I’m about to get REAL up in here. And I’m definitely a little uncomfortable talking about it, but I feel like more people should be talking about this…so here we go – I recently got off of birth control completely. You know why? No, it’s not because I’m trying to get pregnant. Definitely, definitely not. But because this past year I completely lost my sex drive (if any of my family members are reading this right now, please leave. thank you.). This is all pretty personal so it feels a little weird to share it all on the internet for anyone to read, but I digress.
For quite a while I just thought it had to do with my husband and I going through some tough times in our marriage while his job was eating him alive. But once he quit and we became the happiest we’ve ever been in our relationship, I had to face the fact that there was something else at play. Or not at play, if you will. But it didn’t make sense to me since I’m super healthy, I work out regularly, get enough sleep, and eat dense, nutritious foods. Then one day while I was out for coffee, I mentioned it to a friend and she brought up birth control and how it may have to do with it. This surprised me. Like, really surprised me. I had never heard of that, my doctor had never mentioned it, and none of my friends have ever talked about experiencing it. So then and there, I decided to get off birth control for good.
Then I went on my merry way hoping things would get back to normal in no time. Well, turns out the body often needs more help than just hope. A couple weeks back, my girlfriend Christina Rice (if you don’t already follow her, do it, she’s the best!) was in town and I told her about getting off of birth control and she quickly asked what I was doing to help my body with the transition. I said, “Uhhhhh…nothing.” She rolled her eyes and started spouting all her knowledge bombs at me, explaining how birth control depletes vitamins and minerals in the body, especially B vitamins, selenium, zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. But there are also a ton of other things that can happen once you come off of birth control – loss of periods, depression, anxiety, hair loss, headaches, bowel issues, and WAY more. It’s bananas. Not only did I never know that being on birth control can cause these issues, but I definitely didn’t know coming off it could be just as crappy.
Christina was nice enough to send me a list of all the different vitamins I needed to get into my daily routine. And right away I went straight to Thrive Market to grab my vitamins. I’ve talked about Thrive Market about a million times because it’s truly one of my favorite places to shop, for almost anything! Dog treats, paleo snacks, non-toxic cleaning products and makeup, and a ton of other must-haves. Plus they have a HUGE selection of vitamins and supplements, all marked down below MSRP! I was able to pick up a Magnesium & Zinc, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, and Selenium, all between 20-36% below MSRP, and have it shipped to my doorstep in just a couple days.
In case you were like me and completely in the dark about birth control can deplete so many important vitamins and minerals in the body, here’s why some of these supplements can be beneficial when coming out of birth control –
- Magnesium & Zinc
- Magnesium – We all know magnesium is good for us. I feel like it’s talked about more than any other mineral. It’s involved in energy creation, protein formation, gene maintenance, muscle movements, nervous system regulation, and more. And it plays a role in brain function and mood which can help with depression while coming off birth control
- Zinc – This can be helpful with loss of menstruation since many birth controls can cause zinc deficiency or copper overload.
- B Complex – When your body is detoxing from the excess hormones, it needs adequate B vitamins such as B6 and B12, both of which can be depleted while on birth control. B Vitamins help with energy levels, cell health, and a crap ton of other things.
- Vitamin C – Surprise surprise, birth control also depletes Vitamin C in our bodies which is sucks since it helps protect our cells and fight against free radicals.
- Selenium – When you’re detoxing from the excess amount of hormones coming off of birth control, your liver is responsible for processing them. Selenium supports the liver, as well as the thyroid, to help process and eliminate heavy metals.
Sure, I complained for quite a long time about the size of the vitamins. I mean COME ON. Pills suck, especially ones the size of small boats. But I quickly learned that taking the vitamins with some carbonated water washes them down real quick like. It’s a game changer. Try it!
I’ve been off of birth control for over a month now and I’m happy to say things have been going very well. I’ve had some definite mood swings and cramps were a little worse than before, but I was quite happy to get my period on the same day as I thought I would. Sadly my sex drive isn’t fully back to normal (again, so awkward to talk about on here), but it’s improving. I’m a person who definitely understands that everything takes time and I don’t expect my body to be back to normal after 16 or 17 years of birth control.
I don’t know personally know many people who have had the same experience as me when it comes to birth control, but I’m hoping that sharing this story helps at least a few people out there. And I have Christina to thank for talking me into supplementation post birth control. And I can thank Thrive Market for having everything I would need to make the transition a little easier. Thrive Market makes healthy living easier and more affordable. And the more we can support Thrive Market, the more they will be able to change even more households in the US, for the better. And don’t forget, you can get 25% off your first order + free 30 day trial + free shipping when you click here! Thrive Market will help you save on groceries, beauty products, and yes vitamins and supplements!
Remember, I’m not a doctor. This is my own personal experience. Don’t forget to talk to a medical professional you TRUST. And if you have your own birth control or post-birth control experience you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it. I know it can be a little strange sharing it over the internet, but those stories can impact people in such positive ways! I’d especially love to hear any vitamins and minerals that you’ve added into your own daily life to help you thrive. I’m really excited to feel like I have my body back. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress!
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I feel like I MUST remind people that if your not interested in having babies or done having babies, have your dude get a vasectomy! I am off birth control after having twins and for the survival of our marriage, we did not want more babies. During my unplanned c-section, I asked about tying my tubes – not an option at the time, so it became an easy decision for my husband to go in. He has had no complaints, it was a quick and easy procedure – minimal healing time, not invasive. Compared to the option for me to go back on birth control or get my tubes tied, ect, it was the quickest, easiest, safest option.
As far as being off birth control, I think it took my body to adjust post birth control and babies, my boys are 3 years old and I am feeling pretty stable these days!
Check out Dr. Jolene Brighton, she has so many helpful resources related to getting off the pill. I read her book, Beyond the Pill, when I got off birth control and it was super helpful. Getting off birth control has been really good for me and I’m not trying to get pregnant either.
Highly recommend Beyond the Pill by Dr. Jolene Brighton! Very eye opening.
I so appreciate you sharing this! I agree- it’s awkward to talk about, but still important.
I suffered (and still do) from low sex drive for many years, which I attributed to my hormonal birth control. I finally switch to the Paraguard IUD and am slowly seeing improvements. Additionally, I am supplementing with B vitamins and magnesium!
I would love to hear any updates with your process and journey. Thanks again for sharing!
THIS! SO MUCH!
I was on BC for 10 years before we decided to do the baby thing. Then went back on after Breast Feeding (2 years ago). This past April, I told my husband that if he doesn’t want another kid BC is on him and took myself off the pill. I too, found out about all of the terrible things that BC does to your body and dropped that shit like a hot potato. I was taking prenatal vitamins to help replenish all of the minerals and vitamins that I found to be depleted by BC. Unfortunately, the last brand of prenatal vitamins I bought upset my stomach so I carried on with taking my son’s B-Complex chewable. I am going to definitely look into the others that you mentioned here.
Sort of side note… I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 19. My symptoms came on right after I switched my BC to that YAZ brand that was so awesome back then. 5 years later I started seeing a NRT specialist to help me manage my RA. She encouraged me to go off of BC, which I did but also because we wanted a baby. I saw SO much improvement during my time with NRT, and I attributed it all to the NRT therapy. Fast Forward 2.5 years, I am no longer living in the same city seeing the NRT specialist, I go back on BC, and my RA symptoms come back… I am super interested to see if they start to go away now that I am off the pill again. I say this because you mention selenium and that was one of the minerals I was low in and through NRT therapy, I found that I had a ton of heavy metals in my system!
Anyway, thank you for sharing. I hope you are encouraged by these responses and support. Know that you are not alone. Solidarity Sister!
Girl! Thank you for opening up and starting a conversation! Personally, I had the Implanon implant that did dangerous things to me, then went to the IUD, and finally ending up getting a bilateral salpingdectomy (tubes tied in the new way). My hormones were surging, mood swings, sex drive gone, had 9 month period (you will definitely get anemic if this happens!), everything was haywire. Once surgery was over, I haven’t gone back on BC pills. I’ve been off for a year and a half and it is SOSOSO much better for me. My hormones leveled out in about 3 months, I ended up with regular periods (cramps are back, fibroids still a thing) and a sex drive again. I get PMSy, but still not as mood swings before.
I’ve been on the pill for almost 4 years (since the start of my long term relationship). I definitely have experienced a sizable decrease in my sex drive, but it actually took me until 6 months ago or so to google the pill I’m on, after which I saw a ton of other people who also had decreased sex drives! I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t really considered that could be the reason behind what I felt.. or didn’t feel, I guess. None of my doctors or friends had ever mentioned it before either. 🙁
I’m hoping after I change health insurances I can get an IUD instead (trying to avoid the horror stories with that). Anyway, thanks for sharing! I know it’s super personal, but it’s nice to know we’re all in this hellhole together!
Yuuuup! Same. I went off BC in September of 2017. It took me over a year to get my period because I also had hypothalamic amenorrhea and loads of gut and hormone imbalances. What a blessing to get your period when you expected it to come back!! I unfortunately still haven’t gotten my sex drive back after almost 2 years off, but hoping with time things will improve.
I’m sure you’ve maybe heard of it but Jolene Brighten’s book “Beyond the Pill” is a great resource for transitioning off
Thank you for being brave enough to post about this tough topic. I listened to a brief podcast a few months ago about the problems with the pill and stopped taking it that day. I’m reading a book by Dr. Jolene Brighten, Beyond the Pill, that goes pretty deeply into detail about just how much the pill can wreak havoc on our system. Highly recommend! We
I went on birth control when I got married because we knew we wanted to wait to have kids. I turned into a different person. I was really emotional, snapped at my husband all the time about ridiculous stuff, and my sex drive was pretty bad. I figured out after about a year what was causing the issues and thank goodness I did! I think my husband was wondering “who is this crazy person I married and where is the girlfriend that I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with??”
Luckily I didn’t deal with many issues since I hadn’t been on it that long, but I vowed never to take hormones again! And we managed to wait until we were ready before having kids, so other methods for avoiding pregnancy certainly can work!
Good luck to you, sounds like you’ve got a good plan in place!