Stacy took birth control pills for years, but stopped when she wanted to get pregnant. That was 5 months ago, and her cycles are still not normal yet. She cannot find any consistent pattern with her signs of ovulation, and is confused about what days she might even be fertile. Her cycles go from 25 days to 36 days, to even skipping an entire month!
Will the Birth Control Pills I Took Affect My Signs of Ovulation?
Yes, they certainly can. Hormonal birth control includes the pill, but also patches, injections and vaginal rings. All work by suppressing your own natural hormones so you do not cycle normally.
There are two issues you need to be aware of when trying to get pregnant after taking any kind of hormonal birth control.
- Hormone imbalance
- Nutritional deficiencies
The firsts issue is that when you stop using hormonal birth control, it can take several months for your hormones to become normal again. If your cycles were abnormal before you started the pill, it is likely the hormone imbalance will return. The underlying cause is usually still present.
The second issue related to taking hormonal birth control is that it causes nutritional deficiencies. The most common nutrients affected include the B vitamins, especially folic acid, vitamin C, magnesium and zinc. Also, because of the incorrect belief about limiting animal fats, many are not consuming adequate amounts of the fat soluble vitamins. These include vitamin A, D, E and K.
If you are still on birth control, it is critical to get plenty of these nutrients in your diet. You may even consider supplementing with good whole food supplements.
If you have stopped, you should wait at least 6 months before trying to conceive. Your body must recover both hormonally and nutritionally if you do not want to take the risk of having complications. These complications may include infertility, miscarriage, and a higher risk of birth defects.
What are the natural ways to balance hormones?
- Good nutrition
- Manage stress
Good nutrition means eating plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, seafood and organ meats, whole dairy products, nuts, and legumes. This is the best hormone diet. Do not eat processed foods that are essentially devoid of nutrition and full of potentially harmful ingredients.
This is the time to focus on eating well. It makes a very big difference. Eat plenty of foods that contain the critical fat soluble vitamins, which include A, D E and K. The best foods are animal products, particularly animal fats. Eat plenty of high quality pasture raised meat and whole dairy products, particularly butter. Also eat eggs, fatty fish, shellfish and liver.
Minerals are also very important for your fertility. Eat plenty of organic vegetables with lots of butter. Drink spring water that has only been stored in glass. Eat seaweeds. Include plenty of bone broth in your diet.
Managing your stress level is also critical to help balance your hormones more quickly. Stress causes your adrenals to release hormones that will affect your fertility and your ability to heal. This is one of nature’s ways of not bringing a child into an environment that is less likely to be nurturing to their growth and development.
Read the article titled “Will Stress Affect My Ovulation Calendar?” . It is full of ideas about how to address this common issue. One very important tool is to learn how to change your attitude. Circumstances may not change, but how you see them can.
Get off birth control hormones and consciously do these things to recover your health and fertility.
To Your Vibrant Health!
Veronica Tilden, D.O.