Oral Contraceptives & Your Gut Health
WHAT IS HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL/OCP?
Birth control is an over-the-counter medication that has been used for decades as a method to prevent pregnancy. Over the years, it has been used to treat many other conditions as a way to “regulate your period." Today, it’s basically given out like candy when women begin menstruating. However, there is still a major gap around the lack of information being told to patients when being prescribed this little pill.
Why are SO many women prescribed Birth Control?
Birth control has been prescribed for many years to address symptoms & conditions including:
Pregnancy prevention
Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Endometriosis
Heavy periods
Cramping & painful periods
Acne
Irregular cycles
Mood Swings
Migraines
TYPES OF HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL:
Birth control can be hormonal-based and nonhormonal-based:
Hormonal Birth Control:
➡️ IUD: Shaped like a "T" and a bit bigger than a quarter and inserted by a doctor. Some are copper (non-hormonal) or hormonal (which is delivered over a 3-5 year period) They are 99% effective and block sperm from reaching your eggs. IUDs touch your UTERINE TISSUE!
➡️ Implant: a flexible plastic rod about the size of a matchstick that is placed under the skin of the upper arm. It releases a low, steady dose of a progestational hormone to thicken cervical mucus and thin the lining of the uterus (endometrium).
➡️ Vaginal Ring: a small, flexible, plastic ring that you insert into your vagina to prevent pregnancy. It’s about two inches around.
➡️ Birth Control Shot: an injection you get once every 3 months that contains the hormone progestin. Progestin stops you from getting pregnant by preventing ovulation.
➡️ Patch: You wear the patch on certain parts of your body, and it releases hormones through your skin that prevent pregnancy.
Non-Hormonal Birth Control Options:
➡️ Condoms: you know how these work
➡️ Diaphragm: It fits inside your vagina and prevents sperm from passing through the cervix (the entrance to your uterus) You need to use it with a gel that kills sperm (spermicide).
➡️ Sponge: The contraceptive sponge combines barrier and spermicidal methods to prevent conception
➡️ Fertility Awareness Method: Monitoring and recording different fertility signals (e.g. basal thermometer, cervical mucous) during the menstrual cycle to work out when you're likely to get pregnant.
➡️ Abstinence -100% effective.
COPPER IUD VS. HORMONAL IUD- WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Copper:
Damages sperm to prevent it from getting to the egg
May increase bleeding and cramps (not ideal for those with heavy periods)
Won’t change period frequency
Last 5-10 years
May lead to copper toxicity
Is not a form of hormonal birth control
Hormonal:
Releases synthetic hormone called progestin and can thicken cervical mucous
Reduces menstrual cramping
Can lighten or eliminate periods
Lasts 3-5 years
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT HORMONAL BIRTH CONTROL and Oral contraceptives.
Birth control uses synthetic hormones to regulate imbalances. This means that the progesterone and estrogen in your birth control are made in a lab
A period while on birth control is not a real period. Ovulation is shut down, so this is technically called a withdrawal bleed because it is a withdrawal of hormones that causes the lining of the uterus to shed. This bleed will be different than a pre-hormonal birth control bleed
Your risk of blood clots is increased
Because you are not ovulating, you are not making progesterone so you will experience more mood changes
This will affect your gut microbiome. Think about how antibiotics can affect your gut bacteria, BC can do the same thing.
Your risk of estrogenic cancers increases (ovarian, breast etc.)
There will be a higher level of Estrogen Dominance which will impact the rest of your hormones.
DEFICIENCIES CAUSED BY BIRTH CONTROL?
All medications can cause a depletion of vitamins & minerals
☀️ Vitamin C (think immunity, aging, and skin)
☀️ B vitamins (think hormones, energy, and mood)
☀️ Magnesium (think relaxation, sleep, and PCOS)
☀️ Zinc (think immunity, skin health, and hormone balance)
☀️ Coenzyme Q10 (a well-known antioxidant, protects cells from free radical damage)
☀️ Selenium (Antioxidant, thyroid support, heart health)
☀️ Vitamin E (think your skin, vision, reproduction)
WHAT ROLE DOES THIS HAVE ON GUT HEALTH?
➡️ Hormonal birth control use, especially for an extended period of time, has been shown to alter the gut microbiome. One study looked at the relationship between hormonal contraceptive use and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - women who took a BCP 💊for longer than 5 years, and had a genetic susceptibility to Crohns’ Disease, were more likely than women who weren’t on the pill to actually develop of Crohn’s.
➡️ Birth control with progestin (the synthetic version of progesterone) has been shown to slow intestinal motility and inhibit gastric emptying, both huge factors in developing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
➡️ If your intestines aren’t able to sweep food, bacteria, and other matter through your system at a normal rate, things will start to back up and bacteria will start to make their home in the small intestine, giving you all of those symptoms of gas, bloating, and constipation/diarrhea common in SIBO.
➡️ Birth control also impacts your gut microbes (think good bacteria) adversely affecting estrogen metabolism and our body's ability to eliminate estrogens and toxins. When we alter gut flora and detoxification systems it starts to show up on our skin, immune system, moods, energy, and body weight.
If you are concerned at all about your birth control and its effect on your microbiome or gut function, I would recommend switching to a non-hormonal version of contraception.
IN NEED OF EXTRA SUPPORT?
Have you been dealing with symptoms for so long that you’ve adapted to this being your new normal?
We’re here to tell you that digestive distress is not something you need to live with and that it is possible to address the root cause.
You deserve to feel your best.
You can heal.
If you’re interested in further investigating your gut health with functional testing and a 1:1 personalized approach you can learn about our services & programs here.
