Ep.6: The Pill - Facts about Birth Control
Thanks for joining us today as we talk about a truly important topic - hormonal contraception, or specifically what we often refer to as “the pill.” There are millions of women on the pill right now, and you may be one of them. It’s important for any woman taking it to truly understand
what it does
how effective it is
how it functions
what it treats
along with the side effects or any risks in taking it.
More than anything, I want to share the facts with you. Everything I talk about today can be found through personal research, but our hope is to make it easier for you to hear it all in one place, as you discern if birth control pills are right for you and your family.
Let’s start with what the birth control pill is. I do want to clarify that birth control, or “the pill” is a type of hormonal contraception, but not all hormonal contraception is necessarily the pill. Hormonal IUDs, vaginal rings, patches, and more are also examples of forms of contraception that use hormones as their primary mechanism.
Birth control pills specifically are tablets made of compounds that mimic the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone: Some pills use both, and some only use progesterone-mimicking compounds. But Note that in either scenario, they aren’t the actual hormones, but a synthetic compound that mimics them.
So It works by utilizing these compounds to reduce the quality of a developing egg to prevent ovulation, thicken the mucus in the cervix to make it harder for sperm to travel into the female reproductive system, and thinning the lining of the uterus so that an embryo, or fertilized egg, cannot implant. If any of that is like “HUH?!” then I encourage you to listen to episode 1, which goes over the functions of your reproductive system and explains each aspect of what I just mentioned.
As effectiveness goes, it’s very effective. It’s 99% effective at preventing the conception and carrying of an embryo. Of course, there are things that can alter that effectiveness, such as use of certain pharmaceutical drugs like antibiotics, cholesterol lowering drugs, or anti fungal or herbal supplements like St. John’s Wart. Sickness that includes vomiting or diarrhea can also reduce effectiveness. But over all, the method effective is 99%. And for most women, that’s the main reason they are taking it - they want to avoid pregnancy.
But there are a growing number of women who were put on birth control not for contraception, but because they had an issue with their cycle. This could be painful periods, irregular cycles, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, PCOS, acne, PMS symptoms, etc, etc. Many of these symptoms aren’t experienced when the reproductive system is shut down, so it makes it easier to go about day to day life.
The pill really was revolutionary to women and couples! for one - women felt they had a say in the size of their family after a lifetime of being completely in the dark about how to accomplish that. You know I’m all about women and couples having that kind of confidence in planning their families.
So what could be the problem? It sounds like the miracle drug, that fixes all the problems, and for many years it was called very similar.
For some women, this is the right call and method for them. They use it a short, or longer, period of time and don’t experience any side effects and do well, despite the increased long term risks. But I’d say, for the majority of women taking it - they have a different experience.
Birth control has side effects. While they’re often denied in the doctors office, or women are told to wait 3-6 months to “see what happens” first, there’s no doubt they’re there. In fact, the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies aren’t denying them either. I encourage you to find the print out booklet in your box and read all the side effects. They won’t be highlighted - you’ll have to dig a little. But they’re there. More than those listed there, are the experienced side effects by real women known by you and me. I recently asked my instagram followers for feedback on what they experienced while on contraception - these are women who are interested in reproductive health, but many are still using birth control. The most common response I got from tons of answers was “BAD” - they felt BAD.
Their more detailed answers, along with many I know or have heard from, ranged from drastic mood changes to life threatening blood clots.
I’ll read a list here of many of the known birth control side effects:
reduced memory function
less able to deal with stress
anxiety
depression
suicidal thoughts
reduced bone development
brain fog
decreased libido
reduced learning capacity
affected breast development
unusual bleeding
nausea
headaches/migraines
weight gain
blood clots
ovarian cysts
thinning hair
There are also increased risks involved in even short term use of birth control, which include:
cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks at a young age
death by suicide
infertility
increased risk for cervical and breast cancer, and several others. In fact, studies show that you have to stop taking the pill for a minimum of 10 years before those cancer risks decrease back down to the average woman.
pulmonary embolisms, which can be fatal blood clots
Some of the things in these lists are from the combo pill and some from the mini pill - but many are shared by both. Were these discussed with you when you talked with your doctor about possible side effects? I hope so -
Women deserve to know them, so that they can make truly informed decisions about their health and family planning.You’re going to hear that from us a lot at Woven, because informed decision making is so important.
One area that’s not talked about a lot is the fact that one of the main mechanisms for effectiveness, as mentioned earlier, is the thinning of the uterine lining. The sole job of the uterine lining is to support the implantation of an embryo, or fertilized egg. It needs the blood, nutrients, and support that the thicker lining offers in order to continue growing and developing. For some, an embryo is not something they’re concerned about. But I always want to be upfront - for me, an embryo is a life. So preventing that life from implanting is a serious thing to consider, and one that I think is important for any believer who’s using or considering using birth control. Just like with medical side effects, it’s important to know the risks so that she can weigh them. Even if she’s only taking it for a short amount of time.
Which reminds me, something I only recently learned through viewing the new Business of birth control documentary — the bulk of the research we have on birth control is from short term use studies because — get this — the pill is only approved by the FDA for short term use! Any long term side effects or risks are dependent on the manufacturers to report. This blew me away! Because how many women have been taking it for decades?!
There have been a few independent studies - one showing that women put on hormonal contraception between ages 15-19, were 80% more likely to experience depression than those not on birth control. 80%!
So many young women are being put on birth control for temporary, symptomatic issues by well meaning loved ones or sympathetic medical professionals - yet this contraception has life long effects. And, It’s completely normal for it to take 2 years or so for initial cycles to normalize. And if things aren’t normal by that point, it’s time to investigate why so it can be treated - instead of just told to take this pill so you don’t have to deal with it.
Listen, I get it - I respect it - that’s the easier option. All of this would be SO MUCH easier if there weren’t any concerns, and it was just the perfect, easy way to solve all of these problems. But, unfortunately, those concerns are there. And the results for these period fixes are gonna be temporary.
None of the issues I mentioned earlier - the ones many women take birth control to address - are actually fixed or even improved long term by birth control: painful periods, irregular cycles, endometriosis, heavy bleeding, PCOS, acne, PMS symptoms, etc. Those issues will be right back where they were when she stops birth control. And as Dr. Lara Briden pointed out in the documentary, if any of those are caused by disease, those diseases are going unchecked for that entire time - possibly leaving the condition worse than when it started.
And this may be one of the things that frustrates me the most, if I’m transparent. To me, all of this says that Women are being disrespected.
They’re being told that their long term health isn’t a priority.
They’re being told that understanding their fertility is too complicated for them.
They’re being told that any side effects they have on the pill are in their head.
And they’re not being told factual information about the risks they’re taking in swallowing that pill day after day, year after year, decade after decade.
And all of that is disrespectful.
You can’t sever the critical connection between a woman’s reproductive hormones and her brain - shutting down ovulation - and not expect it to make a difference and have systemic consequences.
What I’m NOT saying is that women should be unable to plan their families or avoid pregnancy. I believe that women are incredibly capable of doing both - with the SAME effectiveness of the pill. And I believe that that can be done without any of the side effects, risks, or ethical dilemmas.
You have options for family planning.
And I’m not talking about IUDs, because those provide many of the same side effects and risks, just in a different packaging - and one a lot more difficult to just stop, too.
I’m talking about natural options, that allow you to partner with your spouse, have the freedom to choose to avoid or achieve pregnancy at any time, and respect life from the moment of conception.
You have options for reproductive health care.
The pill revolutionized many things over the years, and one has been modern medicine. It’s totally changed the field of women’s reproductive health - but not always for the better. I have several clients who are in the medical field themselves and even they’ve told me that women’s health is the only field where the goal is not to diagnose and cure the issue — masking the symptoms is considered sufficient. Instead, I want you to know that There are health professionals out there who are trained in restorative reproductive health. Instead of masking the symptoms of a problem, they want to name that problem, treat it, and send you on your way a healthier person - with all the benefits of ovulation intact.
You are capable.
Women are given the message - directly or indirectly - that they aren’t capable of handling their own fertility. It’s too hard. You’re too busy. It’s complicated. You don’t have the time. It’s too much to understand. You would make mistakes. Where is this data coming from, i want to know? Because what I’ve seen is that women are capable - far more capable than birth control, actually, because you get the same effectiveness as the pill, but with a deep understanding of your body, how it’s working, what feels off, what’s normal for you, and what you should be concerned about.
In my opinion, this is what’s truly empowering. The ability to know and respect your body in your health decisions and family planning. Having a system that gives you the full freedom to plan your family as you’d like, any given cycle — Completely independent of any contraception or device. Understanding your body and it’s health so that you can spot something different quickly and work to feel better for the long term. Prioritizing your reproductive health - not just in this moment - but for as long as you have it.
So that’s the big picture. And, as always, there’s so much more we could talk about. You may be interested in saying goodbye to your birth control pills, and I want to make sure you have the options to do that. There are some books out there on the topic - Beyond the Pill by Jolene Brighten may be a good place to start - but I’d love to provide you personal, one-on-one assistance if you’re interested in using a natural form of family planning and reproductive health maintenance. Each month, we offer a online, group Introductory Session where you get to hear me talk about how your body works, some of the amazing things it can show you about your health, how to chart your cycles, and how to avoid pregnancy naturally with a 99.5% effectiveness. You can even schedule a time to talk with me personally before you decide if you’d like to continue working one on one. I’d love to hear your story and help in any way I can. You can register for both at wovenfertility.com
Thanks so much for listening today - I hope it’s been informative and helpful. If you know of anyone else that you think would find this helpful, I hope you’ll send it to them or have them connect with me on instagram @wovenfertility
So glad you’re joining us as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.