Making the Switch: 5 Essential Tips for Transitioning off Hormonal Contraception

It's time for new beginnings, and you've decided to ditch hormonal birth control...

now what?

First of all, let's just take 5 to celebrate you taking this huge step for your health and for your life! This is a big decision and in case nobody told you- I am proud of you. You are taking back your health and your life! So, let's get into it.

Whether you've already come off the pill, or are just thinking about it now, the absolute first thing I recommend doing is learning a fertility awareness method. This is for a couple reasons, but they are so very important and put you in the drivers seat.

First, you will want to learn a FAM as a means of monitoring your own health.

In my method, we focus a ton on education before using that information for family planning. Fertility Awareness Methods are not just for planning your family. Having a good foundation for how your body is supposed to work is essential for monitoring your own health any time, but especially when you are coming off of any medication, not just hormonal contraceptives.

Secondly, you'll be able to use this information to plan your family. More and more families are turning to fertility awareness instead of hormonal birth control options for a multitude of reasons (which you likely already know, since you're getting off of it now.)

A recent review of research found that one of the biggest predictors of success when using fertility awareness methods to plan your family is your motivation. Having an involved and supportive partner for a shared motivation to avoid or achieve a pregnancy will help ensure that observations are made, charted and appropriate decisions are made based upon your observations.

So, you've learned a fertility awareness method, now what?

Talking to your partner about how you both want to plan your family is vital and my next recommendation.

Some people are comfortable with relying on fertility awareness for family planning and some are not. You will want to have an open discussion with your spouse about both of your goals for this time period. It's my firm belief that using fertility awareness is the best option, as it does not interfere with reproduction or your own health. I'd encourage reading and learning as much as you can about any family planning option that you pursue before you make a decision.

Get yourself some quality vitamins!

We know that taking hormonal contraceptives causes nutrient depletion of certain vitamins and minerals in our body, so making an effort to combat this especially once you come off is vital to supporting your body as it prepares to ovulate again on it's own. A great book for research-based information about vitamins is It Starts With the Egg. Whether you're trying to concieve or not, it really lays a good foundation for nutrition information post-pill.

If you have a supportive doctor who is open to ordering some labs, that might be a good idea! Your physician can help you discern what you are deficient in and help guide you towards the appropriate vitamins and minerals to help your body recover. I would not just grab some random vitamins and take them willy-nilly. I'd ask for testing to see what your body needs and help support it so you can have a healthy ovulation.

Give yourself some grace and prepare for symptom changes.

Some women can come off the pill or take out their IUD without missing a beat. However, others feel many effects during their transition back to normal, ovulatory cycles. Taking time to be gracious to ourselves during this transition will help make it easier on you. You've undergone a huge shift--both mentally and physically. Allowing yourself time to rest, recover and recuperate will ensure you have an experience transitioning back to ovulating as smoothly as possible. It is my sincere hope and wish for everyone coming off hormonal contraceptives, that you might experience an easy transition with little disturbance to your life. However, many women have a whole host of symptoms like mood changes, acne, weight gain or loss, heavy periods or even missing periods entirely. This is likely due to the fact that two thirds of women on hormonal contraceptives are on it in part for reasons aside from contraception. Meaning, two thirds of women on birth control got on it for reasons like: heavy or irregular periods, acne, weight gain or loss, etc. Remember, birth control is not a treatment for issues like PCOS, Hypothyroidism, Endometriosis, and more. It can help alleviate symptoms for those diagnoses, but it can never reverse or treat the underlying causes of them. So, when we come off the hormonal contraceptives, all of those symptoms are likely to come back. Give yourself grace. If you had painful periods or symptoms that led to you beginning hormonal contraceptives in the first place, be kind to yourself as you come off.

Here are my top 5 next steps to help navigate life off of hormonal contraceptives, as a reminder. You can copy this list into your notes on your phone and use it as a tool for the transition.

1. Learn a Fertility Awareness Method

2. Talk to your spouse about your plan for your family

3. Get some vitamins! (Good ones)

4. Give yourself grace

5. Prepare for some side effects

   
   

Getting in touch with a FEMM trained physician can help you get to the root cause of those issues and get you real treatments! If you'd like a referral or know someone who might be interested, have them reach out to me. You don't have to be charting for me to make the referral initially!

Email me here.