Are you a Woman Using Birth Control Pills?

When it comes to taking charge of your reproductive life as a woman, there are many options to choose from. Many women ultimately choose to use oral contraceptives due to their ease of administration and because they don’t interfere with the flow of  intimacy “in the moment”. If you are one of the millions who have made this choice, this article contains important information for you.  Women taking birth control pills, even just for several months, will induce a deficiency of B12, Folic Acid, and B6.  If you are also vegan or vegetarian, the likelihood that you are already lacking adequate amounts of one or more of these vital nutrients is fairly high.

During the natural cycle of each woman, levels of estrogen and progesterone rise and fall in relationship to each other. Most birth control pills work by keeping estrogen at a sufficiently high level that they fool the body into thinking it is pregnant; therefore, ovulation, and another “pregnancy” cannot occur. That’s why some women have intolerable estrogen-induced side effects when they are on birth control pills such as weight gain, mood swings, and breast tenderness. Commonly known risks associated with this type of combination pills include blood clots, stroke and heart attack.

Women on these types of combination pills, and especially those with the above-mentioned symptoms, need to be evaluated for Estrogen Dominance that may have been created or worsened by starting the Pill.  Using herbs and acupuncture to support the liver’s function of detoxification, regulating digestion and elimination, and evaluating and maintaining healthy levels of beneficial intestinal microorganisms can moderate Estrogen Dominance.

Elevated hormone levels may also suppress the activity of Thyroid hormones in the body.  Thyroid hormones, such as TSH, T3, and T4 regulate our energy and metabolism. Specifically, elevated estrogen may interfere with the body’s ability to convert inactive, or storage forms of thyroid hormone into the active form that our cells can use and respond to.  Some common Low Thyroid symptoms are fatigue, increase in weight even with a low or normal calorie diet, headaches in the morning, depression, constipation, sensitivity to cold, susceptibility to colds and flus, and dry, itchy, slow-healing skin.

The “mini-pill” which is a progestin only prescription, does not increase risk of clotting, but does come with it’s own side effects of increased hunger, weight gain, breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, and increased risk of functional ovarian cysts. In the clinic, I regularly use Acupuncture, Herbs, and Nutritional Therapy to successfully alleviate these and other side-effects in my women patients.  It is important to remember that each woman is unique, and that there is no “one-size-fits-all” protocol for supporting health while on oral contraceptives.

Brie Wieselman, L.Ac, is a State and Nationally Licensed Acupuncturist/Herbalist. In her private practice, she treats Gynecological  & Fertility issues, Anxiety/Depression, Insomnia, Digestive Disorders, Adrenal Fatigue, Thyroid Imbalances, Blood Sugar Irregularities, Food allergies, Pain, Asthma, Allergies, and Autoimmune Disorders. Brie practices at the Harborside Acupuncture Clinic at 550 Palm St. For appointments call (831)706-5378.