, then taking oral contraception is essentially a message to override your body’s natural hormonal rhythm. Do you really want something made in a lab sending messages in your body telling it what to do, instead of relying on your body’s own innate intelligence?

 

THE DOWNSIDES AND BIRTH CONTROL SIDE EFFECTS

1)      Doesn’t address ROOT cause of symptoms

The pill makes you ignore what your body is ACTUALLY trying to tell you by suppressing your symptoms. I see this as one of the biggest dangers, since PMS, infertility, and irregular cycles are a HUGE indicator of your health and your ability to reproduce! If you are not having a regular cycle, it’s a key indicator that your health and nutrition are seriously suffering. Your body naturally lowers progesterone at times of malnutrition, starvation and stress as a protective mechanism to keep you alive (if you don’t have nutrient stores for yourself, supplying them for a baby is pretty unreasonable).

 

2)       10-30% increase in the risk of breast cancer (!)

According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation “A pooled analysis of data from more than 50 studies found that while women were taking birth control pills (and shortly thereafter), they had a 10 to 30 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who had never used the pill. Once women stopped taking the pill, their risk began to decrease and after about 10 years, returned to that of women who have never taken the pill.”

 

3)      Pill-induced nutrient deficiencies

According to the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook, oral contraceptives can result in the following nutritional deficiencies: zinc, magnesium, selenium, vitamin C, vitamins B2, B3, B6, and B12, along with folate. These deficiencies can occur because the liver uses more of these nutrients to metabolize estrogen and detoxify it out of the body. According to Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, “Infant brain damage can be caused by a deficiency of the B vitamin, folic acid. Taking estrogen, as in birth control pills, tends to deplete the body’s supply of folic acid, so that if pregnancy occurs right after stopping the pills it is more likely to lead to miscarriage or deformity from folic acid deficiency.” The pill confirms this by addressing it on their warning label “Serum folate levels may be depressed by oral contraceptive therapy. This may be of clinical significance if a woman becomes pregnant shortly after discontinuing oral contraceptives.”

 

4)      Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Synthetic estrogen’s cardiovascular risks have been known since 1940 including its ability to cause blood clots, varicose veins, miscarriage and PMS. “It is the estrogen in oral contraceptives which correlates with their effects on the clotting system. In the last 20 years, there has been a general agreement that increased risk of cardiovascular disease, rather than cancer or immunodeficiency or depression, is the most important concern about the effects of oral contraceptives” Ray Peat, PhD.

 

5)      Depression

According to a recent study out of JAMA Psychiatry, depression can be a side effect of hormonal birth control, especially with teens, “Use of hormonal contraception, especially among adolescents, was associated with subsequent use of antidepressants and a first diagnosis of depression, suggesting depression as a potential adverse effect of hormonal contraceptive use.”

 

6)            Poorer Periodontal Health

If healthy dental health is important to you, you’ll want to hear this one loud and clear. According to a 2007 study, “Current users of oral contraceptives had poorer periodontal health.” The study’s findings are as follows:

“Forty-two percent of subjects were taking the contraceptive pill at the time of periodontal examination. Current pill users had deeper mean probing depths compared to non-users (3.3 mm versus 2.7 mm; P = 0.006) and more severe attachment loss (2.6 mm versus 1.7 mm; P = 0.015). Pill users had more sites with bleeding on probing (44.0% versus 31.1%; P = 0.017).”

 

7)            “Other” birth control side effects from the warning label

Aside from the well know side effects such as weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness, moodiness, and reduced libido, I thought I would share some other side effects that you may not know about.

 

  • Headaches: “The onset or exacerbation of migraine or development of headache with a new pattern which is recurrent, persistent or severe requires discontinuation of oral contraceptives and evaluation of the cause.”
  • Fluid Retention: “Oral contraceptives may cause some degree of fluid retention. They should be prescribed with caution, and only with careful monitoring, in patients with conditions which might be aggravated by fluid retention.”
  • Emotional Disorders: “Women with a history of depression should be carefully observed and the drug discontinued if depression recurs to a serious degree.”
  • Nursing Mothers: “Small amounts of oral contraceptive steroids have been identified in the milk of nursing mothers and a few adverse effects on the child have been reported, including jaundice and breast enlargement. In addition, combination oral contraceptives given in the postpartum period may interfere with lactation by decreasing the quantity and quality of breast milk. If possible, the nursing mother should be advised not to use combination oral contraceptives but to use other forms of contraception until she has completely weaned her child.”

 

The choice on whether or not to take the pill is a very personal one. I encourage everyone to make an informed decision on what is right for their own body

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