Symptoms Stopping Birth Control
Birth control works by administering artificial forms of estrogen and progesterone in the body to make it think that you are pregnant and will therefore not ovulate. Your body learns to trust this administration of the artificial hormones and it will close off your body’s natural brain-ovary communication to produce hormones. After lots of time of using birth control, you become dependent on not being able to regulate your hormones naturally, so when you stop using birth control you’ll find hormonal imbalances to be common. For some women, this transition to regulating hormones naturally may only take a few weeks, and for others, it’ll take a few months.
Source: Birth Control Book, 19268187
There are several reasons you may experience symptoms when stopping birth control.
Androgen rebound
Ovulation not yet restored (leading to imbalances in estrogen and progesterone - must ovulate to produce progesterone
Underlying gut issues
Stressed Adrenals
Nutrient Deficiencies (Zinc, vitamin B12 & B6, vitamin C, selenium, magnesium)
Here are 8 symptoms you could experience when stopping birth control:
1. Acne
Androgen rebound is one of the reasons for post birth control acne. This is because birth control naturally lowers testosterone levels because of increased estrogen administration. When you stop using birth control, your ovaries can respond with androgen rebound where a surge of testosterone (an androgen) will be produced. This can cause post birth control acne because testosterone gets converted into DHT and this is what causes the increase in sebum in the sebaceous glands to further produce acne. Elevated DHEA levels, an enzyme, combines with testosterone to make the DHT.
You may also be deficient in zinc, which can be a cause of acne, one of the symptoms stopping birth control. A mechanism for this is that zinc has anti-inflammatory properties and it also can effectively reduce cutibacterium acnes which is a bacteria linked to acne production in the skin. Additionally, zinc can inhibit sebum secretion and production by its antiandrogenic property. This is why zinc is a nutrient to help decrease post birth control acne. High zinc foods include meat, shellfish, legumes, seeds, nuts, and eggs.
Lastly, gut issues are another reason for acne after stopping birth control. Studies have found that the gut microbiota or bacteria have a connection to acne production due to the inflammatory response it results in. In addition, studies have shown that gut flora can transport excess microbiota to the skin directly. This is because when the intestinal wall becomes permeable, the bacteria can enter the bloodstream and collect in the skin which can clog the pores to create acne.
Source: European Journal, 20725580, 25120566, 31284694
2. Irregular or Missing Period
Another one of the symptoms stopping birth control is irregular periods. A regular period falls anywhere between 21 to 35 days (28 is the average), anything outside of this time frame is irregular. Irregular periods occur due to a variety of reasons, but their main cause is the lack of normal ovulation. Lack of ovulation, where the egg is not released from the ovary is a product of low progesterone because the body is not preparing for pregnancy. Some other reasons for irregular periods can be stress, PCOS, not eating enough, or coming off of oral contraceptives.
Source: 25681845, Book on the Menstrual Cycle
3. Hair Loss
You might be noticing unusually large handful amounts of hair coming from your head in the shower. Now, everyone has various hair textures and thickness, but if you are noticing that you are shedding more hair than you were while on birth control, this can be one of the symptoms of post-birth control syndrome. Female hair loss is due to the miniaturization of the hair follicle, and increasing terminal follicles. Just like in acne production, DHT plays a role in hair loss from increased androgen levels of testosterone. DHT is an opponent of hair follicles, the more it is produced the more it will create hair loss and miniaturize the hair follicle. High levels of testosterone will catalyze this reaction to form DHT and therefore lose hair.
It’s important to make sure you’re eating enough, incorporating calming practices (like journaling or meditating), and may need to scale back on high-intensity workouts and opt for lower intensity ones like yoga, pilates, and strength training.
Source: 18044135, American Hair Loss, 28492055
FREE after birth control 5-day MEAL PLAN:
4. Gut Issues
Gut issues are one of the symptoms stopping birth control. The gut plays an important role in hormone detoxification. If we have low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) or decreased functioning of the pancreas resulting in a low output of digestive enzymes we can experience bloating. Bloating is a sign of gut issues because of the low digestive enzymes this makes the gut work much harder to digest food. This is because adequate stomach acid and digestive enzymes are needed to break down and digest our food so it can be sent to the gut for absorption. Oral contraceptives have been shown to increase the risk of developing Crohn's disease, which is a type of inflammatory bowel disorder that leads to lots of inflammation in the gut. Birth control can also decrease the biodiversity of the gut microbiome. We need a broad diversity of gut bacteria in order to have good defenses against pathogens and to be able to pass bowel movements efficiently.
5. Fatigue
Fatigue is another one of the symptoms stopping birth control. Fatigue is defined as having low energy, tiredness, and weak muscles. This can occur when stopping birth control because your body is not used to producing hormones itself and at the right rate too. This process can create a large stress response which can negatively affect energy levels.
6. Inflammation
Inflammation occurs when your white blood cells sense an invader or an area of injury in the body, so they release chemicals to surge the area as well as increase blood flow there. Signs of inflammation: joint pain, muscle pain, gut issues, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, inflammatory skin issues. It is another one of the outcomes of stopping birth control. Birth control has been found to induce inflammation in the body, and after stopping the use of it, the inflammation can be residual.
Source: 28912620
7. Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen dominance is when you have more estrogen in ratio to the amount of progesterone you have. Symptoms include cramps, period pain, breast pain, mood swings, cyclical acne, PMS, bloating, heavy bleeding, and headaches. This estrogen dominance can occur as one of the symptoms stopping birth control because usually there is a lack of ovulation when you first get off birth control so that means you aren’t producing enough progesterone and by default, estrogen will be higher.
Source: NIHA
8. Any Pre-Birth Control Symptoms Returning
Many women go on birth control to control acne, painful periods, or irregular cycles, and not necessarily for contraception. When you stop using birth control, these symptoms can reappear and possibly get worse during the beginning weeks or months of coming off the pill which can be one of the symptoms stopping birth control.
