Many people take the pill (or other hormonal birth control) for many years and only stop when they want to get pregnant. Unfortunately this has the potential to lead to a lot of stress and potentially unnecessary and expensive fertility treatments.
The fact is that for many people it can take several months, and upwards of a year (or more), to get regular cycles and fertility back after stopping hormonal birth control. So, what should you expect when coming off the pill?
Wonky cycles
Basically, anything wonky that could happen to your cycle is a possibility if you are within that first year of stopping hormonal contraception.
Here are some examples you might notice if you are tracking your cycles using the fertility awareness method:
- No mucus
- Mucus every day
- Short luteal phase
- Irregular cycles
- Anovulation
- Erratic temperatures
- Slow temperature rises
- and more!
Other things that will happen will depend on your overall health, your hormonal health when you first went on the pill, your age when you went on the pill, and your individual response to the synthetic hormones.
Help is here!
Because of this, many people are confused about what’s going on in their cycles and struggle to use the fertility awareness method. This is where I come in. It’s my job to help you understand your body and in our sessions you will improve your confidence and skill of fertility awareness tracking. I can answer all your questions and help you figure out where you can make improvements to your health.
Natural hormone balance
As well, keep in mind that any hormonal imbalance you had, such as an imbalance that would cause PCOS, cramps, heavy flow, acne, or endometriosis, would still be there. This is because the pill doesn’t fix these problems, it only provides a temporary reprieve. So if you had any of these before, you will have them again.
There is hope! Nutrition and lifestyle greatly affect hormones, and you can support your body to have improved hormonal balance through making changes. In fact, by really looking at your body and your life you can reduce or eliminate hormonal imbalance problems, something that just can’t happen without experiencing a natural cycle.
There are also some common recommendations given to help your body recover from hormonal contraception. For example, the pill can affect your vitamin B levels so taking a B complex could help, as could taking folate or the herb vitex. Of course everyone is different and will need different supplements so working one-on-one with a practitioner is key, and the time it will take to get normal cycles back will vary for each person.
The main thing you will need here is patience. It can take a while, but rest assured your body knows what to do and is doing it’s best with the resources it has.
In time, you will get normal cycles and hormonal health back again, and by paying attention to how you feel and helping your body along with nutrition and lifestyle, you will find the process faster and smoother.
By tracking your cycles using fertility awareness you will be able to see your body recover and know when you are back to hormonal health again, and, if you want to have a baby, you will see when your body is ready to become pregnant (another reason charting is awesome!).
So if you want to have a baby, or if you’re just not feeling right being on the pill, get off now and start to see your body improve towards improved hormonal health and fertility today.
Thinking of getting off the pill? Wanting to have a baby in the next few years? Contact me and we can chat more about how to restore your menstrual health.