As women we are prescribed the OCP (or Implanon or similar) for just about any hormonal complaint or as the preferred method of contraception. However many women I speak to are unaware of what it's really doing to their hormones or bodies, along with the side effects particularly from long term use.
While the Pill can be great for masking painful symptoms and providing a mostly reliable and easy form of contraception, their are other options which don't come with any side effects to your hormones and health.
The synthetic hormones in these medications are not the same as your natural progesterone and estrogens, and they can therefore put your natural levels of these hormones out of balance. This hormonal imbalance commonly underlies many hormonal symptoms - from increased PMS and moodiness, to painful and heavy periods, fluid retention and infertility. While the Pill can help mask unpleasant symptoms, it is unfortunately not helping to resolve the underlying hormonal imbalance, so it's more than likely your symptoms will reappear or have worsened when you stop taking the Pill.
One of my clients ended up with a liver tumour due to long term use of the Pill. An increased risk of stroke and heart disease - which are actually more fatal in women compared to men - is also associated with the Pill. These synthetic hormones also disrupt our gut bacteria and deplete essential nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and zinc which are all super important for our mood, energy, hormone balance and fertility.
Having a monthly period (again, not the same as the 'period' you have on the Pill) is vital for womens hormones and health, whether you're hoping to get pregnant or not. Each month when you ovulate your body produces progesterone. This hormone is super important for limiting PMS, boosting our mood and for carrying a pregnancy to full term.
The Pill has a few effects in your body but the most notable is that it prevents you ovulating - and therefore producing progesterone each month, which can therefore contribute to insufficient progesterone and hormonal imbalance. You can see how skipping your period with these medications would also have a negative impact on your hormone balance and health.
Hormonal medications such as the Pill and HRT can lead to increased estrogen levels, higher levels of which are associated with fibroids, endometriosis and breast cancer.
Conception can only occur a few days out of each month, however women are taking a medication with side effects everyday - which if you're ok with that is fine, but I see many women who haven't thought of it that way or weren't aware of potential side effects. You have to choose whatever option works best for you, but I believe it's important for women to have all the information so they can make informed choices regarding contraception, their hormones and health.
Other factors can also contribute to hormonal imbalances developing over time including ongoing stress, chemicals in plastics, skin care and cleaning products, insufficient quality fats and protein in your diet and other nutritional deficiencies.
Tracking your cycle on an App is a great way to become more aware of your monthly symptoms, know when you ovulate and which are your fertile days - it can be a great tool for contraception or conception! There are many Apps available including Period Tracker Lite, Kindara and Clue.
There are herbal medicines and nutrients that can help improve hormonal symptoms and return your hormones to a happy balance. You can also start supporting your body and hormones before you stop taking the Pill, to help reduce symptoms once you decide to stop.
If you'd like to work on rebalancing your hormones and health I'd love to help you.
Marion McConnell is a degree qualified Naturopath who helps women with stress, hormone imbalances, anxiety and fatigue. The clinic is located in New Farm Brisbane, and consultations are also available via Skype. You can contact Marion here.
